As human beings we need water to survive. Our bodies can last weeks without food but only days without water; this is because the body is made up of 50% to 75% of water. For anyone who has continual access to water we take this very serious resource for granted. Globally 2.5 billion people do not have access to water. This in turn affects education, sanitation, and most importantly health; lack of access to water can increase the risk of kidney stones and in women urinary tract infections. A community development organization, FACE Africa, founded by Saran Kaba Jones, has made it their mission to strengthen water, sanitation, hygiene infrastructure in remote areas. They are currently based in Liberia where 37% of the population lack access to water and 94% of the population lack access to sanitation.
It goes without saying that FACE Africa is addressing a vital need. What exemplifies them from other community development organizations is that they are focusing on one specific area at any given time. This means that instead of spreading themselves too thin, they are streamlining all their resources and as a result increasing their impact on the lives of those that need it the most. Since their inception in 2010 they have given 12,000 people access to clean water, served 25 communities and saved 200,000 productivity hours each year. This causes a positive ripple effect on all aspects of life; the more time people have to be productive, the higher their output becomes thereby increasing the economic value of the communities served. Additionally as a result of increased accessibility to water the communities are spending a lot less money and time in the hospital. Above and beyond this they directly contribute to the economy by making sure their projects are utilize local materials and labour, upon completion ownership is transferred to communities.
Every year for five years now FACE Africa celebrates the UN World Water day by hosting a gala night to raise funds for their worthy projects in Liberia. This year, on Saturday March 21st, things will be different in the sense that the organization is going bigger! Last year they managed to raise $250,000 for 30 water projects. This means that this year expectations are that much higher. Come out and support the FACE Africa cause; more information at http://www.faceafricagala.com/
Credit photo: Twitter
