How Does My Water Well Donation Impact Lives?
Perhaps you’ve become aware of the global water crisis, in which 40 percent of the world’s population suffers from water scarcity and a billion people lack access to clean water.1 With some idea of the issue on a global scale, you may be wondering how a water well donation might impact lives on a personal scale.
For girls and women, a nearby well could save them an hour a day. In areas like Asia and Africa, many people are forced to walk 30 minutes or more to the nearest water source, and it’s typically females who carry this burden. In one day, according to water.org, these women collectively spend some 200 million hours collecting water.2 That’s time women could better spend earning income or caring for their families and time girls could better spend on their education.
Sadly, the water they collect is often contaminated. Water in developing regions frequently contains fecal matter, arsenic or other pollutants.3 This pollution brings a host of waterborne diseases, including diarrhea, typhoid, cholera and dysentery. Such diseases lead to approximately 1.8 million deaths every year, besides the millions who become seriously ill from unsafe water.4 Many of these illnesses, and deaths, are preventable.
For many of these people, drinking this contaminated water is their only option—but they need water to survive. For them, clean water could be the difference between a healthy life and one wrought with disease that keeps parents from providing for their families and keeps children from attending school.
Water can also impact income. According to the World Bank, 65 percent of the world’s poor in some way relies on agriculture for their livelihoods.5 They need water for their crops and livestock. But, considering 4 billion people experience water scarcity at least one month a year, there may not be enough to meet such needs.6 For these farmers, a reliable well can provide water for their livelihoods throughout the changing seasons and water levels.
Many organizations are helping people attain much-needed access to clean water. GFA World, for example, has impacted the lives of at least 38 million people through the installation of Jesus Wells and other clean water initiatives. One Jesus Well can supply water for 300 people for up to 20 years. Dug up to 600 feet deep, Jesus Wells offer pure water even in times of drought, offering life and hope to those in need.
1 “Clean Water and Sanitation.” United Nations. https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/water-and-sanitation/. Accessed August 12, 2021.
2 “A Women’s Crisis.” Water.org. https://water.org/our-impact/water-crisis/womens-crisis/. Accessed August 30, 2021.
3 Luby, Stephen. “Water Quality in South Asia.” Journal of Health, Population and Nutrition. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2740663/. June 2008.
4 “Safe Drinking Water is Essential.” Koshland Science Museum. https://www.koshland-science-museum.org/water/new/en/Overview/Why-is-Safe-Water-Essential.html. Accessed August 30, 2021.
5 “Agriculture and Food.” The World Bank. https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/agriculture/overview. Accessed August 30, 2021.
6 The United Nations World Water Development Report 2019: Leaving No One Behind.” United Nations. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000367306/PDF/367306eng.pdf.multi. 2019.