Why Water

Clean water is essential

In the Netherlands we do not realize what a luxury it is to get clean drinking water straight from the tap. But 1.1 billion people worldwide do not have access to clean drinking water. One of the consequences is that 42,000 people die weekly from drinking unclean water.

Clean water is the best medicine in the world

It is simple, affordable, and prevents the most important causes of child mortality: diarrhea and infection. The Max Foundation is set up so as to exert the maximum effect to reduce child mortality with limited resources. Clean drinking water is the most effective way of preventing child mortality. Preventing illnesses is many times more cost-effective than treating them.

In Bangladesh, 9% of children die before the age of five. This is considerably lower than 40 years ago, but is still many times higher than in the Western world. Child mortality in the countryside is significantly higher than the national average.

The most important causes of child mortality are diarrhea (34%) and infections (19%), which in most cases are exacerbated by malnutrition. Access to clean drinking water is an essential prerequisite for survival and healthy development. The Max Foundation sees the provision of clean drinking water as the starting point for all other kinds of measures to fight child mortality.