Imagine for a moment a day in the news that announced 20 jumbo jet liners crashed killing on board. Or, imagine a natural disaster near you like an earthquake in which 6,000 people died. In such a scenario, I can imagine whole communities coming together to offer assistance and aid. I imagine people all over the world praying for victims and survivors and their families. I imagine it would be big news and covered 24 – 7 on all the news channels.
Yet, everyday the equivalent of those very things happen. It goes unreported and unnoticed. Worse still, there is no rush of humanitarian aid. There is no mobilization of communities or agencies to help. And, still, every day 6,000 people die, mostly children, from something that is preventable. The lack of clean water. Shocking isn’t it?
In the Western world and in America particularly, we take for granted the easy access to water we enjoy. We are only steps away from a cool, clean glass of fresh water. We buy it bottled. We take long showers and baths in it. We play in it in our swimming pools and lakes and rivers. We wash our cars and animals with it. Every restaurant serves it with ice. We are truly blessed. The average toilet flush uses more water than the average family without access to clean water will us in a day!
Unknown Purple Flower, June 2007 ©Weatherstone/Ron Almberg, Jr. (2010)
Meanwhile, every hour 250 people die from lack of clean water. Every minute 4 people will die from the diseases that contracted in the dirty water they drink. Every day, a woman or child in a community without access to clean water will spend an average of four hours retrieving dirty water for their family to use. The water retrieved will contain parasites, bacteria, and animal waste. Americans, on the other hand, spent approximately $16 billion dollars on bottled water alone last year (2009).
Because of lack of clean water, children do not get educated. Parents need their children to fetch clean water instead of going to school. Malnutrition and starvation is caused by lack of access to clean water more than anything else. Children cannot assimilate their food properly and grow when they are plagued with parasites and diarrhea. An organization like CauseLife.org tells us that “A single drop of water can contain over one billion bacterial organisms! Diarrhea, malaria, typhoid, cholera, worms and parasites, and trachoma just to name a few.”
The lack of awareness is the biggest problem! The vast majority of people in the developed world are unaware of the problem. A problem that can be solved easily with communities and individuals coming together to do something about it. Only $15,000 will provide a deep-bore well that will provide a village of 1,000 people clean, accessible water for 20 years. Americans alone spent 1oo thousand times that much on bottled water alone last year. Imagine what would happen if they came together with the rest of the developing world to provide clean, accessible water to the 2 billion people who need it.
I was made aware at a Children of the World concert. The 15 children from all over the world who sang and danced captured everyone’s heart. More importantly, it put the face of child to needs of children in underdeveloped countries all over the world. Some of their stories are heartbreaking. However, by becoming aware of their needs, we can get involved and do something. As individuals, our participation combined others makes a difference. I highly recommend seeing about scheduling a concert with them!
Once we are made aware of a problem we can do something about, it is incumbent upon us to act. It is not the acts of evil people that defines our humanity. It is when good people act in coordinated compassion for others with needs that defines us. No one person needs to attempt to do it all or all alone. In cooperation with others we can change our world.
Jesus poignantly identifies his true followers as those who “saw me thirsty and gave me a drink.” There is no excuse not to do something. Anything. Donate. Make others aware. Volunteer. Every time you use the faucet, toilet or shower and sink think of those who do not have such easy access. Then, pray to the Lord to raise up people to meet the need. There is someone somewhere today just dying for a drink of clean water.
©Weatherstone/Ron Almberg, Jr. (2010)
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