MarilynWebster Water Lesson 3 Learning outcomes; To understand the health problems faced by girls and young women who carry heavy loads of water daily over long distances. To understand how their education is affected because they have to collect water. Information for teachers can be found in the notes section at the bottom of each slide.

MarilynWebster Design a poster TASK: Design a poster showing how girls are affected by having to collect water on a daily basis. Both their health and education suffer. TARGET AUDIENCE: Young people your age in More Economically Developed Countries (MEDCs) TIPS: Use sketches and words. Mini star diagrams. Use facts. Use colours and bold writing. Use the fact sheet

MarilynWebster Fact sheet:Children and water In Africa and Asia the average distance people have to walk to collect water is six kilometres. Diarrhoea and related diseases is the second most serious killer of children under the age of five worldwide but can be prevented. Diarrhoea alone kills 1.8 million children under five every year. The number of children that die from water related diseases is the equivalent of 20 jumbo jets crashing every day. A child dies every 15 seconds from water related diseases. Some 400 million school children are infected by intestinal parasites like hookworm and roundworm. Hookworms cause anaemia and stunts growth. The weight of water that women in Africa and Asia carry on their heads is about 20kg, about the same as your luggage allowance when you fly. Young girls may have deformed spines making it difficult to carry an unborn child.

MarilynWebster Factsheet: Children and water In many developing countries girls have more chores, they collect water, wash clothes, cook and look after the family. Boys are more likely to have an education. Nearly 25% of girls worldwide do not complete primary school compared to 15% of boys. If a teacher is ill the boys are taught and the girls are sent home or clean the school. Girls spend so much time collecting water they do not have time to go to school.

MarilynWebster Ways of getting water. When water is more easily available girls are more likely to go to school. There they will learn about health and hygiene and how to avoid getting ill.

MarilynWebster Story 1 Halima is 13 years old and lives in small village in Tanzania. Her mother takes in washing to earn money and her father is a labourer. She has one younger sister and an older brother. “I collect water four times a day in a 20 litre plastic bucket. It’s very hard work! I first started collecting water when I was about 7 years old. In those days we had to walk over a mile to fetch water but now there is a tap about ten minutes from home, which has made life easier. I help my mother with the washing so there is no time to go to school. I also help to cook and clean and go to the market to buy food. Our house does not have a bathroom, I wash in the river and when I need to go to the toilet I use a tin can in the house and empty it later. I would like to go to school and have more clothes”

MarilynWebster Story 2 Mary lives in a small village in Tanzania. She is 18 years old and has a baby who is a few months old. “Where I live there is very little water, the land has dried up, there is no water for the crops and each day I have to walk three miles to the nearest water hole. I wrap the baby in a cloth and tie him on my back. I need to keep my hands free to carry four buckets of water. At the water hole I scoop up enough water to fill one bucket and then I have to wait for the water to collect in the hole before I can scoop up another bucketful. The water is cloudy and dirty. After many hours I walk home carrying the precious water. It is hard, tiring work. When I return home I then have to start cooking, cleaning and washing. The water often makes us ill and I am afraid my baby will die. If we had clean water where I live my life would be so different”

MarilynWebster Acknowledgements:The authors are grateful to the following for permission to reproduce photographs and other material in these presentations Sazani Associates