The Problem
Water Sanitation and Hygiene
In Cameroon today a central issue is water scarcity. Many communities lack access to clean portable drinking water. Women and girls alongside other household chores are in charge of fetching water in most communities. Sometimes these women/girls will have to trek long distances in to the forests just to fetch drinking water for their families which most often the water is of doubtful quality. In the course of fetching water, these women/girls face the danger of rape and lose time which otherwise could have been invested on economic activities or education.
Research and statistics show that several thousands of people die every year as a result of water related ailments. 663 million people in the world do not have access to safe water. This is roughly one in nine of the world’s population; Half of the world’s hospital beds are filled with people suffering from water related diseases (UN); The water and sanitation crisis claims more lives through disease than any war claims through guns (UN); 443 million school days are lost each year due to water related illness (WHO/UNICEF); Women and children collectively walk 200 million miles a day to collect, often dirty and unsafe water; 1.5 million children die every year due to water related diseases.
In many parts of Cameroon, the lack of access to clean water exposes communities to diseases such as diarrheal; dysentery and cholera/related diseases. Access to clean toilets and availability of water in these toilets remain a huge challenge in most communities in Cameroon, particularly the rural communities consider this as a luxury. Many schools operate by leaving the pupils, students and the teachers at their own mercy thence the practice of open defecation and the high prevalence of resultant diseases. Many markets function with no public toilets and where there exist, the hygiene and sanitation conditions are unbearable. Proper hand washing practices are yet to be implemented by everyone especially children; many diseases have been contracted through the simple act of eating without washing hands properly by both adults and children.
The Objectives
- Access to clean and portable water.
- Reduce the incidence of water borne diseases.
- Enhance WASH Education in schools and communities.
- Access to clean toilets.
The solution
- Construction and rehabilitation of boreholes in underserved communities and schools.
- Construction of modern gender segregated latrines/toilets in underserved communities and schools.
- Provision of WASH kits, hand washing facilities and education.
- WASH education and simple water treatment training.
Ongoing efforts
- Rehabilitation of water collection points and catchments.
- Provision of WASH kits, hand washing facilities and education.
- WASH education and simple water treatment training.
challenges
We lack the adequate financial resources to construct boreholes in schools and communities as well as construction modern gender segregated toilets/latrines in schools and communities. We are equally very willing to expand and scale the impact of our already ongoing efforts yet the financial resources remain the challenge. Your in-kind and cash donations will go a long way.
Note:
- For every $1 invested in water and sanitation, there is an economic return of between $3 – $34 (WHO).
- The introduction of a clean water source to a community saves thousands of hours every week previously lost to water collection.
- The time freed up from water collection means women have more time for work and productivity within the community increases.
- When children no longer have to collect water they can spend more time in education, improving their chances of a brighter future.
- Hygiene education programs and practices dramatically improve the health of a community, heavily reducing the amount of water related diseases and deaths.
- Clean water lays the foundations to a brighter future and creates a happier world.
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