With 842,000 people dying from diarrhoea alone each year, unsafe water is the single biggest obstacle to the health of communities in the developing world. Small children are especially vulnerable to cholera and diarrheal illnesses, and unsafe water compromises their immune systems as well, making it difficult for them to fight any illness.
The gift of water saves lives, which is a hugely rewardable action. Allah says in the Qur’an, ‘And whoever saves one [a life] – it is as if he had saved all of mankind’. (Qur’an, 5:32) Imagine this – every single time the clean water you donated saves someone’s life, it is as if you have saved all of mankind!
Water shortages, poor water quality, and inadequate sanitation have been proven in studies to have a detrimental influence on food security, livelihood options, and educational possibilities for impoverished families all over the world. Nonetheless, the World Health Organization reported in 2017 that 2.3 billion people still lack access to sanitation and 844 million lack access to safe and clean drinking water.
We at the Humanitarian Assistance Society work hard to offer WASH in even the most distant parts of Afghanistan. Over 10,000 water wells with hand pumps, and 100 water systems networks have been erected to far. In addition to these initiatives, we teach communities on basic sanitation and hygiene practices in order to avoid the spread of waterborne illnesses.
