A lack of safe water is both a cause and an effect of poverty. Without sufficient quantities of potable water, communities cannot progress beyond bare survival. The effects of a lack of safe water are far-reaching and summarized briefly below.

Income-Producing Work
Without convenient access to safe water, a family’s potential income is split in half. This is because women typically spend many hours each day fetching water. If freed from this onerous task, women would be able to do income-producing work, thus increasing their families’ standard of living.

Future Prospects
Whether children are spending hours each day fetching water or suffering from waterborne diseases, a lack of safe water frequently prevents them from attending school. Without an education, they have little chance of obtaining good jobs in the future, and they will most likely remain in poverty.

Medical Expenses
Families in poor countries often must spend high proportions of their income on doctors’ fees and medicines. When Water Missions International implements a safe-water project in a community, disease rates dramatically decrease. This helps to free up income for other needs.

Paying More for Water
While people in rural communities usually obtain their water from natural sources like rivers and lakes, urban dwellers most often get water from taps or water vendors. Water in cities is usually just as unsafe as that in rural villages. The difference is that urban dwellers pay much more for their water. Vendors charge exorbitant fees for water that is typically obtained from untreated sources. But for many people, their only way to get water is to purchase it from a vendor.

Global Economic Benefits of Safe Water
According to the World Health Organization, if everyone had access to safe water and sanitation, an estimated 5.6 billion working days would be gained annually, and Africa alone would see a benefit equivalent to US $44 billion.