Support our work in Zimbabwe and Zambia
 | | | Providing clean water and sanitation in Zambia and Zimbabwe
Today 1.1 billion of the world’s poorest people lack access to clean water and 2.5 billion lack access to sanitation. | |
Contaminated water leads to the spread of disease, with terrible consequences:
- Four thousand children under five die every day.
- Four million people die every year as a result; 1.8 million of these people from diarrhoeal diseases.
- Where HIV and AIDS are prevalent, people are particularly vulnerable and need clean water for anti-retroviral drugs to be effective.
Sickness caused by easily preventable water-borne diseases damages economic development as people affected are unable to farm their land. Improvements in access to clean water are crucial to escaping poverty. The daily struggle to obtain water forces women and girls to walk as far as six kilometres.
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| The British Red Cross’ work in Zambia and Zimbabwe
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| In Africa, approximately 38% of the population do not have access to safe water. The British Red Cross is funding projects to provide clean drinking water, essential basic sanitation and hygiene education to reduce the level of transmissible diseases to some of the most vulnerable rural communities in Zambia and Zimbabwe.
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| In both countries many water systems have fallen into disrepair. 7.5 million people lack access to clean water and 12 million to sanitation. | | | 
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| There are also 2.8 million people living with HIV and AIDS, who are especially at risk.
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| Water-borne diseases are among the leading causes of death. Both the Zambia and Zimbabwe Red Cross have run successful water and sanitation programmes for many years. The British Red Cross is funding their work so that the scope of these projects can be significantly increased to reach more vulnerable people.
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| The rural areas of Choma-Sinazongwe in the Southern Province, Zambia and Mount Darwin in Mahsonaland Central, Zimbabwe, are among the poorest in the world where 65% of the population lacks access to clean water. Over the next two years we will provide 190,000 people in these areas with improved access to water, sanitation and advice about hygiene practices. To bring life-saving clean water and sanitation to 190,000 people in Zambia and Zimbabwe, we need to raise £185,000.
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| Community involvement ensures sustainability
Our participatory approach ensures the projects are community-led. Once the repairs and installations have been completed, community water and sanitation committees are responsible for their maintenance. The success of programmes relies upon materials and designs reflecting what communities really want. Simple, affordable technologies mean that communities can replicate projects and easily maintain water points.
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 | | | We value the support we receive very highly. The Red Cross has a permanent presence in communities across the world through our sister National Societies. We can therefore provide assurances that our donations are secure. | |
| We invite supporters to become as involved in our work as they wish to, so they understand the impact their contribution makes to the lives of the people we help. We want our supporters to feel as much of a sense of ownership and pride in the Red Cross as we do.
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