1 Child Dies Every 21 Seconds From A Water-Related Disease. Here's What You Can Do

Though the stats about the global water crisis remain grim, major progress is being made in one of the most critical areas: child deaths.

On the annual World Water Day, nonprofit Water.org is raising awareness for those who lack clean water access and pointing to the fact that one child dies from a water-related disease every 21 seconds.

This statistic actually represents a decrease, however, in deaths compared to just five years ago, when 1,656 more children were dying each day from diseases such as dysentery, dehydration, cholera and diarrhea.

Still, there is much progress to be made. Diarrhea, a completely preventable disease, is the second biggest killer of children around the world, according to the World Health Organization.

Chelsea Clinton, who has become increasingly outspoken about the issue of sanitation as a human rights issue, recently explained the injustice to ABC:

"I find the fact that more than 750,000 children still die every year around the world because of severe dehydration due to diarrhea unacceptable."

Learn more about the global water crisis and how it affects children in the Water.org graphic below. Then, see what you can do to help.

What You Can Do

Water organizations that support children:

Splash
Working in Ethiopia, Nepal, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and China, Splash has set the ambitious goal of providing potable drinking water to at least 1 million children by 2020. But Splash’s ultimate goal is to enable these countries to independently develop their own clean water systems and hopes to be able to leave these countries behind by 2030 in self-sustaining situations. Find out more about Splash and how you can get involved here.

The Water Project
The Water Project provides clean water to communities in need in the sub-Saharan Africa by providing training and financial support to construct water projects. Find out more about the Water Project and how you can get involved here.

A Spring of Hope
The only nonprofit of its kind, A Spring of Hope focuses on partnering with rural schools in Africa to bring kids fresh and clean water to school children and to promote social and economic development. Find out more about a Spring of Hope and how you can get involved here.