The global water crisis isn't just about simple supply and demand -- it's an issue related to women's rights, global development and preventable death...

Whether it be rope pumps or rainwater harvesting systems or sand dams, technological solutions must be paired with education and investment by local community members in order for projects to be sustainable.

In Mozambique, diarrhea is one of the leading causes of child deaths and 44% of children under five are undernourished. Increased investment in providing access to safe water and improved sanitation dramatically impacts child survival.

Unfortunately, 783 million people -- 11 percent of the global population -- still have no access to clean water. For context, that is more than two and a half times the population of the United States.

The dire fact is that 1.2 billion people have to crap in the open, polluting drinking water and causing diarrheal-disease while suffering the insecurity and indignity of open defecation.

It is difficult to understand why, in 2013, about 2.5 billion people around the world still lack access to adequate sanitation. More people have cell phones than toilets in today's world.