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359This results in reduced physical growth and impaired cognitive functions Furthermore families remain mired in deplorable conditions without access to safe water and adequate sanitation As the number of infections increase in children their academic performance and school attendance decrease significantly In order to help these children UNICEF alongside goals of the MDGs is trying to ensure that all schools have adequate drinking water for all kids Working in over 100 countries UNICEF aims to improve access to safe clean water In addition there is an associated gender gap due to the fact that young girls face more of the effects of poor water as they are usually the ones who collect the water and ultimately fall sick from water related diseases In countries affected by conflict and instability more than 180 million people are deprived of access to safe water For example after 7 years of conflict in Syria 6 4 million minors are in need of safe water to drink Additionally In places such as Nigeria conflicts have damaged 75 of water leaving 3 6 million people without clean water leading to diseases and malnutrition In addition to conflicts natural disasters such as floods hurricanes earthquakes and tsunamis can damage and contaminate drinking water These natural disasters lead to well contamination from livestock waste chemicals human sewage and other impurities As a result children are prone to water related diseases causing them to fall sick II Country Policy As over 14 6 million children are in urgent need of safe drinking water Ireland believes that it is of the utmost importance to help these children survive
Our Irish Aid is the Irish Government s programme for overseas development As the country of Ireland we have helped and supported programmes that increase access to safe water and basic sanitation in rural parts of many countries For example in Zambia we have supported four rural districts in Northern Province to start and implement plans that has benefitted nearly 400 000 children giving them access to clean water Not only are we helping those in Zambia but as well as supporting communities in rural areas in Liberia to improve access to safe drinking water Through our partnership in a large water and sanitation programme with the government and other donors we help these children get the clean safe water they are in dire need of Ireland supports the work of the United Nations Children s Fund UNICEF in almost 90 countries to improve water supplies in schools and in communities The United Nations has long been addressing the crisis by lack of water supply to satisfy growing demands on the world s water resources to meet the demands of humans UNICEF s water sanitation and hygiene WASH team works worldwide to improve water and sanitation services Their efforts provided nearly 14 million children with clean water and over 11 million with toilets just last year In 2011 they began a 75 day operation providing thousands of children in Djibouti with safe drinking water As part of the operation as many as 35 000 people across the country will receive clean water Ireland reaffirms resolution 64 292 recognizing the human right to water and sanitation in which the UN General Assembly passed in 2010 This resolution also acknowledged that clean drinking water is essential to the realisation of all human rights It calls upon international organizations and States to help provide safe clean accessible and affordable drinking water to all We acknowledge the well being of children is specifically dependent on the availability and quality of water By improving drinking water we believe that it will help reduce the number of children who die each year by 2 2 million This will ultimately have a huge impact on good childhood nutrition and will reduce the number of water related illnesses that cause these children to suffer