system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: Why, after decades of charitable work, do so many people in countries like Africa still not have access to clean water?

I don't quite know how else I could word the question. Charities have been donating clean water, building wells and raising awareness in these areas for decades. So why is the number of people without access to clean water still so high? Why has no progress been made?

EDIT: Countries in Africa*
gpt
First of all, Africa is a continent, not a country. It is frigging enormous. Progress in one area doesn't mean there is progress in all areas. Similarly just because some areas are still struggling, doesn't mean others haven't improved.

Many countries / areas in Africa still deal with ongoing problems such as corrupt governments and rebel/terrorist groups such a Boko Haram. It is hard to build up something if there is also groups tearing it down again.

Not all charity given is sustainable charity. In fact, sometimes charity can damage more in the long run than it fixes. And sadly enough people don't always think what they are doing through. Take food and clothing programs for example. So many charity programs function by shipping food / clothes there, usually for free. That helps some people in the short run. It also destroys any local farming communities / clothing makers cause they cannot compete with this free stuff, so they go out of business. Then when the flow of charity goods stops (and it always does) you have a region that has no more free goods and also doesn't have an industry anymore cause that was destroyed by those free goods. Nowadays many charities are focusing on long-term sustainable practises (giving local farmers support / helping people strengthen the industry) but there have been plenty of initiatives over the years that wrecked more than they fixed.