Unsafe drinking water and poor sanitation are two of the biggest problems facing impoverished people in many parts of the world. Nearly one billion people are without access to safe water supplies and everyday millions walk miles just for something to drink.

In Africa alone, people spend 40 billion hours every year just walking for water. Women and children usually bear the burden of water collection, walking miles to the nearest source, which is often unprotected and likely to make them sick.

In Tanzania, only one out of every two families has access to clean, safe drinking water.
Tanzania regularly experiences water shortages due to environmental and human factors. The region has two rainy seasons a year, the short wet season and the long wet season, and only a handful of natural water sources. In addition, poor water infrastructures and a lack of funds to develop existing water sources also contribute to inadequate amounts of clean, safe water for the Tanzanian people.

Many rural communities rely strictly on water sourced from boreholes and wells – putting them at risk of diarrhea and other waterborne illnesses. Since such diseases account for over half of the diseases affecting the population and more than 80 percent ofTanzania’s population living in rural areas – it is essential that Wings of Kilimanjaro focus on programs that help make clean water more accessible for people in the Kilimanjaro region.

The One foundation will be working together with the WOK team to provide sustainable and community led water and sanitation programmes in 2013. Together, the teams will work through local implementing partners to ensure that the most appropriate and lasting clean water solutions are implemented in the communities most in need.