49 Statistics for the Needy Worldwide (especially children)

49 Statistics for the Needy Worldwide (especially children)

Compiled by Kim Craig

1.  Six-thousand children died today from water-related illnesses.  – “Child Survival Fact Sheet: Water and Sanitation” (New York, NY: United Nations Children’s Fund), http://www.unicef.org/media/media_21423.html.

2.  Over one billion people in the world have no access to improved water sources. – David Redhouse, “No Water, No School,” Oasis, Spring/Summer 2004 (London, UK: WaterAid, 2004), 7, http://www.wateraid.org/documents/oasisss04.pdf.

3.  Of the 121 million children worldwide who are not receiving any education, the majority are girls.  – “To Jump Start Development” State of the World’s Children (New York, NY: UNICEF, 2004), 1, http://www.unicef.org/sowc04/files/ Chapter1.pdf.

4.  Over 2 million unsafe drinking water deaths occur in the world each year and the majority are children.  – “The Facts About The Global Drinking Water Crisis” (Redwood City, CA: Blue Planet Run Foundation, 2004), http://blueplanetrun.org/ water/facts.

5.  [Almost four miles] is the average distance women in Africa and Asia must walk every day to get water.  – “WASH Facts and Figures” (Kampala, Uganda: WATSAN Resource Centre), http://www.watsanuganda.watsan.net/page/280.

6.  During the rainy season, people in some areas of Africa can receive up to 100 infectious mosquito bites per month.  – “Health and Hygiene Considerations” (New York, NY: Flip Flop Foundation, April 2009), http://www.flipflopfoundation.com/ health.html.

7.  In some areas of Uganda, 90 percent of all water samples taken contained E. Coli.  – Jenna Klink, “E. Coli Contaminated Drinking Water in Rural Uganda: Using Results to Make an Impact,” MINDS@UW (Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin, 2007), http://minds.wisconsin.edu/handle/1793/8130.

8.  It is estimated that “86 percent of all urban wastewater in Latin America … is discharged untreated into rivers, lakes, and oceans.”  – “The Environment: Where’s the Risk, and Where are Children Safe?” (ScienceDaily, 28 June 2004), http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/06/040623104827.htm.

9.  Unclean water, together with the poor sanitation it creates, is the number one killer in the entire world.  – Jessica Berman, “WHO: Waterborne Disease is World’s Leading Killer” (Washington, DC: Voice of America, 17 March 2005), http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2005-03/2005-03-17-voa34.cfm.

10.  Combine war, malaria, HIV/AIDS, and even traffic accidents … Dirty water still kills more people.  – “Take Action: Project Our Right to Water. If You Don’t Speak Out, Our Access to Clean, Safe Affordable Water is at Risk.” (Washington, DC: Food & Water Watch), http://action.foodandwaterwatch.org/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY =26890.

11.  A single drop of water can contain over 1 billion bacterial organisms.  – “Bacteria” (Science Clarified, 2008), http://www.scienceclarified.com/As-Bi/Bacteria.html.

12.  Each year there are more than 4 billion cases of diarrhea, which causes 2.2 million deaths.  – “Child Survival Fact Sheet: Water and Sanitation,” United Nations Children’s Fund.

13.  Five thousand children will die today from diarrhea.  – Andrea Gerlin, “A Simple Solution,” Time Online Magazine (New York, NY: Time Inc., 8 October 2006), http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1543876,00.html.

14.  Forty-one percent of the world’s population lives in areas where malaria is transmitted.  – “Malaria Facts” (Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2007), http://www.cdc.gov/Malaria/facts.htm.

15.  Of this percentage [41% of the world’s population] 1.3 million die of malaria and 90 percent of them are young children.  – “Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Links to Health” (Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization, 2004), http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/publications/facts2004/en/.

16.  An unbelievable 500 million people are at risk for this disease [trachoma] that leads to blindness.  – “Water and Diseases” (Water Missions International, 2006), http://www.watermissions.org/water_diseases.html.

17.  And 128 million children are affected [by trachoma].  – “Blinding Disease” (Sheffield, UK: World Mapper, 2006), http://www.worldmapper.org/posters/ worldmapper_map234_ver5.pdf.

18.  In Uganda, close to 40 percent of all children are affected by trachoma.  – “Blinding Disease” (Sheffield, UK: World Mapper, 2006), http://www.worldmapper.org/posters/ worldmapper_map234_ver5.pdf.

