Children: Unsafe water makes children sick from many diseases (see the “Disease" section below). The most common symptom of these diseases is diarrhea, and many children have constant diarrhea. Young girls are also called upon to haul gallons of water over long distances, leaving them unable to attend school.

Education: Because schools in rural areas lack clean, running water, children have to take long breaks out of their schooldays to get water from distant wells. Thus they do not have the opportunity for a standard education. Diseases also spread easily without water for hand washing and proper hygiene, and schools are often closed due to disease outbreaks.

Conflict: Water is a necessity. Human beings can only live without water for 2 or 3 days. So controlling water in areas where it is scarce means having power. Unequal distribution and unfair wielding of power can lead to conflict in an area that is already stricken with conflict from many sources.

Disease: Diseases such as cholera, dysentery, typhoid, guinea worm and hepatitis are caused by unclean water. These diseases, which we in America have barely heard of, kill thousands of people every day, and can only be stopped by having uncontaminated water.

HIV/AIDS: In the 2006 Epidemic Update by the World Health Organization, more than 24.7 million adults and children living in Sub-Saharan Africa are living with HIV/AIDS. 63% of people suffering from HIV/AIDS live in Africa. And those African nationals who suffer from HIV and AIDS cannot combat water related diseases because of their weakened immune systems. In the least developed countries, up to 90% of people with AIDS suffer from chronic diarrhea because of the water-borne illnesses. Providing clean water to people with HIV/AIDS will increase their lifespan, allowing them to have longer and fuller lives.