InterAction joins other U.S.-based non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in calling for the United States government to commit available resources to solve the world’s growing water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) crisis. World Water Day provides us with an opportunity to focus attention on the fact that millions of people in the developing world lack access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation.
Access to clean water and basic sanitation are crucial building blocks for development. Solving the crisis would improve the quality of life and health, advance education, drive economies, reduce poverty and contribute to gender equality and dignity.
Cost-effective solutions actually exist. They include hand-dug wells, harvesting rainwater to use for drinking, protecting springs, water filtering and purification. All would require partnerships with local communities—especially with women and girls—to ensure the population has the skills and support it needs to establish and sustain these projects.The U.S. government should contribute to the global effort to save hundreds of thousands of lives each year by doubling its commitment to water and sanitation, and integrating solutions to the water, sanitation and hygiene crisis with child survival interventions. It is an investment in future generations worth making.
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Read more about the work of the coalition listed below at www.waterday.org.
A diverse coalition of water, sanitation, hygiene and health organizations has come together for World Water Day 2010. Its goal is to raise awareness and call for stronger commitments and more robust action to ensure universal access to safe drinking water and sanitation everywhere they are needed. The global water crisis can be solved with solutions available today. The 2010 coalition includes Action Against Hunger, AED, Africare, CARE, Catholic Relief Services, charity: water, Church World Service, Earth Day Network, Global Water, Global Water Challenge, H2O for Life, InterAction, Institute for Multi-Track Diplomacy,Millennium Water Alliance, Natural Resources Defense Council, ONE, PATH, P&G Children’s Safe Drinking Water Program, Project Concern International, PSI, US Coalition for Child Survival, WaterAid, Water.org, Water Advocates, Water and Sanitation Program, Water For People, the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council and World Vision.
