The eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are international targets to halve world poverty by 2015, agreed upon by all 189 United Nations member states at the UN Millennium Summit in 2000. WaterAid believes water, sanitation and hygiene education are crucial for poverty reduction and form the bedrock of a healthy, productive society. Our work makes a significant contribution to reaching the goals especially through actions to halve the proportion of people without access to safe water and sanitation, which are specific targets within goal seven. Without health and education, people will continue to remain trapped in the stranglehold of poverty and disease. Wateraid's work cuts across all the 8 goals: 1] Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger - Time-consuming water collection greatly contributes to poverty. WaterAid-supported projects provide convenient water supplies allowing people to look after their family's water quickly, freeing up the rest of the day for earning much-needed cash or tending to agriculture.; 2] Achieve universal primary education - School attendance, especially among girls, is affected by time-consuming water-carrying burdens and poor health. A lack of adequate sanitation facilities in schools also prevents girls from attending school, particularly when they are menstruating; 3] Promote gender equality and empower women - WaterAid believes that it is vital for women to be actively involved in all stages of community projects. With their detailed knowledge of local water sources, and as the main users of future water points, women are best placed to choose the ideal location; 4] Reduce child mortality by two thirds for children under five - Children are most vulnerable to the diseases that result from a lack of water, dirty water and poor sanitation. Diarrhoea is the biggest single killer of children in the developing world where 5,000 children die every day from water-related illnesses; 5] Improve maternal health - During pregnancy, women in developing countries still have to collect water and a lack of sanitation facilities means that basic hygiene practices cannot be carried out. After childbirth, women are often unable to wash themselves or the baby; 6] Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases - Over a billion people in the world do not have access to safe water and over two billion lack adequate sanitation. Safe drinking water and basic sanitation help prevent water-related diseases, including deadly diarrhoeal diseases. Improved water management also reduces transmission risks of malaria and dengue fever. WaterAid research has revealed that clean water and sanitation assists HIV/AIDS sufferers; 7] Ensure environmental sustainability -
The MDG target in goal 7 to halve the proportion of people without access to water and sanitation is strongly supported by WaterAid's primary strategic goal for its work from 2005 to 2010; 8] Develop a global partnership for development - WaterAid's work with partnership organisations, governments and national and international agencies towards achieving the MDGs is part of a mutually reinforcing framework to improve overall human development. The MDGs provide a vision of development with health and education at its core.