Caring Causes: Bringing Water and Sanitation to Kids and Schools

Caring Causes: Bringing Water and Sanitation to Kids and Schools

When you send your child to school in the United States, you assume that your son or daughter will have access to clean water and a toilet, but this isn't the case for many children around the world.

More than half of all primary schools in developing countries have inadequate water facilities and nearly two-thirds lack adequate sanitation. Lack of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) puts everyone’s health and chances of survival at risk – particularly children, who are the most vulnerable.

• Each year, children lose 443 million school days because of water related illnesses,¹ of which 272 million are lost due to diarrhea alone.²
• More than 40 percent of diarrhea cases in schoolchildren result from transmission in schools rather than homes.³
• Malnutrition and repeated episodes of diarrhea during childhood caused by WASH-related diseases can impair physical growth and cognitive function throughout life.⁴ Children that live long enough to attend school often start off at a disadvantage.

But there are steps that you can take to help tackle the global WASH crisis and improve WASH in schools.

• Become more informed about the issue. Check out WASH Advocates, Water for People, Water.org, and Drop in the Bucket for more information.
• Have your local school become involved with H20 For Life. Through a service learning project, students are partnered with a school abroad. They become aware of the WASH crisis and help raise money to implement solutions at their partner school.
• Participate in a walk for water to help raise awareness. Walks happen frequently across the country – be on the lookout for one in your community!
• Need an idea for an exciting birthday celebration? Pledge your child’s birthday for clean water through charity:water.
• Reach out to your representatives urging them to support funding for WASH.
• Use social media to share your WASH knowledge and raise awareness!
• Pledge to drink only tap water to raise awareness about water and improve sustainability.