Access to Healthy Water

Access to Healthy Water

      Water is needed both for sanitation and for drinking. I am interested in what people have access to healthy water because water is so important for good health. In the developed world, there are people that get sick because they forget how important water is and because they drink too many other drinks like soda. In the undeveloped world, the problem is having access to water that is clean; that is, to water that will not make them sick. This can affect children’s health, growth, and development. Water that is contaminated with E. coli bacteria is one cause of diahrrea. This along with lack of nutritional education and access to health care may be one cause of stunted growth in children.

      Uganda “borders Lake Victoria, the source of the Nile” (Water for People, n.d., para. 1). Uganda’s economy is improving due to reforms. Ninety-five percent “of people in urban areas and 68% in rural areas have access to safe water” (Water for People, n.d., para. 2), but only about a third of Uganda’s population have decent sanitation. Although sanitation facilities have been created, they are breaking down and many do not now meet government standards (Water for People, n.d.). There are at least two entities helping to improve water and sanitation in the poorer areas of rural Uganda, Water for People and Jenna Klink. Both programs aim to train Ugandan people in creating and repairing equipment needed for clean water and sanitation. Both programs also teach Ugandan people how to test water for cleanliness (Klink, 2008; Water for People, n.d.).

      Klink (2008) discussed her proposal to help bring clean water to  districts in “rural southwest Uganda” where “91% of water samples taken from households and 72% of samples taken directly from water sources were contaminated with E. coli” (para. 1), and “the prevalence of stunting in children under 5 in this area is” (para. 1) 32.4%. Klink is trained in testing water and finding sources of water. She wrote, “My Commitment is sustainable because the projects I am supporting use local resources, local staff, and encourage community donations for water tanks and filters in order to create a sense of ownership” (para. 5).

      Teaching people what to do to help themselves is a great way to use time efficiently. Klink can help another area after she trains people in southwest rural Uganda. This is a great lesson for me to take away from learning about water problems and solutions in Uganda. In my future work, I plan to train parents, for example, in such a way that they can feel confident in their own parenting skills.  

References

Klink, J. (2008). Improving nutrition and access to safe water & health care in rural southwest Uganda.  Retrieved from http://www.mycommitment.org/node/4385

Water for People (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.waterforpeople.org/programs/africa/uganda.html