In Ethiopia, 60% to 80% of health problems are due to communicable diseases attributable to unsafe water supply, unhygienic and unsanitary waste disposal. In addition, an estimated 50 percent of the consequences of undernutrition are caused by environmental factors that include poor hygiene and lack of access to water supply and sanitation.

Diarrhoea is the second leading cause of under-five mortality in Ethiopia, next to ARI/Pneumonia, accounting for 14 per cent of all under-five deaths – more than 25,000 children a year.

Muntada Aid is supporting the Government of Ethiopia in increasing the number of people who have access to basic water and sanitation services.

Limited access to clean water jeopardises a child’s chances of survival. Water scarcity increases the risk of diarrhoeal disease, a major killer of children under age five.

Other debilitating diseases such as cholera, hepatitis A, typhoid and polio are also linked to contaminated water sources. For children in conflicts, unsafe water can be just as deadly as bullets. On average, children under the age of 15 who are living in conflict zones are nearly three times more likely to die from diseases linked to unsafe water and sanitation than from direct violence.

For younger children, the situation is worse: children under five years old are more than 20 times more likely to die from diseases linked to unsafe water and sanitation than from direct violence.