Giving Compass' Take:
- This report explores the different ways that climate change endangers the lives and futures of our children and shows how we can and must take collective action to address these threats.
What is Giving Compass?
We connect donors to learning resources and ways to support community-led solutions. Learn more about us.
Water is elemental. Without it, nothing can grow. And without safe water, children may not survive. Children without access to safe water are more likely to die in infancy -- and throughout childhood -- from diseases caused by water-borne bacteria, to which their small bodies are more vulnerable. When these diseases don’t kill outright, they can contribute to the stunting of children’s bodies and minds – and the blighting of their futures -- by undermining their ability to absorb nutrients.
We see the terrible effects of water scarcity today all over the world -- and nowhere more tragically than in parts of Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen, where drought conditions and conflict are producing deadly effects.
Nearly 1.4 million children face imminent risk of death from severe acute malnutrition as famine grows in these areas. In Ethiopia alone, we anticipate that more than 9 million people will be without safe drinking water in 2017.
Governments need to start planning for changes in water availability and demand in the coming years. Climate risks should be integrated into all water and sanitation-related policies and services, and investments should be made to target high-risk populations. Businesses also play a role – supporting communities in preventing contamination and depletion of safe water sources. Communities themselves should explore ways to diversify water sources and to increase their capacity to store water safely. Most important, children’s access to safe water for drinking should be made a priority.
What you can do to help:
Get the facts:
Find out more about the issue, and the people whose lives have been impacted. Learn more about what solutions work best.
Be the change you want to see:
Do what you can to reduce greenhouse gases emissions in your own life. Do what you can to prevent water from being wasted.
Raise awareness:
These are urgent global issues and more people need to be involved in solving them. Start a conversation with your friends and family, share facts on social media. Tell your local leaders why this matters to you, and ask them to take action.