Water Well Donation: Africa, a Land of Water Scarcity
If you’re considering a water well donation, Africa is in critical need of clean water. Water is essential to life, yet 1 in 3 Africans suffers from water scarcity.1 Of the millions of people worldwide who are dependent on unprotected, unsafe water sources, nearly half live in sub-Saharan Africa.2 Without access to reliable, clean water, the people in this region face a myriad of challenges.
One of the main issues is that of health. When water is contaminated, it leads to disease, including diarrhea, typhoid, cholera and dysentery. According to Global Citizen, “115 people in Africa die every hour from disease related to poor sanitation, poor hygiene, and contaminated water.”3 That’s more than a million people per year on a single continent. Worldwide, approximately 1.8 billion people die every year from diarrheal diseases, which are often caused by unclean water.4
Children are particularly vulnerable to waterborne diseases. Their small, growing bodies have higher metabolisms and contain proportionately more water than adults.5 Diarrhea, which depletes the body’s fluids, claims the lives of approximately 1.5 million children every year in developing areas such as Africa and South Asia.6
In areas dependent on agriculture, water scarcity also affects one’s livelihood. This is true for 90 percent of the rural population in sub-Saharan Africa, whose primary income commonly relies on rainfall that may or may not come.7 This unpredictable livelihood likely contributes to the fact that 413 million people in Africa live in poverty as water scarcity and other issues inhibit the region’s development.8
There is also the burden of collection. The majority of people in sub-Saharan Africa, approximately two-thirds, are almost completely dependent on surface water from sources such as rivers, lakes or even dirty ponds.9 Even though this water is often contaminated, it’s the only water many people can access. Not only is it dirty, it’s distant. Many people walk 30 minutes or more to haul the family’s daily water needs.10 This burden typically falls to women and girls.
The lack of clean water steals time, health and income. It hinders people’s survival and any attempts to escape poverty.
GFA World has been providing clean water to impoverished communities through Jesus Wells and other clean water initiatives for more than two decades. Though the organization’s initial focus was to serve the “least of these” in Asia, they have recently expanded ministry efforts into Africa.
Jesus Wells are dug up to 600 feet deep to ensure water is available even during seasons of drought. GFA World uses local labor and materials, which helps keep costs low and benefits the local economy. For just $1,400, GFA workers can install a well that serves approximately 300 people for up to 20 years. These wells save women and girls from trekking long distances to collect water and freely offer clean water that helps improve the health and lives of entire communities.
1 Holtz, Leo and Christina Golubski. “Addressing Africa’s extreme water insecurity.” Brookings. https://www.brookings.edu/blog/africa-in-focus/2021/07/23/addressing-africas-extreme-water-insecurity/. July 23, 2021.
2 “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.
3 Rodriguez, Leah. “4 Factors Driving the Water & Sanitation Crisis in Africa.” Global Citizen. https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/water-and-sanitation-crisis-sub-saharan-africa/. October 7, 2019.
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 Holt, Palmer “Dying of Thirst: The Global Water Crisis” GFA World. https://www.gfa.org/special-report/dying-of-thirst-global-water-crisis/#original. March 1, 2019.
6 Holt, Palmer “Dying of Thirst: The Global Water Crisis” GFA World. https://www.gfa.org/special-report/dying-of-thirst-global-water-crisis/#original. March 1, 2019.
7 Holtz, Leo and Christina Golubski. “Addressing Africa’s extreme water insecurity.” Brookings. https://www.brookings.edu/blog/africa-in-focus/2021/07/23/addressing-africas-extreme-water-insecurity/. July 23, 2021.
8 Fries, Kat. “10 Facts About Pollution in Africa.” https://borgenproject.org/pollution-in-africa/. Accessed September 1, 2021.
9 Rodriguez, Leah. “4 Factors Driving the Water & Sanitation Crisis in Africa.” Global Citizen. https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/water-and-sanitation-crisis-sub-saharan-africa/. October 7, 2019.
10 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.