Of all the many challenges facing the inhabitants of the African continent, there is one elemental need regularly overlooked by the industrialized world.

Award-winning photographer Gil Garcetti has created an important visual document intended to show the world why Water is Key. The book contains eighty compelling black-and-white photographs that illustrate the immediate need for safe water and the dramatic results that can be achieved through the help of world leaders, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and involved citizens. Short essays by leaders such as President Jimmy Carter and outgoing United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan are accompanied by quotes from NGO staff and West African villagers themselves. A directory of NGOs and safe water projects in West Africa is included. Gil Garcetti intends Water is Key to be a call to action and a successful campaign. All of his royalties from bookstore sales of this book will be donated to a safe-water NGO.