Diarrheal diseases kill approximately 1.8 million people per year. Globally, approximately 2.5 billion cases of diarrhea occur among children under 5 years old every year. About 80 percent of those cases are in Africa and South Asia. The World Health Organization (WHO) and World Bank promote access to water, sanitation, and hygiene as the most efficient and cost effective intervention to reduce this tragic statistic.

Besides combating diseases such as pneumonia and diarrhea, improved WASH access also addresses a wide range of lesser known, but nevertheless debilitating, tropical diseases. These illnesses often are neglected by an overwhelmed medical system in developing countries.