Support the Water for the World Act
If you've been following our Tap Project, you know how important it is for kids to have access to good water and proper sanitation.
Yet nearly 783 million people around the world—half of them children—rely on unsafe water sources. Lack of access to water and sanitation is a major health issue: diarrheal disease related to poor water and sanitation is one of the top causes of child death in the world.
Clean water and good sanitation does more than just save lives, it can turn lives around. When children no longer struggle with stomach problems, they can go to school and get an education. Their parents can tend to their fields and earn an income. Girls can attend school instead of spending hours every day fetching water from distant sources. Schools with good, clean latrines help keep children, especially girls, in school.
UNICEF correspondent Guy Hubbard reports on a program that is giving poor Chadian families clean, fresh water.
Americans like you who Believe in ZERO, through your support for UNICEF, help bring safe water and better hygiene to children every day. But UNICEF needs donor governments, including the U.S. Government, to help out.
Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Bob Corker (R-TN) introduced the bipartisan Senator Paul Simon Water for the World Act (S. 641) last March. Representatives Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Ted Poe (R-TX) introduced a companion bill (H.R. 3658) of the same name to the House of Representatives in December. These bills would strengthen America's ability to build partnerships that provide clean water and sanitation to 100 million of the poorest people in the world. They build on the landmark Water for the Poor Act of 2005, which at long last made safe drinking water and sanitation a priority of U.S. foreign development assistance.
It's important to note that the Water for the World Act does not propose new and costly water programs. In fact, the U.S. Government already provides (as it should) significant funding to improve access to clean water and sanitation in poor countries. These bills do establish a specific goal: reach 100 million people with first-time access to clean drinking water and sanitation. They call for global cooperation on research and technology development, and provide seed money to spur the deployment of clean water and sanitation technologies.
Take action now
Please contact your legislators and ask them to cosponsor and support these important pieces of legislation for quick passage!
