“At the human level, water cannot be seen in isolation from sanitation. Together, they are vital for reducing the global burden of disease and improving the health, education and economic productivity of populations.” With this thought, the UN encourages us to celebrate World Water Day today, on the 22nd of March. UN Water reports that 1.8 billion people around the world consume water contaminated with feces, and this exposes them to a higher risk of contracting diseases.
2018 marks 25 years of commemorating this day with the theme, “Nature for Water”, to inspire the society in finding solutions based on natural resources, aimed to face the challenges of the 21st century. One of these challenges has been articulated within the SDG 6, the need to guarantee access to safe water and sanitation.
Non-potable water, poor infrastructure and lack of hygeine cause approximately 2 million deaths annually, according to UNESCO. Financiera Confianza, the Peruvian MFI of the BBVA Microfinance Foundation is aware of this data, and considering the after-effects of the El Niño Phenomenon, started facilitating access to loans for entrepreneurs who wish to improve their water and sanitation installations in their home/enterprise. This initiative is being implemented in partnership with Water.org, and is enabling almost 2.000 clients to construct toilets and water pumps to improve their lives, and those of their families.
Jacques Costeau, the famous French explorer once remarked that, “We forget that the water cycle and the life cycle are one.” World Water Day is a good day to reflect on this.