A dive into SDG goal 6, clean water and sanitation for all.
Sustainable development goals (SDG goals) are a set of seventeen interlinked objectives proposed by the United Nations which serves as a ‘’shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for all people and the planet, now and into the future.’’ These goals were set in the year 2015 and were expected to have taken effect by the year 2030 where all people would enjoy peace and general prosperity.
The community based organisation(cbo), Ocean Youths Innovators, has been involved in a handful of these sustainable development goals one of which is the SDG goal 6. This is about clean water and sanitation for all. Water is one of the most important aspects of human life as many activities ranging from drinking to cooking and washing require access to it, or this reason, it is important that everyone gets access to clean water. The aim of the SDG goal is to ensure that people from all walks of life are able to gain access to sanitary living or working standards as well as water.
In Kenya, about 28 million people lack access to safe water while 41 million lack access to improved sanitation (World Water Day 2023: Access to Clean Water Remains a Challenge – Greenpeace Africa, 2023). This has led to extended bouts of waterborne diseases such as dysentery, typhoid and cholera. As of 18th July, 2023, Kenya had reported 11,181 cholera cases and a staggering 196 fatalities in 26 of its counties. This is just one example that proves how dire it is that everyone gets access to sanitary living conditions.
The Ocean Youths Innovators (OYI) have been involved in several projects in line with this goal, the two most recent one being World Clean Up day. For this particular project, environmental organizations were allocated to a specified town and tasked with cleaning it up. OYI was allocated to Githurai on world cleanup day where we created awareness on proper waste management and proper waste disposal. We not only did this but we also ensured to collect plastic and other types of waste that was improperly disposed. The World Clean-Up project OYI was involved with showed the residents of Githurai that it is indeed possible to manage solid waste in the streets and in homes.
The United Nation’s goal for 2030 is that every person will have access to clean water and sanitation. This goal can only be achieved if everybody comes together to work towards it.
Reference World Water Day 2023: Access to Clean Water Remains a Challenge – Greenpeace Africa. (2023, March 22). Greenpeace Africa. https://www.greenpeace.org/africa/en/blogs/53365/world-water-day-2023-access-to-clean-water-remains-a-challenge/#:~:text=The%20situation%20is%20not%20any,lack%20access%20to%20improved%20sanitation.
Article written By: Zelma Siisa