Thursday, June 26, 2008

What if...




Your Impact through the Chicago Marathon
The NeedOver 1 billion people (1 billion!) lack access to clean water and sanitation. When clean water is scarce, all aspects of life are impacted:
Health--Contaminated water and poor sanitation are a factor in 88% of all disease in the developing world.
Food production--Without water, crops and livestock die and healthy meals cannot be prepared.
Economics--Poor health from unclean water causes a community's productivity to suffer and family incomes to dwindle.
Education--Childen spend hours fetching water each day instead of attending school.




World Vision's Response
Because clean water is foundational to all aspects of development, it is often the first work that World Vision does in a community. World Vision works with communities to:
Construct wells for clean water
Provide water-storage containers
Install water-piping systems for irrigation
Protect natural springs
Purify water contaminated by bacteria
Construct latrines for proper sanitationMore than 10 million people have gained access to clean water and sanitation as a result of World Vision's water projects.

How You are Helping by Running
The main project that Team World Vision athletes are supporting this year is in Zambia. In Zambia, the life expectancy is 40 years old, and only 40% of the population has access to a clean water source. With the help of your fundraising efforts, World Vision will be able to work with the communities in Musele and Mbala to:
Provide access to clean water by constructing 100 wells
Train men and women to take ownership in maintaining the wells
Provide improved sanitation by building 1,500 latrines
Partner with Zambia's Ministry of Health to increase awareness of water and sanitation safety in schools and communitiesYou are helping make a huge impact in Zambia for children and communities who lack one of life's most basic resources. Thank you!

More about how World Vision works
> How World Vision works: Interactive Map>

Video about the need for water and how World Vision helps

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