Africa & Water Africa & Water

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• The Nile is one of the two longest rivers on Earth • Lake Victoria is 2nd largest fresh-water lake, Victoria Falls one of most spectacular waterfalls• Lake Tanganyika in central Africa is estimated to be the 2nd oldest (and 2nd deepest) lake in the world• Africa has about 40 percent of the world’s hydroelectric potential, but only a small proportion has been developed

Victoria Falls

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Millennium Development Millennium Development GoalsGoals

1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger

2. Achieve universal primary education

3. Promote gender equality and empower women

4. Reduce child mortality

5. Improve maternal health

6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases

7. Ensure environmental sustainability

8. Develop a global partnership for development

The Eight Millennium Development Goals

Significant progress has been made in achieving many of the goals, but progress is not uniform across world.

Sub-Saharan Africa is epicenter of crisis; it’s the only region not on track to achieve any of the goals.

7. Ensure environmental sustainability: Water

TARGETS:• By 2015, HALVE the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation

• STOP unsustainable exploitation of water resources by developing water management strategies and local, regional, and national levels which promote both equitable access and adequate supplies.

• In Africa, water scarcity afflicts 300 million people and claims at least 6,000 lives a year.

•1.1 billion people (globally) lack access to safe water.

• 2.6 billion (globally) lack access to basic sanitation.

• The UN estimates that by 2025, about 1 in 2 Africans will be living in countries that are confronted with water stress or water scarcity.

STATISTICS

Data Source: UN Millennium Project Task Force on Water and Sanitation, Final Report, Abridged Edition: Health, Dignity, and Development: What Will It Take?, 2005.

Every year millions of people, most of them children, diefrom diseases associated with inadequate water supply, sanitation, and hygiene.

Every day some 3,900 children die because of dirty water or poor hygiene.

Diseases transmitted through water or human excrement are the second-leading cause of death among children worldwide.

Table from UN Millennium Project Task Force on Water and Sanitation, Final Report, Abridged Edition: Health, Dignity, and Development: What Will It Take?, 2005.

Access to Improved drinking water by region, 2002

Table from UN Millennium Project Task Force on Water and Sanitation, Final Report, Abridged Edition: Health, Dignity, and Development: What Will It Take?, 2005.

Access to Improved sanitation by region, 2002

The UN places a high priority on water resources management, water supply and sanitation for the poor.

Why:Expanding access to water and sanitation is a moral and ethical imperative rooted in the cultural and religious traditions of societies around the world.

Virtually all of the world’s spiritual and culturalsystems embody values and imperatives recognizing human dignity, equity, compassion, and solidarity.

Example Africa: Ubuntu

Inadequate water supplies are both cause and an effect of poverty

Lack of Water Poverty

Effects of inadequate water - dehydration, disease, time & energy expended in water collection, high unit costs, and

more - further exacerbate the poverty trap

Achieving the global MDG target on water and sanitation would bring substantial economic gains:

BENEFITS of Achieving Goal 7

• each $1 invested would yield an economic return of between $3 and $34, depending on the region

• health-related costs avoided: $7.3 billion/year

• the annual global value of adult working days gained because of less illness: $750 million

• time savings (resulting from the relocation of a well or borehole to a site closer to user communities, the installation of piped water supply in houses, and latrines closer to home): $64 billion

YOUTHYOUTH

• Not engaged or allowed to be engaged in national policy-making

• Disillusioned with politics and policy-making

• APATHETIC not as involved as they should or could be.

• Unempowered

Challenges that many youth face:

• One young person can change the world: full of ideas, energy, and optimism.

• Young people have the right to participate fully in society and to express their opinions about matters related to their lives.

• Participation by young people is an investment in a country’s future and the decisions/actions today affect their tomorrow.

• They can hold governments accountable for current policies and promises that have implications for the future (such as nat’l aid commitments for the MDGs).

Importance of Youth:

Key pillars of youth involvement:

ADVOCACY

PARTNERSHIPS

ADVOCACY

• Build awareness on water issues via formal and informal channels using Media and Technology

• Aid in policy-making• Challenge government

leaders on water and sanitation commitments

PARTNERSHIPS(Grassroots work)

• Initiate/engage in social and environmental micro water projects

• Educating others about water-related projects/issues

• Communicate with advocates and policy-makers on practical strategies

“Young people face so many difficult decisions to make in life today… [and] they have the most vital role to play in helping shape the future.”

-- Nelson Mandela