Currently, 884 million people worldwide have no access to safe drinking water, and 2.6 billion lack access to proper sanitation. The appalling effects of unsafe water lead to an endless cycle of sickness, hunger, poverty, and conflict.

• Sickness: About 4,000 children die each day from unsafe water and lack of basic sanitation facilities.
• Hunger: Without water for irrigation, crops and livestock die, and families are left without sustainable food sources.
• Poverty: Poor health from unclean water means the productivity of the community suffers and family incomes dwindle.
• Education: When children spend time collecting water, they cannot attend school, and without an education, they are less likely to break free of poverty. Also, in communities where water is scarce, it is unlikely that schools will even be built or teachers will move there.
• Conflict: When water is scarce, potential disputes brew between people who share water resources.

WATER CRISIS IN ETHIOPIA

The impact of the water crisis on Ethiopia's poor majority is particularly severe:

• Women and children often walk up to 6 hours a day to collect water from distant sources, leaving little time to work at growing food or earning an income. And many times, the water they collect is contaminated and not safe for their families to drink.
• Children miss school when they have to help collect water. Only 45 percent of young children in Ethiopia are enrolled in primary school.
• The water crisis is worsened by drought. In the past 20 years, Ethiopia has experienced recurring droughts followed by food shortages and famine.
• Water-related diseases are rampant and are directly linked to a high rate of death in children under 5 (119 deaths per 1,000 live births, compared to 8 per 1,000 in the United States).