In the Bajoh district, education is extremely important amongst locals. Many parents in the area invest their life savings into providing a better education for their children.

However, many students cannot commit too much time to their studies because of the water-related demands in their lives. Once students come home, many have to travel long distances to fetch water for their family’s cooking, cleaning, and drinking needs. In the classroom, many students miss class due to water-related illnesses, dehydration, or sanitation-related problems. 

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Doris washes her family’s clothes in a river contaminated by oil, farming chemicals, and trucks. Sometimes, her children will drink from this stream because of its convenient location.

Water is crucial for economic growth. Developing countries with access to improved water and sanitation conditions experience an annual economic growth rate of 3.7%. Those without only experience an annual growth of 0.1%. 

Every $1 invested in improved water supply and sanitation conditions provides economic returns of $4-$12.