Sheryll Murray, who raised money for the WaterAid charity last year by walking the coast walk, met with representatives of WaterAid at Conservative Party Conference in Manchester to discuss the international water and sanitation crisis that is taking the lives of 4,000 children every day. Sheryll also took the opportunity to hear first hand what WaterAid is doing to help address this crisis through its work.
Sheryll said, “I was keen to follow up after my walk and learn more about the fantastic work that WaterAid is doing to help provide clean water and better sanitation. I know the lack of clean water is having a severe effect on the world and listened to WaterAid as the told me how more children die in sub-Saharan Africa every year because of diseases brought about by unsafe water and poor sanitation than are killed because of AIDS, malaria and measles combined.”
According to the World Health Organisation, for every £1 invested in water, sanitation and hygiene, there is an economic return of £8, mainly through time savings and reducing productive days lost to illness. Hygiene promotion is considered one of the most cost-effective of any health interventions. The benefits of bringing these services to communities include more children, particularly girls, able to attend schools as they aren’t busy collecting water and fewer patients for family members, doctors and nurses to treat.
Barbara Frost, Chief Executive of WaterAid said: “It’s staggering that nearly four in every ten people don’t have a toilet and one in eight doesn’t have clean water. As well as the tragic human cost in lives lost and poor health, this tragedy is holding back economic growth in countries across the world. This is why we are so pleased that Sheryll has taken the time to learn more about these issues and how we want to work with the Government to tackle them”.
Since WaterAid was founded 30 years ago, it has reached nearly 16 million people with safe water and 11 million with sanitation. The UK Government last year directly provided 1.5 million people with access to clean drinking water and 800,000 with sanitation.
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Note to editors:
WaterAid’s vision is of a world where everyone has access to safe water and sanitation. The international organisation works in 26 countries across Africa, Asia and the Pacific region to transform lives by improving access to safe water, hygiene and sanitation in some of the world’s poorest communities. Over the past 30 years, WaterAid has reached 15.9 million people with safe water and, since 2004, 11 million people with sanitation. For more information, visit www.wateraid.org
Pictured: Sheryll at the WaterAid stand at Conference.