Africa
A continent of need
Straddling the equator, Africa is the world’s second largest and second most populous continent, with more than 900 million people. More than 50 countries comprise the continent and the islands along its coast. Economically, the countries of Africa face an uphill battle. Half the people in sub-Saharan Africa live in poverty. On average, Africans live on less than 70 cents a day. Large portions of the population are malnourished and lack adequate water supplies and sanitation facilities. Africa is, unfortunately, the continent of most concern for water supply, as Millennium Development Goal targets are slowly slipping away for a range of reasons, including continued project failure. Sanitation targets are also off-track. The organization dramatically increased its support for safe water, but dramatically increased support to 31,680 beneficiaries through innovative sanitation applications in 2008.
