Child Development and Public Health

Access to Healthy Water:

Having assess to healthy water is meaningful to me because my oldest brother spent 3 years on and off in Nigeria, Africa building and designing a water purification system for small villages in the area. Through him I saw the hardship that not having access to clean healthy water has on people, families, and a village. These individuals walk for long distances to get much needed water and then are impacted because the water is not healthy. Water is not something, most Americans, need not worry on the safety of. I wish it could be like that for everyone world wind.

Clean water is essential for healthy living and a childhood without illness. “World wide, 1 out of every 5 deaths of children under 5 is due to a water-related disease.” “Half of the world’s hospital beds are filled with people suffering form water related disease” (The Water Project, 2011). Bacteria live in water naturally and are mostly harmless. It is the small percentage of bacteria that can cause disease in humans. “Infants and young children are especially susceptible to diseases because their immune systems are experiencing everything for the first time" (The Water Project, 2011). Clean water for all humanity is something that is worth working toward.   

This had already impacted my future work in some ways. The children, and their families, that attend my child care have signed up to participate in The Walk for Water through the not for profit organization World Vision. On the day of the event each family brings with them any size bucket they wish, they walk a trail to a local river (this is the same distance that people in Uganda walk to retrieve their water). They fill their buckets from the river and walk their water back to their “family bucket” (This bucket holds the amount of water that each Ugandan family would need for a day). This is a great way for not only adults to be involved but it also is very concrete for children to understand. Plus they get a wonderful outside day with their family and friends. 

The Water Project (2011) Improving health in Africa begins with water. Retrieved March 9, 2012 from http://thewaterproject.org/health.asp