Glug, Glug, Glug..

I forgot my water bottle again this morning. I have been attempting to decrease my intake of soft drinks like my favorite, Coca Cola, and replace it with some, "high quality H2O!" Some days I forget my water bottle, however; and I have nothing to drink, which leaves me thirsty and dehydrated.

The good news is, there is a water fountain right down the hallway and I have access to clean drinking water, even if it tastes like rusty pipes all of the time. This is something I honestly take for granted far too often.

“Water management is a key factor in the global battle to remove the scourge of extreme poverty and to build secure and prosperous lives for hundreds of millions of people in the developing world.” – World Health Organization, 2007

Safe drinking water is the ingredient to pulling more than a billion people out of poverty. Access to clean water is the foundation for other forms of development. Without easy access to water that is safe, countless hours are spent in water collection, household income is spent on purchasing water and medical treatment for water-related diseases. These factors contribute to keeping people trapped in poverty. 

Elie Wiesel said: “We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.”

Almost 90 percent of all diseases in the world are caused by unsafe drinking water, poor hygiene, and  inadequate sanitation. Every year, there are 4 billion cases of diarrhea as a direct result of drinking contaminated water; this results in more than 2.2 million deaths each year. Not that talking about diarrhea is extremely exciting but the last time I had it, I wasn't worried about dying. Unsafe drinking water can contain and spread diseases and bacteria such as Salmonella, E.coli, Schistosoma (I had to look this one up), Hepatitis A, and even Cholera.

Every day water-related diseases claim the lives of 5000 children under the age of five simply because they are the weakest members of their community and can't get water unless it is brought to them. That’s about one every 15 seconds, so by the time you have read this post, 2+ children have died from something preventable.

As always, I intend to provide you with opportunity. Here are several sites you can go to and help out this cause if you so choose:

• Living Water International
• Healing Waters International
• Water Missions International
• Charity: water
• Dry Tears