The availability of water is a minimum essential for sustaining human life. Unfortunately, many people in disadvantaged parts of the world do not enjoy the luxury of having cheap and clean water available in their homes. Some people have to travel for hours every day just to pick up clean water. In other cases, water can be delivered, but delivery services are prohibitively expensive for the world’s poorest people.
Problems Associated With Poor Water Availability
The problem with limited water availability is that people fall behind when they have to spend hours every day retrieving water from nearby wells or streams. The time spent fetching water could have been spent taking online courses to learn a specialized trade or working for a salary to enjoy more economic opportunity. Retrieving water can also be a significant burden on elderly and sick individuals. In many cases, people who become sick end up dying quickly because they are unable to make the trip to retrieve water.
Water 4 Africa’s Promise
Water 4 Africa was launched in an effort to resolve the water crisis in some of the world’s poorest communities. The organization’s concept was that if people could be given easy access to clean water, they would quickly be able to improve their communities and increase their standard of living. In this way, Water 4 Africa seeks to offer hope to disadvantaged people who are struggling to survive.
Water 4 Africa Can Make a Difference
Water 4 Africa recognizes that rare diseases are common in poor nations because of water quality issues. Children are especially vulnerable to diseases caused by unclean water because their developing bodies lack the strength to break down harmful water additives, such as bacteria, pathogens, and dangerous chemicals. When people of any age drink water that is unclean, they risk the possibility of catching a rare disease that could permanently weaken their bodies or even become fatal.
Unfortunately, sanitation issues are especially problematic in disadvantaged communities that generally lack sufficient educational resources. People in uneducated communities tend to look up to local elders for guidance, and these community leaders often lack an understanding of how to detect harmful pathogens in drinking water. As a result, a broad range of social, economic, and educational issues emerge in disadvantaged nations as a result of bad planning and decision-making. A downward spiral then begins as wages and educational opportunities are lost.
After conducting extensive research, Water 4 Africa concluded that a lack of clean water is one of the main reasons why hunger remains an issue in Africa. Water is necessary for sustaining life, preparing food, and staying healthy. As a result, Water 4 Africa decided to commit to resolving physical water scarcity issues.
To realize the greatest social good possible, Water 4 Africa is careful to balance major global issues, such as climate change and geopolitics, with its overall vision. Ultimately, Water 4 Africa believes that education is the most effective way to resolve sanitation issues.
However, water is also necessary for enabling students to attend school, so the organization also has to strike a balance between immediate needs and outcomes for future generations.
Water 4 Africa has divided its action plans into four key areas that have been identified as the most significant opportunities to make a difference. The major areas that Water 4 Africa focuses on include:
1. Well Repairs
Many villages have their own wells, but the wells are broken for a wide variety of reasons. When it is feasible to fix a well in a struggling community, Water 4 Africa provides the resources to complete the repair.
2. Drilling New Wells
New wells are the most common need in remote villages that rely on distant sources of clean water.
3. Recycling Wastewater
Many African countries have plenty of water, but they are unable to make use of it because of infrastructural issues. Water 4 Africa provides the resources to enable villages to recycle their own wastewater to become self-sufficient.
4. Desalination Plants
Small desalination plants that are powered by solar energy could make an enormous difference in remote communities. Therefore, leveraging innovation in the desalination industry is a key focus of Water 4 Africa.
Gary Kaplan founded Water 4 Africa after realizing an extreme need for water after a trip to Zambia. Kaplan saw long lines of people queuing up to receive water, and he realized how this problem was leading to an enormous loss of productive labor hours. Consequently, Kaplan founded Water 4 Africa to make an enormous difference in the lives of people struggling to gain easy access to clean water.
