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 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 during the 2008 Tap Project campaign funded a variety of lifesaving projects—including $323,094 for water access improvements in densely populated villages in Cote d’Ivoire; $139,500 for sanitation improvement in Nicaragua ; $139,500 for emergency and response and water, environment and sanitation capacity-building in Iraq; and $69,750 for school sanitation and clean water projects in the Toledo region of Belize. The balance of funds went towards smaller water and sanitation projects around the globe.