A woman bathes her girl toddler at an outdoor pump in a destroyed neighbourhood of Dili, the capital of East Timor. Around the world, almost 3 billion people still don't have access to safe water and sanitation.
UNICEF/HQ99-0958/JIM HOLMES
Nutritious food, clean water and proper sanitation (toilets) are vital for keeping people healthy.
In 2008 963 million people went to bed hungry every day. 32 per cent of children under five in developing countries are malnourished and two thirds of these 150 million children live in Asia.
In addition, 38% per cent of the world’s population – that’s 2.5 billion people - lack adequate sanitation facilities, and over 884 million people still use unsafe drinking water sources. One in five of the world’s children doesn’t have clean water to drink and half of all children born this year in developing countries will live in households without access to basic sanitation facilities.
It’s the world’s poorest people who miss out on food, water and sanitation. This can leave them weak and more likely to get ill. This in turn stops them from going to work or going to school and so they don’t get the chance to escape from poverty. It also means thousands of children die each day from diarrhoea and other hygiene and sanitation-related diseases.
How UNICEF helps
During emergencies, such as the nutrition crisis in Niger or the Tsunami in South Asia, UNICEF works with other UN agencies, charities and governments, to help people get access to water, sanitation and nutritional support. UNICEF has a series of emergency warehouses all over the world, and these supplies are ready to go if a disaster strikes.
UNICEF also supports long-term projects to provide clean water and sanitation to the people who need it. We help to educate families about good nutrition (such as breastfeeding) and good hygiene (such as washing your hands after you’ve been to the toilet). And it provides vitamin supplements and “fortified” foods (which have added vitamins and minerals) to make sure children get the best possible start in life.
Further issues