It is World Water Week
A group in Stockholm that works on clean water issues globally has declared this “World Water Week.” I will go along with that. My home state of Minnesota is filled with people from Sweden, so I learned early to follow them. The official dates are Sept. 5-11. A big awareness event is planned in Stockholm. You can read more here: http://www.siwi.org/worldwaterweek.
This is a good week for this to cross my desk. Also crossing is a report on MAP’s clean water initiatives in seven countries. So far 7,000 people in 50 communities have benefited from projects to introduce a simple water filter
technology that does a terrific job taking dirty water from ponds and rivers and making it pure.
Here is what one villager in Uganda said:
“MAP is God-sent. Since I was born no one has done this wonder in my long life and that of my village ever…for the first time, my village folk and I drink pure and clean water…our children will not be sick anymore!”
Here is a fact: dirty water carrying bacteria, amoeba, and the cysts of various intestinal worms accounts for up to 75 percent of the disease burden in many rural villages across the globe.
By tackling the problem of water, we are tackling health head on.
Clean water is also a great way to get children involved in the struggle for better health for themselves and their families. Here is part of the report from a village in Cote d’Ivoire:
“The project is aimed at primary school children in rural areas. The young students are provided filters at their schools, and they are taught the importance of good hygiene and clean water. Not only will they have this knowledge from a young age, but they can also share what they have learned with their families and communities.”
So drink a cold, clear glass of pure water today … and be thankful.
