Why water matters

Krissy Nicholson knows a thing or two about water. To celebrate World Water Day, we ask Plan’s Water and Sanitation Program Manager why water really matters.

I have worked as an aid worker for more than ten years. I often hear the phrase ‘water is life’. But what does it really mean? I still struggle to fathom the reality of this statement. 
At the moment, hundreds of millions of people live without safe water. As a result, lives are lost and people suffer including the 2,000 young children who die every single day. This is just unacceptable! In addition, girls and women walk for hours just to collect a bucket of water, often keeping them out of school. And if they are able to go to school, there is often a lack of safe water facilities at the school so children can’t stay healthy and hydrated, and there is no water to wash their hands after using the bathroom which furthers the risk of disease. Girls face an extra challenge when they get their periods because there’s no place for them to wash, which in turn increases dropout rates and continues the cycle of poverty.

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