Thanks to Jan of Yearning for God for today's post:This day is to unite the world's bloggers in posting
about the need for clean water throughout the world.
about the need for clean water throughout the world.
- Unsafe drinking water and lack of sanitation kills more people every year than all forms of violence, including war. Unclean drinking water can incubate some pretty scary diseases, like E. coli, salmonella, cholera and hepatitis A. Given that bouquet of bacteria, it's no surprise that water, or rather lack thereof, causes 42,000 deaths each week.
- More people have access to a cell phone than to a toilet. Today, 2.5 billion people lack access to toilets. This means that sewage spills into rivers and streams, contaminating drinking water and causing disease.
- Every day, women and children in Africa walk a combined total of 109 million hours to get water. They do this while carrying cisterns weighing around 40 pounds when filled in order to gather water that, in many cases, is still polluted. Aside from putting a great deal of strain on their bodies, walking such long distances keeps children out of school and women away from other endeavors that can help improve the quality of life in their communities.
- It takes 6.3 gallons of water to produce just one hamburger. That 6.3 gallons covers everything from watering the wheat for the bun and providing water for the cow to cooking the patty and baking the bun. And that's just one meal! It would take over 184 billion gallons of water to make just one hamburger for every person in the United States.
- The average American uses 159 gallons of water every day – more than 15 times the average person in the developing world. From showering and washing our hands to watering our lawns and washing our cars, Americans use a lot of water. To put things into perspective, the average five-minute shower will use about 10 gallons of water. Now imagine using that same amount to bathe, wash your clothes, cook your meals and quench your thirst.
While these facts may be grim, there is hope for real solutions as more and more people around the world are waking up to the clean water crisis. Earlier this year, the UN declared access to clean water a human right and groups like charity: water and Water.org continue to work tirelessly to bring water access to the developing world.
And now, on October 15th we all have a chance to help shed more light on water issues around the world. Take a moment to make sure to register your blog and grab an action widget, and get ready for an amazing day of blog activism.
Oh my, Friday is almost done, and I'm just now checking in. Had no idea that today was Clean Water Day!
ReplyDeleteMust share that my pilgrimage to Malawi this summer changed my life, and one of the most important things the Malawi people need is clean water. This small country is one of the poorest populations in the world, and yet they are amazingly hopeful, in love with God, and willing to share what little they have.
I went on this pilgrimage sponsored by a group called Warm Heart International, as Malawi is called the warm heart of Africa. This Christian (Episcopal) organization is attempting to meet the needs of this "poorest of the poor" country in all sorts of ways: building water wells, feeding AIDS orphans, educating children, and micro-loans for women to start businesses.
It is truly an organization that is doing its part to realize the MDG's (Millennium Development Goals) of the UN, which many nations have signed on to make happen.
I've just realized I'm sort of on a rant about my favorite 501.c.3, and I don't really want to do that, but if you have a desire to help, go to www.warmheartinternational.org -- you will be blessed!