World Water Crisis

The Situation 

• Every day, 4,200 children die of water-related diseases.
• Nearly 900 million people worldwide lack access to safe drinking water.
• For each dollar spent on water and sanitation projects, the projected return on investment is from $3 to $34.
• Just one single dollar raised through the UNICEF Tap Project can provide a child with safe drinking water for 40 days.

Learn more about the water and sanitation situation facing children around the world.

How UNICEF Helps

• UNICEF works to improve access to safe water and sanitation facilities in schools and communities, while promoting safe hygiene practices in more than 90 countries around the world.
• More than 1.2 billion people gained access to improved drinking water between 1990 and 2004 through UNICEF's efforts, and about 1.2 billion gained access to improved sanitation facilities.
• UNICEF's goal is to cut the number of people without sustainable access to safe water and basic sanitation in half by 2015.
• Donations raised through the UNICEF Tap Project have funded a variety of lifesaving projects—including water access improvements in densely populated villages in Cote d’Ivoire; sanitation improvement in Nicaragua; emergency response and water, environment and sanitation capacity-building in Iraq; and school sanitation and clean water projects in the Toledo region of Belize.