Dirty water kept Erika out of school

Twelve year old Erika from the village of Mbalawala in Tanzania is just one of the 14 million people WaterAid has reached with clean water.

WaterAid helped her community to drill a borehole that pumps safe, clean water to a network of water points in the village. 

Most of the time I missed school because I was sick or just exhausted.

Erika told us: "Before we got clean water in the village my life was so very different. I was constantly sick and had horrible, itchy skin because I could never wash properly.

"I was always suffering with stomach cramps and diarrhea. I had to get up at 4am and walk a long distance to find water.

"Most of the time I missed school because I was sick or just exhausted. I feel I can at last look forward to a brighter future.

"If I still had dirty water I wouldn’t be going to school any more. I probably wouldn’t have had any real education.”

But, there are still so many others who live without clean water.
Every day, 4,000 children under five die due to diseases that could be prevented by safe water, sanitation and improved hygiene.

Thousands more children miss school. Their mothers spend hours each day searching for water – time that could be spent caring for their children, growing food or earning money.

We rely on you to help us reach communities like Mbalawala.

Please make a tax-deductible today to bring clean water and sanitation to more of the world’s poorest communities.