FROM THE FIELD

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Children from Malawi gather around a water-pump provided by the Irish Red Cross. May 2008
Irish Redcross

Background

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• The average person in Europe uses approx 200 litres of water a day. However, in the developing world this figure drops to 10.
• Daily journeys of up to five miles to get water are not unusual for African women and children.
• The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that each year African woman and children spend up to 40 billion hours year collecting water.
• Poor sanitation, hygiene and unsafe water claim the lives of an estimated 1.5 million children under the age of five every year.

[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]

[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]

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