Wednesday 5 May 2010, 10:01
The vital stakes of water
Today, a too weak targeting of aid in sanitation and water is undermining efforts to solve poverty and morbidity rate problem. Thus, two billion of persons in the world are suffering of the shortage of drinking water.
Although, this scandal is both a major risk to public health, a strong vehicle for environmental pollution, a break on economic development and a shame to human dignity, the efforts to solve water crisis have been largely inadequate.
The lack of toilets: a global curse
Going to toilets is an ordinary fact for most of us, but it remains a luxury for one third of humanity. Diarrhea is the second largest mortality cause of children under five years (1.8 million children under five years die each year) and 50% of cases of malnutrition are related to waterborne diseases.
An inappropriate aid
According to a study of the UNO (Global Annual Assessment of Sanitation and Drinking-Water (GLAAS)), only 42% of assistance provided in terms of water and sanitation actually reaches into areas where people’s needs are the most high, that is to say in countries with lower incomes. Similarly, only 16% of this aid is allocated to "basic services” assistance for the needy, down 11% compared to figures of five years ago.
To illustrate this, over the period 2006 - 2008:
• Jordan has received an average aid of $500 per person without access to water, contrary to Chad which has only received $3.
• Georgia has received an average aid of $250 per person without access to sanitation, while Nepal has received $1.
• Financing of water and sanitation programs - that could prevent 88% of deaths due to waterborne diseases – fell because of the decline in the share devoted to water and sanitation in the global aid (that has been reduced from 6.3% to 4.7%).
The appointment of Washington: a decisive political opportunity
A meeting was held on Friday April the 23rd 2010, at Washington, bringing together leaders of developed and developing countries, to commit in favor of a financial and political action to remedy this crisis, as part of the Millennium for development objectives.
Decisions taken must help and improve the lives of millions of persons: Give girls a chance to go on their studies and to mothers the possibility to earn money, instead of having to walk during hours to look for water…
That is why RAFAD Foundation decided to launch a Local Resources Mobilization Program dedicated to Improving Water access in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Support the campaign to eradicate the shortage of drinking water on www.endwaterpoverty.org