19.  According to the World Health Organization, there are as many as 21 million cases and 600,000 deaths from typhoid fever annually.  – “Background Paper on Vaccination Against Typhoid Fever Using New-Generation Vaccines” (Typhoid Immunization Working Group, November 2007), http://www.who.int/immunization/ SAGE_Background_publicpaper_typhoid_newVaccines.pdf.

20.  In some countries, 90 percent of typhoid cases are children ages 5-19.  – “Initiative for Vaccine Research: Typhoid Fever” (Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization), http://www.who.int/vaccine_research/diseases/typhoid/en/.

21.  It is estimated that 120,000 people die each year from cholera. In addition, 3-5 million new cases of cholera are reported worldwide annually.  – “Initiative for Vaccine Research: Cholera” (Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization), http://www.who.int/vaccine_research/diseases/diarrhoeal/en/index3.html.

22.  “About 29,000 children under the age of 5 – 21 each minute – die every day, mainly from preventable causes,” reports UNICEF. “An Ethiopian child is 30 times more likely to die by his or her fifth birthday than a child in Western Europe … Malnutrition and the lack of safe water and sanitation contribute to half of all these children’s deaths.”  — “Goal: Reduce Child Mortality” (New York, NY: United Nations Children’s Fund), http://www.unicef.org/mdg/childmortality.html.

23.  Worldwide, one out of every two children lives in the most desperate poverty conditions.  – Dr. Wess Stafford, Too Small to Ignore: Why Children Are the Next Big Thing (Colorado Springs, CO: WaterBrook Press, 2005), 175.

24.  The 1.4 billion people living in extreme poverty are not just poor. – “New Data Show 1.4 Billion Live on Less Than US $1.25 a Day, But Progress Against Poverty Remains Strong” (Washington, DC: The World Bank, 26 August 2008), http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/NEWS/0,contentMDK:21881954~pagePK:64257043~piPK:437376~theSitePK:4607,00.html.

25.  The staggering reality is that more than 1 billion of the world’s children – 56 percent – are living in poverty or severe deprivation! A stunning 37 percent of the world’s children, more than 674 million, live in absolute poverty.  – Luis Bush, Raising Up a New Generation from the 4/14 Window to Transform the World (Flushing, NY: Transform World New Generation, 2009), 17.

26.  Over one-third of children have to live in dwellings with more than five people per room.  – Luis Bush, Raising Up a New Generation from the 4/14 Window to Transform the World (Flushing, NY: Transform World New Generation, 2009), 17.

27.  134 million children have no access to any school whatsoever.  – Luis Bush, Raising Up a New Generation from the 4/14 Window to Transform the World (Flushing, NY: Transform World New Generation, 2009), 17.

28.  Over half a billion children have no toilet facilities whatsoever.  – Luis Bush, Raising Up a New Generation from the 4/14 Window to Transform the World (Flushing, NY: Transform World New Generation, 2009), 17.

29.  Almost half a billion children lack access to published information of any kind.   – Luis Bush, Raising Up a New Generation from the 4/14 Window to Transform the World (Flushing, NY: Transform World New Generation, 2009), 17.

30.  Throughout the Bible, over 3,000 verses have been found that reference the idea of the poor and alleviating poverty.  – John Edwards, “The America We Believe In” (Washington, DC: Institute For America’s Future, 31 January 2006), http://www.tompaine.com/articles/2006/01/31/the_america_we_believe_in.php.

31.  It is estimated that nearly 5 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is lost in African countries due to the sickness and disease caused by unclean water.  – Kevin Watkins, “Clean Water is a Right but It Also Needs to Have a Price” International Herald Tribune (New York, NY: The New York Times Company, 10 November 2006), http://hdr.undp.org/en/reports/global/hdr2006/news/ title,199,en.html.

32.  In Guatemala, 44 percent of children suffer from chronic malnutrition. But it is the lack of clean water that is the main factor for this high number.  – “World Bank Policy Research Working Paper 2967,” 1.

33.  Every year 860,000 child deaths from malnutrition could be prevented by providing clean water.  – “How Does Safe Water Impact Global Health?” (Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization, 25 June 2008), http://who.int/features/qa/ 70/en/index.html.

34.  Along with waterborne diseases, there is also chemical threat. Developing countries heavily use powerful pesticides. Ninety-nine percent of all pesticide deaths in the world occur in these countries, although they account for only 25 percent of the total consumption.  – “Sustainable Development and Healthy Environments” (Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization, 24 September 2004), http://www.searo.who.int/en/Section23/Section1326_7472.htm.

