SPECIAL FEATURE
the gender gap is growing. The gender gap in food insecurity continued to rise in 2021 – 31.9 percent of women in the world were moderately or severely food insecure, compared to 27.6 percent of men – a gap of more than 4 percentage points, compared with 3 percentage points in 2020. Globally, one in three women experienced moderate or severe food insecurity in 2021 and nearly one in three women aged 15 to 49 years (571 million) were affected by anemia, with no progress since 2012. According to the UN’s Gender Snapshot 2022, unclean water claims the lives of more than 800,000 women and girls each year. Can we still end hunger and thirst by 2030? Right now, as many as 828 million people are unsure of where their next meal is coming from. It is clear that concerted action is urgently needed to meet the targets of SDG 2 and 6 by 2030. Agrifood systems must be transformed in ways that ensure they deliver lower cost and safe nutritious foods that make healthy diets more affordable for all, sustainably and inclusively. Water and sanitation services similarly need to be modernized to reduce knock-on effects such as waterborne diseases. As a global community, we each have a role in bringing forward those left behind by making our agrifood and water and sanitation systems more inclusive and sustainable. Though the clock is ticking past the halfway point to 2030, time has already run out for many people in securing safe food and water.
SIERRA LEONE’S FREETOWN WASH AND AQUATIC ENVIRONMENT REVAMPING PROJECT
Although Sierra Leone is endowed with vast water resources, the country faces severe constraints on domestic and agricultural use. These resources are unevenly distributed and in the dry season there is not enough water available to meet the country’s needs.
inhabitants of Freetown with a reliable and safe water supply, which is set to reduce waterborne
illnesses and mortality by about 50 percent. Low levels of
development often affect women and children the hardest, something the Freetown project will work to
mitigate. Specifically, it will reduce sexual harassment experienced by women while fetching water as approximately 60 percent of the project beneficiaries will be women. In several communities, where
Demand for water in the country’s capital and largest city Freetown is higher than the current supply. Little water reaches the eastern edges of the city and, as the city’s population expands, the situation is worsening. Inadequate water supply in several areas has forced many residents to draw water from springs, streams and shallow groundwater resources. In many cases, this water is contaminated, increasing the risk of diarrheal diseases and cholera. In 2021, the OPEC Fund committed US$20 million in support of the Freetown WASH and Aquatic Environment Revamping Project. The project will provide the 1.4 million
children trek long distances to fetch water, the project will help cut child
labor and accidents.
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