"I had diarrhea just a few days ago," said a boy on the banks of the Niger River. "Yes, I drink this water." In his village of Kokomani, Niger, lack of clean water is severely affecting children.

Mariama, 10, laughed with joy when she saw water pouring out of the World Vision well that is close to her village. She no longer has to haul water over a long distance back to her home every day.

I recently visited World Vision's work in southern Zambia with a group of donors. We were deeply moved when we saw the back-breaking efforts the women and children made to collect water throughout the day.