35.  The 17 percent of land that is irrigated in the world is producing 40 percent of the global food supply.  – “The Salt of the Earth: Hazardous for Food Production” (Rome, Italy: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, June 2002), http://www.fao.org/worldfoodsummit/english/newsroom/focus/focus1.htm.

36.  Through irrigation in Africa, the net income per family increases anywhere from $150 to $1,000.  – “Poverty Reduction and Irrigated Agriculture,” International Programme for Technology and Research in Irrigation and Drainage, Issues Paper No.1 (Rome, Italy: Natural Resources Management and Environment Department, January 1999), 9, ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/005/x1000e/x1000e00.pdf.

37.  “Nearly 2 billion people – a third of the world’s population – derive at least some of their livelihood from farm animals, and nearly one person in eight depends almost entirely on livestock … livestock provide 20-60 percent of household income.” For these people, livestock are the single most important investment they have.  – “Accumulating Assets Through Animal Agriculture” (Nairobi, Kenya: INTERNATIONAL LIVESTOCK RESEARCH INSTITUTE), http://www.ilri.org/ ILRIPubAware/Uploaded%20Files/2004811933470.01BR_ISS_AccumulatingAssetsThroughAnimalAgriculture.htm.

38.  Over 840 million people worldwide suffer from malnutrition. Seven hundred ninety-nine million of those live in developing countries and 153 million are young children.  – “Facts About Hunger” (Atlanta, GA: CARE USA), http://www.care.org/ campaigns/world-hunger/facts.asp.

39.  Around the world, 376 million children must walk more than 15 minutes to access water.  – “Trick or Treat for UNICEF Tonight, and Help a Deprived Child,” UN News Centre (New York, NY: UN News Service, 31 October 2006), http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=20429&Cr=unicef&Cr1=.

40.  Studies show that in sub-Saharan Africa and many other areas around the world, women and young girls must walk an average of four miles every day just to provide water for their families.  – “WASH Facts and Figures” (Kampala, Uganda: WATSAN Resource Centre), http://www.watsanuganda.watsan.net/page/280.

41.  Each year in Africa, 40 billion working hours are spent just on fetching water.  – “What We Do: Clean Water Projects” (Santa Rosa, CA: Children’s Hunger Relief Fund, 2009), http://www.chrf.org/future-clean-water.html.

42.  The world’s poorest 1.4 billion people live on less than $1.25 a day.  – “New Data Show 1.4 Billion Live on Less Than US $1.25 a Day, But Progress Against Poverty Remains Strong” (Washington, DC: The World Bank, 26 August 2008), http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/NEWS/0,contentMDK:21881954~pagePK:64257043~piPK:437376~theSitePK:4607,00.html.

43.  And it should be no surprise that a large part of this number [1.4 billion] – 1.1 billion – lack access to clean water.  – David Redhouse, “No Water, No School,” Oasis, Spring/Summer 2004 (London, UK: WaterAid, 2004), 7, http://www.wateraid.org/documents/oasisss04.pdf.

44.  Globally, children lose 443 million school days each year because of waterborne illnesses.  – “What We Do: Statistics” (London, UK: WaterAid), http://www.wateraid.org/international/what_we_do/statistics/default.asp.

45.  And every year, 400 million children become infected with worms, which severely limits their learning potential.  – “What We Do: Water, Sanitation and Hygiene” (New York, NY: United Nations Children’s Fund, 22 May 2009), http://www.unicef.org/wash/index_schools.html.

46.  In Malawi, strategic clean water improvements have raised school enrollment for girls to 94 percent.  – “Progress Report: Water and Sanitation in Sub-Saharan Africa” (Washington, DC: ONE), http://one.org/c/us/progressreport/779/.

47.  6,000 children died today from water-related illnesses … the equivalent of 20 jumbo jets crashing in one day.  – “Facts: Water” (Cavelossim, Goa, India: Rehydration Project), http://rehydrate.org/water/index.html.

48.  More water is used in one single flush of our toilets than the average person in Africa has for an entire day’s intake, as well as household chores.  – Jan Eliasson and Susan Blumenthal, “Dying for a Drink of Clean Water,” Washington Post, Section A23 (Washington, DC: The Washington Post Company, 20 September 2005), http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/19/ AR2005091901295.html.

49.  It has been said that “the world water crisis is one of the largest public health issues of our time.”  — “The World Water Crisis” (Seattle, WA: Ethos Water), http://ethoswater.com/.

Statistics for the Needy Worldwide, compiled by Kim Craig for Doug Nichols, ACTION Facilitator for Children in Crisis from Causelife:Water Equals Life by Vernon Brewer & Noel Brewer Yeatts, June 2010