Why Access to Clean Water Matters

Globally, 663 million people live without access to clean and safe water. That means 1 in 10 people spend extra time and resources to find clean water to drink, bathe in or cook with.

In many countries in the developing world, where running water is not available or reliable, finding clean water can be a daily or weekly chore. In fact, WHO and UNICEF found that in rural areas in Africa, almost one in five households spends more than 30 minutes to collect water. An overwhelming majority of this population are women.

For most, this is time better spent elsewhere – increasing their incomes, cooking for the family or creating quality time with their children.

The Kintu Family

Annet Kintu used to devote precious time each week to collect water. With the help of FINCA’s BrightLife program, however, Annet is saving time and improving her family’s health. BrightLife provides access to life-improving solutions – like water filters, solar lanterns, and clean cookstoves – for low-income people.

Annet lives with her children in a remote village in Uganda. She protects her kids from waterborne illness with a simple ceramic water filter from BrightLife. Her water filter eliminates 99.9% of bacteria without using electricity or requiring her to boil the water.

This simple device has changed their lives. Every hour not spent collecting water is an hour spent on work or education. Every day not spent recovering from a waterborne illness is a day spent on work or education.

Ultimately, clean and safe water in the home has opened a world of possibilities for the Kintu family.