Clean Water and Sanitation: Facts and Solutions
Updated Aug 19th, 2024.
Did you know that 2.2 billion people globally do not have access to safe drinking water at home? And a further 1.7 billion people globally lack basic water services at their health care facility?1
Considering that hand hygiene is one of the most effective ways to stop the spread of infectious diseases and pathogens, these numbers are alarming. Access to sustainable water services – combined with the practice of handwashing with water and soap – doesn’t just protect us and others from contracting life-threatening diseases. It’s the cornerstone for building more resilient, equitable, and prosperous communities.
Safe water and sanitation impact every aspect of life
In 2024, around 50% of the world’s population is experiencing severe water scarcity for at least part of the year.2 Factoring in climate change, this number is only expected to increase over time.3
Achieving sustainability in the water sector requires a broader perspective that recognizes the many links between water, climate, health, education, gender equality, and the reduction of inequalities. At One Drop, we make it our business to unite those who can make a difference in these areas.
Access to safe water impacts education
Access to basic water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) is widely acknowledged as an essential part of a healthy learning environment. This is why One Drop has incorporated gender strategies into our projects, such as the SCOFI Project in Mali. The SCOFI project is enabling young girls to meet their basic needs, notably related to their menstrual hygiene, through new and improved WASH infrastructure, while social art activities are helping communities address gender-specific barriers and norms to promote girls’ education.
We recognize that menstruation can get in the way of girls exercising their right to education, particularly in lower-middle income countries. That’s why improving access to water, sanitation, and hygiene is crucial for their educational and economic empowerment. By working together with women, girls, men, and community leaders through a participatory approach, we can break down barriers that hold women and girls back from reaching their full potential.
Access to safe water impacts gender equity
292 million people—the majority of whom are women—collect water for their family and walk more than 30 minutes per round trip to do so,4 limiting their educational and economic opportunities.
To address this, income-generating activities are a crucial component of our projects, providing communities with the means to support themselves and ensure the sustainability of water infrastructure. Through the ESEPV project in Burkina Faso, we aim to boost leadership, financial literacy, and skills in ways that foster economic development for 139,000 women and girls.
Read about the story of Zourata, who became a leader in her cooperative in Burkina Faso.
Access to safe water reduces inequalities
In Canada, where warming is occurring at more than twice the global rate,5 many Indigenous communities are being disproportionately affected by water issues. This not only threatens their health—it disrupts their ability to connect with their heritage through traditional practices.
Understanding the intrinsic connections between Indigenous cultures and water is central to achieving long-term solutions. Through the Indigenous Water Allyship, Young Indigenous Ambassadors from regions across Canada are using their creativity to address critical water issues in their communities. Through a blend of traditional and contemporary art forms, these young leaders are reclaiming their culture, raising awareness around water challenges, and empowering youth voices for change.
Solutions for sustainable water and sanitation
Building wells and asking people to practise water, sanitation, and hygiene-related behaviours isn't enough to create transformational change.
Our operations focus on creating an enabling environment to achieve sustainability, combining access to water infrastructure, Social Art for Behaviour Change™ (SABC) activities, and income-generating activities. These three components are at the core of One Drop’s A·B·C for Sustainability™ model, which has enabled us to transform the lives of more than 2.1 million people globally.
By collaborating with diverse stakeholders to co-create solutions, we're pushing the envelope in the WASH sector. Just through the Lazos de Agua Program, we’ve united governments, NGOs, public and private entities, artists, and community members to deliver sustainable water, sanitation, and hygiene services to more than 1 million Latin Americans by 2030.
By working together, we can create the ideal conditions in which lasting change can flourish. We can empower ourselves to co-create a more equitable and sustainable future for all.
1 World Health Organization (WHO and UNICEF. Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP). Progress on WASH in health care facilities 2000–2021: Special focus on WASH and infection prevention and control)
2 IPCC, Sixth Assessment Report Working Group II, 2022
3 WMO, United in Science 2023 - Sustainable development edition
4 World Health Organization (WHO and UNICEF. Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP). Progress on WASH in health care facilities 2000–2021: Special focus on WASH and infection prevention and control)
5 Environment and Climate Change Canada
