Safe Water Transforms Communities for Generations

By Barbara Goldberg, Founder & President, Wells Brings Hope

Over 2 billion people globally lack access to safe water. That’s one in four people alive today and the majority of them live in sub-Saharan Africa. The results of living without this basic human right are devastating. Death and serious illnesses from water-borne diseases are rampant. Children frequently die from a simple case of diarrhea. In times of drought, death from dehydration becomes a real possibility. There is no question that safe water saves lives, but that is not all it does. Access to safe water transforms everything.

The Lives of Women and Girls Are Most Seriously Impacted

In communities without a safe water well, it falls to the women and girls to walk miles every day to collect water, water that is often contaminated. The onerous trek for water typically takes 4-6 hours a day. As a result, girls don’t go to school, and women have no time for income-generating work. Girls marry when they are still children and subsequently have their own children when they are very young and are more likely to die in childbirth. Their dreams for working and realizing their potential are crushed.

When a well is drilled, girls are free to get an education, which gives them hope for the future. With hours of their day freed up, women are able to start their own small businesses and add to the family income. When women are able to contribute economically, they are viewed with more respect within their homes and communities, which increases their self-esteem.

Hygiene and Sanitation Are Dramatically Improved

Poor sanitation and hygiene practices pose another serious threat to the health and well-being of communities. Ending the practice of open defecation is critical to ensuring the health of the community. When a well is drilled in a village, the village must also build and commit to using latrines. They also receive intensive education on the importance of regular hand washing.

A Sufficient Supply of Water Allows for Plentiful Crops and Healthier Diets

Without a plentiful supply of water, it is difficult to grow crops. That is why children in villages without a safe water source offer suffer from malnutrition from severely limited diets. With a consistent supply of water, a greater variety of healthy crops can be grown. In addition to improving the nutrition in the community, these gardens are critical for warding off starvation in times of famine.

They Can Build Sturdier Homes

A plentiful supply of water also makes it possible to build homes made of clay bricks instead of flimsy straw. Villagers are proud that they no longer live like their animals. Being more protected, they feel more safe and secure.

About Wells Bring Hope

Providing a community with a safe water source is the most effective way to help people begin to rise out of poverty. Health, education, economic empowerment – none of it is possible without access to safe water and sanitation.

Wells Bring Hope has been bringing safe water and sanitation to West Africa for 17 years. This grassroots effort that began with the goal of funding five wells has now funded 840 wells and eight water systems for rural health clinics, bringing safe water to over 840,000 people. These solar-powered, mechanized wells are fully sustainable, transforming lives for generations to come.