Diarrhoea killls more children every year than Aids, Malaria  and Measles combined and a child dies every 20 seconds as a result of poor sanitation. (Thats a shocking 4,000 children every day) To bring a clean water supply to a community of 250 people we will be funding construction of a clean water point. As part of a project for communities in TA Ganya (Malawi), this is one of 13 boreholes due for construction in the area to bring clean water to 3,250 people. Our donations will specifically fund one borehole and offer ongoing training and support to make the supply sustainable. Furthermore, by working on rights awareness and service provision, the project will promote community empowerment and ownership of change. It costs just £14 to give a person access to clean water and a further £6 to make this supply sustainable for up to 40 years ! This will be an important change for this communities health and hygiene and decrease incidents of water borne diseases. Concern Universal have already successfully brought a clean water supply to over 1,000,000 people. This funding support their ongoing work in this area as part of their Water Is Life campaign. Case Study – the many impacts of a borehole  Concern Universal has been working in Ntcheu district, in Malawi, to empower people with the knowledge of their rights. Through the Citizen Action Initiative, promoted under the Irish Aid funded Local Development Support Programme, communities have been made aware of their rights and encouraged to request development initiatives that would help meet their needs and complement existing programmes in the area. As a result of this initiative, communities in Traditional Authority Ganya, identified a need for safe water supply in their villages (with some villages lacking safe water supply since the 1940s) and put their requests to the District Council. When Concern Universal consulted the Council on areas in which to build boreholes, these communities were identified. The impacts of Concern Universal’s work are already coming to the fore. Previously, communities were accessing water from unprotected sources, like rivers and ponds, often sharing these with livestock. Women were particularly affected, having to walk up to four hours to collect water and often leaving their houses when it was still dark, putting them at risk of being attacked. Furthermore, the time spent collecting water meant they were unable to dedicate themselves to other activities such as taking care of their families and working in their fields. The new boreholes have had an impact across many areas of people’s lives, bringing safe water to over 1500 people. Communities have observed a reduction in open cases of diarrhoea. The easy access to water means people are able to clean their clothes, which increases their dignity, and women are free to carry out other household activities as well as work in the fields. Children are now free to attend school and overall more harmonised relationships within households and villages have been observed, as people are healthier and happier. This is of particular importance, because harmonious relationships were identified by communities as being key to the achievement of their well-being (see Concern Universal’s latest Impact Report). With World Water Day having just passed us by, it is important to remember that access to safe water is not a guarantee for millions of people across the world. The ease with which we can access safe water on a daily basis is often taken for granted and something we do not have to fight for. In the words of Gustino Mazingusama, of Majiga 1 village, “we thank Concern Universal for showing us that water is a human right”. By combining rights work, physical access to safe water and sensitisation on sanitation, Concern Universal brings a wholesome impact to the areas in which it works, ensuring long-lasting change to people’s lives.