The Water & Sanitation Crisis

More than 80 percent of people in Ghana have access to safe water, but only 13 percent of people have access to improved sanitation. Dependency on unsafe water sources is higher in rural areas. Due to drinking contaminated water, diarrheal disease is the third most commonly reported illness at health centers across the country and 25 percent of all deaths in children under the age of five are attributed to diarrhea. In addition to lack of sanitation infrastructure, some cultural beliefs and views encourage people in rural areas not to use latrines. With our local partners, Water.org is educating and encouraging people to use latrines through community-led sanitation initiatives.