How a charity helps in development. Water Aid's work in Ghana

Water Aids partners invest in easy to use, easy maintenance technology that can be sustained by the local users of the facility.

What has Water Aid achieved?

Atoapoka Azuma from Asamponbisi village (someone whose life has been helped due to the help of Water Aid):

"There is enough water now for everything I need to do: cooking, washing, bathing myself and the children. This water is clean and much better than the old source, which made us sick with diarrhoea and skin diseases.

At the old source, the water was in the ground, it took a whole day to collect enough water for 2 days. With the time I save now that we have the pump close by, I weave baskets to sell. With the income I get from selling baskets, I can buy food, and school uniforms. Before, I had notime to weave baskets, which was a problem. Now there is real change. I cannot read or write and my hope for the future is for my children to have more chances than me, to get and education and lead goo lives"

Everyone is affected by Water Aid, children benefit especially.

9 year old Nsomah Umala from the Asamponbisi village:

"Before we had the pump we went to the stream to fetch water. There were animals drinking there too. The water hut my stomach. Now I'm pleased I don't have to go there anymore. I never visit there. I am happy with the new water.

Before I had diarrhoea and I had to go to hospital and stay there for 5 days. It was all new to me. It was big and strange and there were lots of people. I had to get injections and it was scary. I missed school while I was in hospital. I enjoy school so much. When I am older I want to be a doctor because I want to help other people who are sick."

Water Aid helps over 50,000 people a year like these people every year, but it relies on generous donations to keep the great work its doing going. Money can be raised in so many ways through organising simple fundraisers or just donating whatever spare change you have.

The money doesn't go to waste; £5 buys a bag of cement for a latrine slab, £25 buys the tools for a hand-dug well, £100 buys for the training of 10 community water and sanitation committee members or a rope pump and its instillation, £ 450 buys a Nira hand pump and £1500 buys a 40ft hand-dug well fitted with a hand pump that provides water for 250-300 people.

This work in Ghana is vital as water supply and sanitation contribute to over 70% of disease in Ghana. Currently only 44% of the rural population and 61% of the urban population has access to safe water, while fewer still have sanitation - 11% of the rural population and 40% of the urban population. This lack of hygienic conditions has a very negative effect on the economy as people can't work while they are ill and require money from the government's healthcare; this contributes to 39.5% of the countries 21.2million population living below the poverty line.

Water Aids achievements to date:

- Water Aid works in Ghana helping over 50,000 people per year

- Water Aid has helped its partners become independent organisations. Together they are now able to carry out more project work in Ghana.

- Water Aid is developing its fundraising activities internally from Ghana. Successes so far include substantial funds from the standard chartered bank Ltd.

In the uk we must realise the great work that Water Aid is doing and support it by donating as much as we can to help the millions of people still in danger from dirty water and poor sanitation around the world.