The UN's
Millennium Goal
Halve the number of
people unable to reach or afford safe drinking water by the year 2015.
Every year there are 1.7 million deaths, mainly children under
the age of five, due to diarrhea caused by unsafe water. The
U.N.’s Millennium Development Goal is to halve the number of
people unable to reach or afford safe drinking water by the year
2015. Achieving this would require that at least 125,000 people
be connected to safe water supplies each day before the 2015
target. Diseases related to inadequate water and sanitation
cause an estimated 80% of all sickness in the developing world.
Safe drinking water is a precondition for health and the fight
against child mortality, gender inequality and poverty. Women
and children, especially girls, bear the burden of time spent
collecting and transporting water, meaning less time available
for activities such as school, essential to escaping the trap of
extreme poverty.
This is the twenty first century but water and sanitation remain
mired in the Middle Ages for one-third of the world.
Incredibly, this problem is still not being realistically
addressed, high- tech solutions are proposed, but in general
there is no investment in technology that can easily be copied
by local workshops in developing countries.
The ultimate objective of The Water Filter Project is to meet
this urgent demand for safe water in rural and marginalized
communities, and provide employment for local potters.
Potters for Peace
is a member of the World Health Organization’s International
Network to Promote Household Water Treatment and Safe Storage.
