LIBERIA'S water issues, and how you can help
Ten years since the end of Liberia’s devastating civil war just 1 in 4 Liberians has access to safe drinking water. Locals say the real number is actually much lower. Half of all Liberians have no access to a toilet at all and use streams or open areas. Most of the rest use poor quality toilets. Outbreaks of waterborne diseases like cholera occur regularly. 18 percent of all deaths in Liberia are caused by illnesses related to poor sanitation.
For students lack of water causes big problems. Pipe water provided by recently restored government water services is not safe for drinking because major pipelines are old and rusty. Students who can afford it must buy clean water sold by street vendors. Students are spending much of their money for water. That adds up to an extra $36 a year on top of school fees. In a country where 90 percent of people live on $1.25 a day that extra can mean the difference between going to school or not. Others try to live without water or with unsafe water, neither is a good option.
Lack of water has a large negative impact on learning. Education has been a key factor of the Liberian government as it rebuilds from war. Multiple generations have missed out on education and the lack of skilled labor has weighed heavily on development. But students and teachers say you can’t improve education without being sure that students have clean water and toilets. (AllAfrica: Liberia)
There are many ways that people can help with these issues that have potential to ruin a country and culture. A easy way to assist Liberia is to donate money to an organization called “20 Liters”. They have gave clean, healthy water to over 14,080 in Masada, Rwanda as of in 2012. They have made multiple filters for water to extract all of the unhealthy filth in the water that an a entire town may drink from. (20 liters: Take Action: Donate.)
More people die from the lack of water then they do from any sort of physical violence. In my own personal opinion, there is no reason why you should not help over 1,000,000 people. Thousands of children die and don’t get a chance to live to the age of 20 or have children due to unsafe water. All you have to do is to donate at least 20$(USD) to 20 Liters and you can get on person clean drinking water for 10 years. And that is just one example of what a single person can do to help another. If someone lives a privileged life, why should they not give other a chance to live a privileged life.
For students lack of water causes big problems. Pipe water provided by recently restored government water services is not safe for drinking because major pipelines are old and rusty. Students who can afford it must buy clean water sold by street vendors. Students are spending much of their money for water. That adds up to an extra $36 a year on top of school fees. In a country where 90 percent of people live on $1.25 a day that extra can mean the difference between going to school or not. Others try to live without water or with unsafe water, neither is a good option.
Lack of water has a large negative impact on learning. Education has been a key factor of the Liberian government as it rebuilds from war. Multiple generations have missed out on education and the lack of skilled labor has weighed heavily on development. But students and teachers say you can’t improve education without being sure that students have clean water and toilets. (AllAfrica: Liberia)
There are many ways that people can help with these issues that have potential to ruin a country and culture. A easy way to assist Liberia is to donate money to an organization called “20 Liters”. They have gave clean, healthy water to over 14,080 in Masada, Rwanda as of in 2012. They have made multiple filters for water to extract all of the unhealthy filth in the water that an a entire town may drink from. (20 liters: Take Action: Donate.)
More people die from the lack of water then they do from any sort of physical violence. In my own personal opinion, there is no reason why you should not help over 1,000,000 people. Thousands of children die and don’t get a chance to live to the age of 20 or have children due to unsafe water. All you have to do is to donate at least 20$(USD) to 20 Liters and you can get on person clean drinking water for 10 years. And that is just one example of what a single person can do to help another. If someone lives a privileged life, why should they not give other a chance to live a privileged life.