Water is a fundamental human need and a driver for sustainable growth, yet water scarcity affects more than 40% of the global population and is projected to rise. While 2.6 billion people have gained access to improved drinking water sources since 1990, yet 844 million people are still struggling with water sources.

Despite there being sufficient fresh water on our planet, millions of people who reside in tough and dry-land conditions are forced to live without it. The majority of those people live in isolated rural areas and spend hours walking to collect and transport water for their families every day. To make matters worse, that water is often unclean and contaminated, leaving people sick with waterborne diseases such as diarrhoea, cholera and typhoid.

Not only does walking long distances while carrying 20 litres of water cause severe health issues, but it also keeps children out of school and wastes time that families could be using to earn an income. By 2050, at least one in four people is likely to live in a country affected by chronic or recurring shortages of fresh water.

Millions of vulnerable families around the world do not drink, cook, or bathe with clean water — a basic natural resource that we too often take for granted.