CLEAN WATER
Diarrhea kills more children than AIDS, malaria, and measles combined, making clean water a necessary part of any social justice conversation.
Meet Jackeline
Jackeline Soila’s story is one of rescue, restoration, and reconciliation. Subjected to FGM (Female Genital Mutilation), and within days of being married off at age 9, she was rescued and brought to a safe place at Hope Beyond Transitional Center.
Jackeline’s community has now committed to ending those harmful traditions since our launching of Just One Africa’s Clean Water Program in their community. Trust has been built, health has been restored, and doors have been opened, allowing meaningful conversations and changing generational mindsets, which are bringing understanding on WHY the protection and education of their daughters are so important. This impact is significant. It has saved lives, rewritten futures, and changed the world.
Many other girls like Jackeline in communities desperately lack access to safe, clean water. They deal with sickness and disease on a daily basis. You can help change that by giving to Just One Africa.
Water filters distributed
people now have access to clean water
communities impacted
Why Clean Water Matters
844 million people do not have access to clean and safe water. 37% of those people live in Sub-Saharan Africa
The average container for water collection in Africa, the jerry can, weighs over 40 lbs when full.
Lack of safe water and sanitation costs Sub-Saharan Africa around 5% of its Gross Domestic Product each year.
159 million people drink water directly from surface sources, such as streams or lakes
Access to sanitation in Sub-Saharan Africa is, in fact, declining with only 31% of people able to access a toilet – 6% less than reported in 2006.
Around 842,000 people (361,000 children) die every year from diarrhea caused by unsafe water and poor sanitation – that’s over 2,000 people a day.
Half of the world’s hospital beds are filled with people suffering from a water-related disease.
Hand-washing with soap at critical times can reduce the incidence of diarrhea by up to 47%.
Childhood malnutrition causes about 35% of all deaths of children under the age of five worldwide, it is estimated that 50% of childhood malnutrition is associated with repeated diarrhea or intestinal infections as a result of unsafe water, inadequate sanitation, or insufficient hygiene.
Water Facts
Kenya’s natural water resources do not provide adequate water delivery to the country’s various regions. This leaves most of the population without any fresh water. Rapid urbanization has also pushed poor urban dwellers to the slums, where there is no water or sanitation, and overcrowding exacerbates the already hazardous health conditions.
Water pathogens are a huge health problem in Kenya, as the people have been left unprotected against sporadic epidemics such as cholera and parasitic worms. The rate of exposure is extremely high because the water is not only contaminated at the basins and pumps where water is collected, but the containers are almost always “found” second-hand objects, often previously used for oil, fertilizer, or waste.
Filters not Wells
No more digging wells, no constructing sand filters, and no more purification chemicals if there is a water source. With the filter, no one has to boil their water to make it safe to drink.
The gravity-operated filter and fast flow rate mean anyone anywhere can have clean water in seconds. Just 4 inches long and less than 8 ounces, the filter can deliver 15 liters (4 gallons) of clean water in about 30 minutes.
The high flow rate eliminates the need to store water, reducing the chances of water being contaminated after filtering it. The only external force required for the system to function is gravity.
Our filters are designed after the technology used in kidney dialysis. The hollow fiber membranes deliver 0.1 absolute micron biological filtration, removing 7 log (99.99999%) of all bacteria like Salmonella, E. coli, Vibrio cholera, and Salmonella typhi (which cause Cholera and Typhoid); and all protozoa such as Giardia and Cryptosporidium.
The filter is provided with everything they need to turn any water source into clean, safe drinking water for their families.
Become Part of the Solution
Imagine a world where everyone has access to clean water… where mothers can provide safe water to their children… where sickness doesn’t rob those children of their education and childhood. Imagine a world where money doesn’t have to be spent purchasing medication for preventable diseases but is spent feeding or educating their children. Imagine a world where parents can feel healthy enough to work and earn a living so they can help change their world for the better.
It has been reported that 10% of the global disease burden could be prevented by improving water supply, hygiene, sanitation, and proper water management. In Kenya, due to a lack of access to water and sanitation, diarrhea is second to pneumonia in deaths in children under five years of age (excluding neonatal) and water, sanitation, and hygiene-related illnesses and conditions are the number one cause of hospitalization in children under age five. You can change lives and create hope by providing clean water to those in need.
Beads for Water
The recycled paper beads are made in Southern Kenya by a talented group of Maasai women artisans. For many women making these beads, this is their sole means of income. These beads are made from recycled magazine paper that the Maasai women cut into a variety of widths creating small, medium, and large beads. Some of the beads are left just as they are making them a limited edition color, while others are dipped into food-grade dye creating a rainbow of gorgeous colors which are perfect for stacking into beautiful combinations!
Access to clean, safe water is a catalyst for change and the first step to elevating communities from a cycle of sickness and poverty to one of health and hope.
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