Helping the Thirsty of the World
One billion people on the planet do not have access to clean drinking water or sanitation. That is 1 in 8 of us. That is pretty unbelievable for someone in the US turning on our spigot expecting it to endlessly flow.
So often we forget to look up from our daily lives and realize that there are others in the world, sharing this planet with us and they may need our help.
It is not uncommon for a girl to walk 6 hours a day carrying up to 5 gallons of water. That’s 40 lbs. There are women and children that spend their whole day carrying water just to meet the needs of their family.
Let me share with you the story of Lucy Akanbee who lives in Ghanna. She has to get up at 3 AM every day to walk miles in the dark to collect water from the river. Often she would not arrive home before 10 AM, which meant she was late for work at the local school where she is a teacher. Lucy was the only female teacher in her school.
Sometimes her children had water to wash and drink for breakfast. Sometimes, they did not. They often went to school late and without food because of her absence.
Fetching water took up most of her day. As she collected water she would see that the Lack of water often resulted in quarrels, beating or even divorce. In the long dry season from November to March quarrels would break out in the fight for the little water left, and during the raining season diarrhea, dysentery, parasites and cholera were rife. Many children were often ill and severely malnourished, and die of these diseases.
Because girls were expected to help, very few enrolled in schools. In many deprived communities only one woman is educated for every 30 men.
Think about it. A margarita here costs $12, a Mexican martini $16, a bag of rice in a developing country costs $16 and that feeds a family of 4 for 20 years. If each of us just donated the price of one cocktail per month, we would end the world’s water crisis in just a few short years.
Twenty US dollars can give someone clean, safe water for two decades. It seems like a small amount to make such a lasting impact in someone’s life. I invite you to contribute http://mycharitywater.org/kangen3
Your contribution is tax deductible and 100% of your contribution goes to the clean water projects. To find out more about Charity Water visit their site. You can also check out this video.