Millions of Africans are still denied access to clean water in their immediate environment This lack forces millions of people, mostly women and children, to travel several miles, sometimes twice a day, to distant rivers or water holes. More often than not, they find filthy water riddled with disease-bearing parasites and malaria-carrying mosquitoes.
Then, balancing about 40 pounds of this water on their heads, they embark on the hourslong trek back home–one that exposes them to any number of mortal dangers.
The African continent faces the most severe water crisis in the world, with roughly 330 million people lacking a clean water source. Eighty-four percent of these people live in rural areas. This represents an increase of 66 million people since 1990.