Facts about water:
– 42000 people die from lack of clean water every week
– 98% of water-related deaths occur in the developing world
– 84% of water-related deaths are in children ages 0 - 14.
- An American taking a five-minute shower uses more water than the typical person living in a developing country slum uses in a whole day
- In America, bottled water accounts for 66% of the nonalcoholic beverage market
Water. It still amazes me that today, in the 21st century, we can walk on the moon, we can connect with anyone throughout the world at any moment, but we still allow thousands of people to die every day from lack of clean water. I know for me, in my world, the problem seems so distant. The multibillion-dollar bottled water-industry in America has taken our deserving, individualistic, selfish attitudes to a new high (or low, depending on how you look at it). We no longer have to be content with plain old tap water, but we have our choice of hundreds of types of clean bottled water. In this society, it makes it hard to understand, or care, that there are other parts of the world where there are THOUSANDS of funerals EACH DAY for people who lack clean water and proper sanitation. The problem is real and the problem is preventable.
The hope is that there are those who have seen this problem and chosen to take action. There are those who are finding creative ways to raise awareness, and money, and hope to provide water to those without. These are just some of the organizations and people, but I’ll let them share their stories:
- 300 Voices (http://www.water4christmas.com/)
- Blood Water Mission (http://www.bloodwatermission.com/)
- Lifewater International (http://www.lifewater.org/)
- Living Water (http://www.water.cc/)
- Water Aid (http://www.wateraid.org/)
So, this week, in our simple act of solidarity, Candace and I are only going to drink water. We’re also going to be conscious of each time we turn on the water, whether dishes, showers, laundry, and try to find ways to prevent the wasting of clean water. It’s not much, but it’s a first step (especially for those like us addicted to coffee and sweet tea). We’re going to calculate the money we normally spend on other beverages and support water projects in Africa. We encourage you to do the same. There is clean water for all, this problem has a solution, there is hope.
“Find out how much God has given you and from it take what you need; the remainder is needed by others.” – St. Augustine
