Blog
One Faucet, 500 Lives (Kuyaoyao Water Crisis)
Dann Fong August 19, 2015
Water – one of modern society's’ greatest needs. Not only do we use this valuable resource to clean, cook food, and cool our machines, it is one of the basic needs for human survival. We drink water to replenish our hydration; and considering the human body is made of 55%-75% water, you can say that this is very important.
This is why modern cities have made it a point to deliver potable water to each and every home, building, and structure within. It is accessible and clean. Just turn on the faucet and you get a glass of cool water. However, what most do not realize is that there’s still millions of people living without access to drinking water. According to a joint monitoring program by UNICEF (United Nation’s Children's Fund) and WHO (World Health Organization), about 748 million people from around the world are unable to enjoy such comforts. For them, clean water is a luxury.
Developing nations in South America and Africa are facing problems with poverty, health, and education. One of the reasons is because they lack a basic need in water. They still do not have the infrastructure to deliver clean, potable water to their citizens. Most of these people don’t even have a working faucet!
One such place where people have no access to proper drinking water is Kuyaoyao in Quezon Province in the Philippines. Everyday, the struggle is real for these men and women just to get a drink of water.
What they do is collect water from ponds that are miles from their homes. This chore is usually done by the women and children. Aside from carrying a 40 pound container filled with water, they have to trek for miles on end through dangerous roads just to get from their homes, to the watering hole, and back for their families. On average, it takes a woman or a child 4 hours to accomplish this goal.
On top of that, the water they are able to collect from ponds is exposed to various forms of bacteria which can cause different illnesses including diarrhea, cholera, and more. Children and pregnant women are especially vulnerable to these because their bodies are not strong enough to withstand the bacteria.
Think about it. Because of the time and effort spent, children are unable to study or even go to school. Mothers are forced to let their children drink dirty water filled with bacteria. The little money the father’s make a day are now used to purchase medicine. Without proper accessible drinking water, these families are unable to focus on education, health, and poverty.
The good news is, the water crisis faced by the millions of people is solvable. Old technologies such as a deep-well strategically placed near a village can already save hundreds of lives and thousands of working hours. Then, there are modern solutions such as water filtration systems that can help thousands of people at a time. Either way, the point is that this can be solved; and you can be a part of the solution.
Enhance a Village is running a campaign to provide proper drinking water to the people of Kuyaoyao, Quezon Province and you can help by simply donating. Every contribution donated is a step closer to providing hundreds to thousands of people with clean water.