--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We live in a world, it's very hard for…" description: "\"We live in a world, it's very hard for Americans to understand that every 20 seconds a kid dies, a kid under the age of five, right, dies somewhere on ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f7/matt-damon-3371_access_we-live-in-a-world-it-s-very-hard-for-am_1548977.jpg" --- # We live in a world, it's very hard for Americans to… ![“We live in a world, it's very hard for Americans to understand that every 20 seconds a kid dies, a kid under the age of five, right, dies somewhere on the Earth because of lack of access to clean water and sanitation. Every 20 seconds that happens on our planet. It's just very hard for us to…” quote by Matt Damon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f7/matt-damon-3371_access_we-live-in-a-world-it-s-very-hard-for-am_1548977.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f7/matt-damon-3371_access_we-live-in-a-world-it-s-very-hard-for-am_1548977.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f7/matt-damon-3371_access_we-live-in-a-world-it-s-very-hard-for-am_1548977.jpg) > “We live in a world, it's very hard for Americans to understand that every 20 seconds a kid dies, a kid under the age of five, right, dies somewhere on the Earth because of lack of access to clean water and sanitation. Every 20 seconds that happens on our planet. It's just very hard for us to relate to.” [Matt Damon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-damon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Millions of children die from preventable water‑related diseases, highlighting global inequity in clean water access. **In simple terms:** Kids die from dirty water. Key Takeaway Advocate for clean water solutions. Themes health inequality environment children policy Mood urgent empathetic Type advocacy informational When to use this quote - NGO fundraising - policy advocacy - education campaigns - community projects Key Concepts Public health sanitation global development Questions to Reflect On - How can individuals influence water policy? - What barriers prevent clean water implementation? A Different Perspective Access to clean water also depends on infrastructure and political will. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Access](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/access/) [Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Americans Understand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/americans-understand-278533/) [Clean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clean/) [Clean water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clean-water/) [Dies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dies/) [Dies Kid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dies-kid-5785595/) [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Five](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/five/) [Happens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happens/) [Hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard/) [Kid Dies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kid-dies-5785596/) [Kids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kids/) [Our planet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our-planet/) [Planets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/planets/) [Relate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relate/) [Sanitation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sanitation/) [Sanitation 20](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sanitation-20-5785597/) [Seconds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seconds/) [Water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/water/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [Water is one of the most basic of all needs - we cannot live for more than a few days without it. And yet,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-alan-aurthur/water-is-one-of-the-most-basic-of-all-needs-we-cannot-live-for-more/) [Robert Alan Aurthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-alan-aurthur/) > [“Two thousand children under the age of five die every day from diseases that could have been prevented with clean water and proper sanitation,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arianna-huffington/two-thousand-children-under-the-age-of-five-die-every-day-from/) [Arianna Huffington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arianna-huffington/) > [“The 1.8 million child deaths each year related to clean water and sanitation dwarf the casualities associated with violent conflict. No act of terrorism…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-george/the-1-8-million-child-deaths-each-year-related-to-clean-water-and/) [rose george](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-george/) > [The United States spends over $87 billion conducting a war in Iraq while the United Nations estimates that for less than half that amount…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perkins/the-united-states-spends-over-87-billion-conducting-a-war-in-iraq/) [John Perkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perkins/) > [“if every individual sweeps in front of their house, the community will be clean. 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That is women coming together in small groups of 10 to sometimes 15 women, where they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melinda-gates/even-in-decision-making-we-work-in-self-help-groups-that-is-women/) [Melinda Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melinda-gates/) > [With a small fraction of the hundreds of billions of dollars spent on the Iraq war, the US and Australia could ensure every starving,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-brown/with-a-small-fraction-of-the-hundreds-of-billions-of-dollars-spent-on/) [Bob Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-brown/) > [ \[Americans\] can't understand that the water in our toilet is cleaner than 880 million have access to. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-damon/americans-can-t-understand-that-the-water-in-our-toilet-is-cleaner/) [Matt Damon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-damon/) > [You will never solve poverty without solving water and sanitation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-damon/you-will-never-solve-poverty-without-solving-water-and-sanitation/) [Matt Damon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-damon/) > [Clean water is only as far away as the nearest tap, and there are taps everywhere. There's a faucet everywhere. But the reality is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-damon/clean-water-is-only-as-far-away-as-the-nearest-tap-and-there-are-taps/) [Matt Damon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-damon/) > [Poverty feeds into the clean-water crisis, which contributes to hunger, and so on. There's undeniable interconnectivity among these issues. Just one of these problems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-damon/poverty-feeds-into-the-clean-water-crisis-which-contributes-to-hunger/) [Matt Damon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-damon/) > [We must reject the cynicism that says allowing every eligible vote to be cast and counted is a 'power grab.' 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When your great-great-grandkids study history, don't you want them to be proud that you were part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-damon/we-re-here-for-such-a-short-time-when-your-great-great-grandkids/) [Matt Damon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-damon/) > [If you're just an actor you're reactive. You're saying, "Well, I hope Hollywood gives me a role, or gives me a chance at a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-damon/if-you-re-just-an-actor-you-re-reactive-you-re-saying-well-i-hope/) [Matt Damon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-damon/) > [Clint Eastwood expects you to know what you're doing. He's going to take two giant steps back and let you do it. 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If you can't spot the sucker in the first half hour at the table, then you ARE the sucker.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-damon/listen-here-s-the-thing-if-you-can-t-spot-the-sucker-in-the-first/) [Matt Damon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-damon/) [Explore all 132 Matt Damon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-damon/) ## More Access quotes > [Conservatism is not about leaving people behind. Conservatism is about empowering people to catch up, to give them the tools at their disposable that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/conservatism-is-not-about-leaving-people-behind-conservatism-is-about/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [You can disseminate your art, and it's all such easy access now. 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