Clean Water & Sanitation
More than 2.5 billion people worldwide lack access to basic sanitation services – that’s more than one-third of the global population. Water-related diseases kill 1 out of every 5 children under the age of 5 worldwide. In fact, dirty water kills more people every year than all forms of violence, including war.
World Hope International (WHI) believes that access to fresh water helps to sustain and prolong life, prevents the spread of disease, promotes an increased quality of life, and increases time for economic productivity.
Learn more: 2017 Water & Sanitation Annual Report
Our Response
Since 2004, WHI has worked to drill clean water wells and provide necessary sanitation in some the world’s most impoverished communities. Because of the initiatives of WHI, hundreds of thousands of people in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Mozambique, and Cambodia are living healthier, more productive lives now because of access to clean water. World Hope International responds to the water crisis by:
Drilling wells
Clean water wells not only improve one’s quality of life, they prolong it. World Hope drills water wells using local engineers in Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Cambodia. The teams drill wells in communities, at schools and hospitals, and other public institutions that lack a clean water source. Local leaders are then trained to keep the clean water flowing long after the drilling is done. A well in a village can bring clean water to more than 550 people.
Building latrines
Most people don’t realize how important a toilet is – yet clean toilets play a huge role in preventing the spread of bacteria and disease. In many of the communities, schools and hospitals where wells are drilled, WHI builds latrines using local materials and community leaders are trained to maintain them. And, there is an unexpected correlation between proper toilet facilities and educating girls.
Solar-powered piped water supplies
World Hope is constructing solar-powered water systems for health clinics in Sierra Leone, providing access to the water needed to properly clean and disinfect facilities. The solar-powered water supplies consist of a well, solar panels to generate power for an electric pump, and a tower to store the water. These water towers create the possibility of running water piped into a building, something that is a rarity in Sierra Leone.
We're Proving It!
WHI’s method of providing water and training for on-going maintenance works: a 2013 audit found that 91 percent of the wells WHI dug in Africa are biologically clean still producing year-round water. WHI celebrates more than 1,160 wells drilled, providing clean water to more than 800,000 men, women and children.
Supply Clean Water