CARE Marks World Day for Water With Appeal for Renewed Resources and Commitment

CONTACT: Amy Lynn O'Toole, (404) 681-2552, ext. 453

ATLANTA (March 22, 2000) - Today, on World Day for Water, the international relief and development organization CARE made an appeal for greater efforts to improve the health and well-being of poor people living in developing countries by expanding access to clean water and sanitation. More than 2 million children die each year from diseases related to unhygienic conditions and a lack of sanitation and water services.

In many communities of the developing world, children must walk hours each day to collect water for their families.

"In the developing world, some 1.1 billion people do not have access to safe, clean water and close to 3 billion people lack access to sanitation services," says Peter Lochery, CARE's water and sanitation advisor. "The need is overwhelming and it's imperative that we devote the necessary resources to help people gain access to clean water so they can drink, bathe and cook without the threat of acquiring diseases. A little money and effort go a long way in working with poor communities throughout the world to improve their health."

Did you know? that although water covers about three-quarters of the planet's surface, only 3 percent is fresh water? that a person can live about a month without food, but only about one week without water? that to keep one person healthy, five gallons of safe water each day are required for drinking, bathing, cooking and sanitation? that an estimated one-quarter of the world suffers from chronic water shortages at the beginning of this century? that improved water and sanitation can reduce morbidity and mortality rates of the most serious of water-related diseases by 20 percent to 80 percent?

In fact, according to Lochery, to provide basic water and sanitation services over the next 25 years for the billions of people who lack them would cost about $225 billion, or $9 billion a year.

"When you consider that the United States and Europe spend about $17 billion annually on pet food, or that Europeans spend some $11 billion a year on ice cream, this level of investment shouldn't be beyond our grasp," reasons Lochery.

Improper water management and contamination cause serious illness, including diarrhea, cholera and typhoid. The results are catastrophic: every eight seconds, a child dies of a water-related disease, and more than 5 million people are estimated to die each year from diseases resulting from inadequate sanitation and hygiene practices and polluted drinking water.

Since the 1950s, an estimated 10 million people have gained access to safe drinking water with assistance from CARE. Last year alone, CARE helped 2.1 million people in 31 countries develop better water systems and sanitation services.

CARE's water and sanitation projects have evolved over the years to focus on community involvement and management. Once CARE helps communities identify their needs and the benefits of clean water and improved sanitation, they work together to build the desired water and sanitation systems. Empowered by CARE's support and their participation in hygiene education programs and in the development of the water and sanitation systems, communities successfully sustain the project themselves.

Disasters Cause Water Scarcity

Three boys in Syangja, Nepal eagerly wait to fill their empty containers with fresh water from a water system built with help from CARE.

"CARE also plays a critical role in providing clean water and hygiene education to those affected by disasters -- including thousands of refugees in Rwanda and East Timor as well as to the victims of recent cyclones in Orissa, India, and in Mozambique," explains Lochery. "The cruel irony in situations such as Orissa and Mozambique is that heavy rains and flooding bring a deluge of water, but deprive people of clean water to drink as water sources become contaminated."

During emergencies such as those mentioned above, CARE helps provide affected families with access to clean water through a range of activities, from the distribution of water purification tablets and containers for water-storage to the installation of temporary water treatment plants and collapsible storage tanks. As it is currently doing in Mozambique, CARE also builds latrines and promotes hygiene to contain outbreaks of diseases spread by inadequate sanitation.

Apart from its emergency interventions, CARE manages nearly 70 water projects in developing countries. The projects work to reduce the health risks of water-related diseases and to increase the earning potential of households by saving time spent on gathering water.

"When natural disasters, wars and other types of emergencies ravage poor countries, they exacerbate existing problems, such as access to clean water," adds Lochery. "Organizations like CARE strive to help people get back on their feet as soon as possible by, among other things, meeting their immediate need for clean, safe drinking water and sanitation services."

About CARE
CARE is one of the world's largest private international relief and development organizations, with projects in more than 60 countries. Last year, CARE directly improved the lives of more than 25 million people in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Europe, and Latin America and the Caribbean. Tens of millions more -- family and community members alike -- benefited indirectly from CARE projects addressing the complex problem of poverty.