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Today, when you turn the faucet on to get a drink of water, do you think: I wonder if this water is safe to drink? Will it make me sick?  These questions most likely do not even enter your mind because the United States has some of the best drinking water in the world.

However, this is not the case elsewhere in our world.  Here are some statistics:

• One out of every nine people in the world, roughly 780 million, lack access to improved drinking water.
• Approximately 3.5 million people die each year due to lack of safe water and adequate sanitation and hygiene.
• Every 20 seconds, a child dies due to a lack of adequate sanitation.  That is three children every minute.
• The impact of diarrheal disease on children is greater than the combined impact of human HIV+AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria which is why it is the second leading cause of death among children under the age of five.
• Each year 443 million school days are lost due to water-related diseases.
• The average distance that women in developing countries walk to collect water per day is four miles, and the average weight that women carry on their heads is approximately 44 pounds.

Please care.  Go to Water Mission to see how you can make a difference in this crisis. Get Involved!

Photo Credit:  Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade