• Can you believe that only 2% of the blue that you see here is viable drinking water?

• This is because most of it is either in the form of salt water, or tied up in other things such as icebergs

• Because water is scarce, especially in rural countries, many people go without, or even are desperate enough to drink water that may be harmful to their health.

• Water is vital to your everyday survival, with your body needing 8 glasses a day

• These 8 glasses of water a day, helps your body stay hydrated, while also maintaining homeostasis- keeping all of the functions in the body necessary for survival

• Africa is the 2nd driest continent in the world.

• But how can this be? Africa has the worlds 2nd largest river in the world. Along with many other long rivers.

• This is due to the uneven distribution of water, and clean water for that matter.

• Much of Africa's lakes and water flow are shared between 2 or more countries.

• Africa is home to over 778 million people.

• Over 1/2 become sick because of water related diseases in which water is either not available or unsanitary.

•The water is contaminated with aquatic parasites

•Which include………….

•Caused when someone drinks standing water which contains larva of the Guinea worm

•This is diagnosed when the larva matures inside a persons body, and can be seen protruding from the skin

•This can cause a high fever, swelling, pain, and infection.

Guinea worm disease

Filariasis•This is a disease caused by dead

worms in the blood that blocks the lymphatic vessels•This is caused when water has

mosquito larva infected with this•When the worm dies, it blocks

the lymph system, which causes fluid to collect in the legs, arms and stomach

• Schistosomiasis is caused by parasitic flatworms which infect snales that live in fresh water

• This disease is contracted by coming into contact with contaminated fresh water in which certain types of snails that carry schistosomes are living

• Symptoms: rash, itchy skin, fever, muscle aches, chills

Schistosomiasis

• These women and sometimes even children walk an average of 3.7 miles to fetch water • These Jugs weigh an

average of 44 lbs. when filled with water

• Many children miss out on education opportunities because they spend their day fetching water, when it should be spent in school

Would you drink this?

No……?

Then why should they?

What some people are doing..

• The Water Project, Inc. is a non profit organization

• They are working to help bring sanitation and hygiene training, water well projects & repairs, dams, and water filtration to underdeveloped places

What THE people are doing… • Villagers in Tanzania have started to use the sun’s

ultraviolent rays to sterilize their water because when their pipeline runs dry, there is no other source but from springs• heat destroys the bacteria which cause common water-

borne diseases like cholera, typhoid, dysentery and diarrhea. • The process is simple….• They put water in plastic bottles, and put them on a

black painted roof for about a day• The temperature in the bottles reaches 122 F, and is safe

to drink• Because the sun is out almost every day, this is cheap and

very effective• But they still need OUR help.

The Walk.• This is a 3.7 mile walk/run for all ages • Participants will walk/run 3.7 miles,

the average distance that people walk to just get water.• We ask that you get people to sponser

you, and for every mile either a donation of a bottle of water or money is accepted.• EVERY cent raised will go to the

Project Water Foundation, to try and help these people• Please help us bring awareness to this

issue, and walk for a great cause!