Water shortages in some parts of Africa are having an adverse effect on the education of some schoolchildren, according to one of the directors of a Lincoln charity.
Paul Quincey from Christian Partners in Africa has helped with water projects in Ethiopia and Uganda and believes the need for clean water is affecting both older and younger people.
“It obviously takes a huge amount of man hours, but very often it would be the work of children to go from particularly poor families. So the impact is, not only that it takes a huge amount of time, it would interfere with children’s education and could also put them at risk,” Mr Quincey said.
According to the United Nations, who organise an annual World Day for Water, over 750 million people do not have access to clean drinking water and at least six million people die due to the effects of disasters and water-related diseases.
Dr Ola Ogunyemi is the president of Shepherd Food Ministries who have a campaign for safe drinking water. He is originally from Nigeria and believes supplies are stretched in cities with large populations.
“We’re now reaching a situation whereby you find in a city like Lagos, which is a commercial centre, about 17 million people living in that small island. Of course that puts pressure on water resources,” he explained.
Daniel Baker’s full report on the United Nations World Day for Water can be heard below.
UN World Water Day 21/3/14 City Vibe by Daniel Baker on Mixcloud
