Woman with pails going to collect water in rural area, Zambia

Inadequate access to water This woman, with her child on her back, is carrying buckets to collect water in a rural area of Zambia. Each person requires 20 - 40 litres of water per day for drinking, washing and cooking; a family of six will therefore need up to 240 litres daily. If this water must be collected, this is usually done by the mother. Where the water source is distant, pressures on the mother's time due to childcare and work often mean that she cannot collect enough water for adequate personal and domestic hygiene. Childhood diarrhoea and other diseases as well as growth faltering and stunting can often be the result.