More than 800 children die every year because they don't have access to safe water and clean toilers. A staggering 16,000 children under the age of five die from diseases that are easy to prevent. 

Water and sanitation-related diseases such as diarrhoea are one of the biggest causes of death for children under five around the world. Poor sanitation, water and hygiene affect more than just children's health. Children - particularly girls - often miss out on education because schools lack proper toilets and hand-washing facilities. Others miss out because they have to spend their days making long journeys to collect clean water rather than going to school. Deadly diseases like measles, polio, tetanus, tuberculosis and diphtheria are all easily and cheaply preventable by vaccination. Yet children still die because they simply don't get the healthcare and life-saving vaccines they need. 

UNICEF provides vaccines to immunise almost half the world's children against preventable diseases. They also have water, sanitation and hygiene teams working in more than 100 countries, keeping children safe by providing better water supplies and sanitation facilities in schools and communities. However there is still so much more that can be done to help, which is why we at Surrey UNICEF on Campus have decided to focus on this issue for the upcoming semester. We hope we can count on your support to make a difference!