Clean Water & Sanitation


Access to clean water is a basic human right and a necessary precondition to all our human rights. An accessible supply of clean water is essential to good health, education and overall productivity around the world, yet currently over one billion people lack access to a basic supply of clean water and 2.6 billion people do not have access to basic sanitation.

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  Every 15 seconds, a child dies from a disease associated with lack of access to safe drinking water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene.


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  Of the 1 billion people lacking access to clean water, approximately 314 million live in sub-Saharan Africa.


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  Every $1 invested in water yields an economic return worth $8 in saved time, increased productivity and reduced healthcare costs.

Unsafe water and poor sanitation play a major role in the transmission of diseases including Diarrhea, Cholera, Malaria, and Typhoid. More than 1.8 million children die each year – roughly one child every 15 seconds – from water and sanitation-related Diarrhoeal diseases.

The lack of access to clean water and sanitation translates into lost educational opportunities, particularly for women and girls. Time spent collecting water – often many hours each day – means girls do not have time to attend school. Studies show that girls are 12% more likely to attend school if water is available within 15 minutes from home versus a one hour’s walk. Young girls are also less likely to attend classes if the school does not have adequate and separate toilets for girls. In addition, water-related illnesses increase absenteeism for all children and result in a loss of over 443 million school days globally each year.

With ONE voice, we are asking our leaders to commit an additional $300 million so the millions of people who lack access to clean water and basic sanitation could have the opportunity for improved health and a better quality of life.

An Opportunity
The internationally agreed upon goal is to halve the number of people without access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation by 2015. Based on current estimates, meeting this goal would result in safe drinking water for approximately 450 million more people, and basic sanitation for approximately 700 million more people.

There is no doubt the world has the knowledge, technology and resources to cut in half the number of people without access to safe drinking water and sanitation by 2015. However, meeting this target will require a substantial increase in resources and commitment from donor governments.

ONE supports the implementation of the Water for the Poor Act, which would strengthen U.S. government programs that increase affordable and equitable access to safe drinking water and sanitation in the developing world.>