Water Means Life

Some of you may remember that last year I gave up my birthday to raise money to build wells in Africa.  I did it because I had just heard about the fact that 1 in 6 people in the world do not have access to clean water.  That's one billion people!  And because these people don't have access to clean water, they are dying from completely preventable diseases.  It's hard for me to understand how those of us who have clean water can sit back and do nothing while people are dying for something we take for granted.  

Water was a subject that Jesus addressed, too.  He met a woman at a well and asked her to get some water for Him.  She protested, reminding Jesus of the custom that kept men and women separate, especially a woman with the past she had.  But Jesus responded to her protests by saying, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water" (John 4:10).  

I am passionate about seeing that people around the world have clean water, food to eat, and freedom from preventable diseases.  But the most important thing these people need, and all people need, is the Living Water of Jesus.  Jesus tells the woman at the well, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life" (John 4:13-14).   

Life seems cruel for those who don't have access to clean water and it's true that they often live short, painful lives.  Please read the information below and see the need for what it is - desperate.  It may seem like this problem is too great.  One billion people need clean water.  There's no way one blog action day can eradicate this need.  But each of us, making a difference one by one, can together make a big difference.  And even more than giving life here on earth, we can offer the Living Water that will never leave them thirsty.  I hope you will read the information below (provided by Blog Action Day) and be inspired to make a difference wherever you can.

The Problem of Scarce Clean Water
Nearly 1 billion people lack access to clean water, which causes a litany of struggles, diseases and even death.

• 40 Billion Hours: African women walk over 40 billion hours each year carrying cisterns weighing up to 18 kilograms to gather water, which is usually still not safe to drink.
• 38,000 Children a Week: Every week, nearly 38,000 children under the age of 5 die from unsafe drinking water and unhygienic living conditions. 
• Wars Over Water: Many scholars attribute the conflict in Darfur at least in part to lack of access to water. A report commissioned by the UN found that in the 21st century, water scarcity will become one of the leading causes of conflict in Africa.
• A Human Right: In July, to address the water crisis, the United Nations declared access to clean water and sanitation a human right over. But we are far from implementing solutions to secure basic access to safe drinking water. 

Water over-consumption in industrialized countries:

While the developing world faces a water crisis, those in industrialized countries consume far more than their fair share.

• Food Footprint: It takes 24 liters of water to produce one hamburger. That means it would take over 19.9 billion liters of water to make just one hamburger for every person in Europe.
• Technology Footprint: The shiny new iPhone in your pocket requires half a liter of water to charge. That may not seem like much, but with over 80 million active iPhones in the world, that's 40 million liters to charge those alone. 
• Fashion Footprint: That cotton t-shirt you're wearing right now took 1,514 liters of water to produce, and your jeans required an extra 6,813 liters.
• Bottled Water Footprint: The US, Mexico and China lead the world in bottled water consumption, with people in the US drinking an average of 200 bottles of water per person each year. Over 17 million barrels of oil are needed to manufacture those water bottles, 86 percent of which will never be recycled. 

Water solutions:

The good news is that there are great organizations working on solutions and new tools that empower people to do their part to address the water crisis.

• Building Wells: Organizations like Water.org and charity: water are leading the charge in bringing fresh water to communities in the developing world.  (I also support Living Water International and Blood:Water Mission)
• Technology for Good: Do you want to measure how much water it took to make your favorite foods? There's an app for that. 
• Conservation Starts at Home: The average person uses 465 liters of water per day. Find out how much you use and challenge your readers to do that same.
• Drop the Bottle: Communities around the world are taking steps to reduce water bottle waste by eliminating bottled water.

You can also shop in support of clean water.  Charity:Water provides one way.