What people are saying about the impact of the lack of access to clean water has in relation to poverty.

This page hosts several short video clips to support our research of what the prevailing mindset is regarding poverty.  The lack of access to clean water is not the first thing individuals think about when they hear the word "poverty". The first thing they usually think about is being poor, a lack of food, or the lack of housing. Once the suggestion that "water" may be a contributing factor was introduced, our participants were quick to acknowledge the connection and readily offered their personal opinion on what could be done to help.  The participants were randomly selected and had no prior knowledge of the three questions they were going to be asked.  The purpose of these interviews is to raise awareness that poverty is more than just starving children and/or being "poor".  

Doe, Jane 1





Doe, John 2

Doe, John 2

Doe, John 3

Doe, Jane 4

These interviews again solidify that while lack of access to clean water is not the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of the word poverty, but there is an easy connection made in people's minds once the word "water" is mentioned.  Poverty in and of itself is perpetuated by the lack of access to clean water.  Water itself is the lifeblood which allows people to maintain a level of health whereby to attempt to make a better life for themselves and their communities. According to an article written by Alyssa Clement, water is 60% of our physiological makeup as adults.  There are bare minimum requirements of water intake to sustain life vary based on sex, age, climate and activity level; but al would agree that the water needs to be fit for drinking in order to meet those daily requirements and make it count in the scheme of survival. 

*The above interviews were conducted with permission by each interviewee and names have been left out to protect their identity from the World Wide Web.

Clement, Alyssa. "How Much Water Does the Human Body Need?". Livestrong.com. 31 Jan. 2014.   Web. 24 Oct. 2014.

Doe, Jane (1). Personal Interview. 23 Oct. 2014.

Doe, John (2). Personal Interview. 23 Oct. 2014.

Doe, John (3). Personal Interview. 23 Oct. 2014.

Doe, Jane (4). Personal Interview. 28 Oct. 2014.