Procter & Gamble’s (P&G) non-profit Children’s Safe Drinking Water (CSDW) Program and National Geographic are raising awareness about the global water crisis with the release of a new documentary and national survey in conjunction with World Water Day (March 22).

The documentary, titled “The Power of Clean Water,” follows the lives of three women and their families, providing a first-hand perspective on the daily challenges of accessing clean drinking water.

As the film progresses, viewers witness how P&G’s Purifier of Water packets, distributed by partners ChildFund in Indonesia, CARE International in Kenya, and World Vision in Mexico, have helped transform these communities.

Global awareness of the water crisis is growing, but in the U.S., many are still unaware of how many people struggle with the daily reality of not having access to clean water, something P&G sought to explore by commissioning a new survey to be released along with the documentary.

[ 40% of the World’s People Affected by Water Scarcity: Report ]

Survey findings show that most consumers are concerned about the safety of their drinking water, but do not know that approximately 1 in 10 people around the world lack access to clean drinking water. In addition, one-in-four underestimate the number of people who die each year because of waterborne illnesses.

Survey findings further highlighted that Americans are largely unaware of the progress that has been made to date to address the global water crisis.

Nearly 70 percent of respondents believe that the crisis has stayed the same or gotten worse, with almost one in four saying that the problem has become much worse.

In reality, the global effort to solve the crisis is working. About 2.6 billion people have gained access to clean water in the last 25 years but there are still 844 million people yet to reach.

The full documentary will be available here on March 22.

Photo courtesy: P&G