Can't imagine what it's like to live in Uganda? Let this show you.
These stats might put things in perspective.
In the U.S., the average life expectancy for women is 81. In Uganda, it is 58.
That is a 23-year difference (World Health Organization). For men, it's a 20-year difference: age 76 in the U.S. and 56 in Uganda.
Of course there are so many other statistics that highlight the differences between these two countries.
Take dropout rates, for example:
Stark difference, right? Well, the difference is actually more stark than that: The 7% in the U.S. refers to students dropping out of high school (Pew). The 68% in Uganda is students dropping out of primary school (UNESCO).
Many of these stats — and much of Ugandan life — are heavily influenced by Uganda's water crisis.
Because so often access to water and sanitation is what it all comes down to. Without that, you lose nearly everything else. If you have to spend multiple hours each day gathering water for your family, you're unlikely to stay in school. If the water you drink is likely to carry bacteria that will make you sick, you probably won't live past your 50s.
So how do the water stats compare between these two countries?
By "clean water," I technically mean an "improved" water source. The percentage of these populations (WHO) that lack improved water sources likely still have access to unimproved sources, such as unprotected wells, water trucks, or surface water.
Again, these are the percentages of the populations lacking access to improved sanitation (WHO). Unimproved sanitation, which is what 65% of Ugandans have, includes such things as toilets that aren't properly hooked up, buckets, shared facilities, or no facilities at all.
Without access to improved water and sanitation, what does life look like?
Take a look at this video for a glimpse of life in one rural Ugandan community.
FACT CHECK TIME!
- We double-checked each of the stats listed in this post and cited them in-line. If you're super observant, you may notice that our numbers differ a bit from the numbers listed by the organization who made the video (on their website). Feel free to check out our sources if the differences are keeping you up at night.
- The video itself says that every day, 2,200 children around the world die from water-related illnesses. That number is just a bit out of date. As of 2014, about 2,000 children around the world die each day from water-related illnesses.



A Generation Jones teenager poses in her room.Image via Wikmedia Commons
An office kitchen.via
An angry man eating spaghetti.via 
Gif of baby being baptized
Woman gives toddler a bath Canva


An Irish woman went to the doctor for a routine eye exam. She left with bright neon green eyes.
It's not easy seeing green.
Did she get superpowers?
Going to the eye doctor can be a hassle and a pain. It's not just the routine issues and inconveniences that come along when making a doctor appointment, but sometimes the various devices being used to check your eyes' health feel invasive and uncomfortable. But at least at the end of the appointment, most of us don't look like we're turning into The Incredible Hulk. That wasn't the case for one Irish woman.
Photographer Margerita B. Wargola was just going in for a routine eye exam at the hospital but ended up leaving with her eyes a shocking, bright neon green.
At the doctor's office, the nurse practitioner was prepping Wargola for a test with a machine that Wargola had experienced before. Before the test started, Wargola presumed the nurse had dropped some saline into her eyes, as they were feeling dry. After she blinked, everything went yellow.
Wargola and the nurse initially panicked. Neither knew what was going on as Wargola suddenly had yellow vision and radioactive-looking green eyes. After the initial shock, both realized the issue: the nurse forgot to ask Wargola to remove her contact lenses before putting contrast drops in her eyes for the exam. Wargola and the nurse quickly removed the lenses from her eyes and washed them thoroughly with saline. Fortunately, Wargola's eyes were unharmed. Unfortunately, her contacts were permanently stained and she didn't bring a spare pair.
- YouTube youtube.com
Since she has poor vision, Wargola was forced to drive herself home after the eye exam wearing the neon-green contact lenses that make her look like a member of the Green Lantern Corps. She couldn't help but laugh at her predicament and recorded a video explaining it all on social media. Since then, her video has sparked a couple Reddit threads and collected a bunch of comments on Instagram:
“But the REAL question is: do you now have X-Ray vision?”
“You can just say you're a superhero.”
“I would make a few stops on the way home just to freak some people out!”
“I would have lived it up! Grab a coffee, do grocery shopping, walk around a shopping center.”
“This one would pair well with that girl who ate something with turmeric with her invisalign on and walked around Paris smiling at people with seemingly BRIGHT YELLOW TEETH.”
“I would save those for fancy special occasions! WOW!”
“Every time I'd stop I'd turn slowly and stare at the person in the car next to me.”
“Keep them. Tell people what to do. They’ll do your bidding.”
In a follow-up Instagram video, Wargola showed her followers that she was safe at home with normal eyes, showing that the damaged contact lenses were so stained that they turned the saline solution in her contacts case into a bright Gatorade yellow. She wasn't mad at the nurse and, in fact, plans on keeping the lenses to wear on St. Patrick's Day or some other special occasion.
While no harm was done and a good laugh was had, it's still best for doctors, nurses, and patients alike to double-check and ask or tell if contact lenses are being worn before each eye test. If not, there might be more than ultra-green eyes to worry about.