Globally, 844 million people lack access to clean water, which means that more than 1 of every 10 people on the planet are affected by the global water crisis. Let’s break this topic down — in photos and videos.
Clean Water

What you need to know about the global water crisis in photos and videos

The global water crisis affects millions of people worldwide, with 771 million people lacking access to clean water. Let’s break this topic down — in photos and videos.

The global water crisis no more for this woman in Kenya who holds up a cup of dirty, contaminated water next to a cup of clean, safe water.

People are struggling to access the quantity and quality of water they need for drinking, cooking, bathing, handwashing, and growing their food.

Globally, 844 million people lack access to clean water, which means that more than 1 of every 10 people on the planet are affected by the global water crisis. Let’s break this topic down — in photos and videos.

Every day, more than 800 children under 5 die from diarrhea caused by contaminated water, poor sanitation, and unsafe hygiene practices.

Globally, 844 million people lack access to clean water, which means that more than 1 of every 10 people on the planet are affected by the global water crisis. Let’s break this topic down — in photos and videos.

1.69 billion people live without access to adequate sanitation.

Globally, 844 million people lack access to clean water, which means that more than 1 of every 10 people on the planet are affected by the global water crisis. Let’s break this topic down — in photos and videos.

494 million people defecate in the open.

The United Nations recognizes the importance of addressing the global water crisis each year on World Water Day, March 22.

Globally, 844 million people lack access to clean water, which means that more than 1 of every 10 people on the planet are affected by the global water crisis. Let’s break this topic down — in photos and videos.

But women and children who daily walk for water deserve to be remembered every day of the year.

Water tank construction, Honduras. Community volunteers in Honduras join hands in prayer at the end of a day constructing a new water tank—their prayer circle echoing the footprint of the tank that will provide clean water to 3,000 people. World Vision provides materials, but the community is doing all the hard work, including hand-digging 26 miles of trenches. Persistence and prayer will soon change lives.

The average woman in rural Africa walks 6 kilometers each day to haul 40 pounds of water.

Globally, 844 million people lack access to clean water, which means that more than 1 of every 10 people on the planet are affected by the global water crisis. Let’s break this topic down — in photos and videos.

Women and girls spend an estimated 200 million hours hauling water every day.

A two-hour walk from Grace’s home is a government borehole serving 850 people with wait times up to three hours. The borehole was installed during the Lord's Resistance Army insurgency. Instead of spending all day fetching clean water at this borehole, Grace’s family reluctantly opts for the contaminated swamp water closer to home. (©2017 World Vision/photo by Jon Warren)

World Vision is the leading nongovernmental provider of clean drinking water in the developing world.

World Vision is reaching one new person every 10 seconds and three more schools every day with clean water.

Cheru and schoolmates look at the school's water tank. At Kesot Primary School, clean water is stored in a 50-cubic-meter masonry storage tank. Before World Vision’s water project brought clean water to the school, the children carried water to school each morning. Sometimes they missed school and often they came late because they had to carry water to their homes. World Vision’s Sook area water project includes boys’ and girls’ latrines and handwashing stations, as well as a standpipe with two water taps at primary schools in Kesot, Chepolet and Chemwapit communities. Now that boys and girls have clean water and better latrines at their schools, they are learning about the importance of sanitation and hygiene.

We’re celebrating the achievement of our goal of helping 20 million people around the world get access to clean water.

The global water crisis affects millions of people worldwide; 785 million people lack access to clean water. Let’s break this topic down — in photos and videos.

World Vision partners with Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street, to help protect children from illness caused by dirty water and poor sanitation.

We focus on ensuring that the extremely poor — including people with disabilities — in rural areas with the greatest disease burden have access to clean water, improved sanitation, and hygiene behavior change promotion.

Globally, 844 million people lack access to clean water, which means that more than 1 of every 10 people on the planet are affected by the global water crisis. Let’s break this topic down — in photos and videos.

An independent study showed that nearly 80% of wells drilled by World Vision continued to function at high levels even after 20 years, thanks largely to our community engagement model.

By providing hygiene behavior change support and sanitation facilities, such as latrines and handwashing stations, we multiply the health benefits of clean water by helping to reduce the spread of illness and disease.

More than 1,200 World Vision water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) professionals and thousands of development professionals live and work in communities worldwide to co-create solutions that last.

Learn more about the global water crisis and how you can help end it!

Globally, 844 million people lack access to clean water, which means that more than 1 of every 10 people on the planet are affected by the global water crisis. Let’s break this topic down — in photos and videos.

Every child deserves clean water.

Give Now