United Nations General Assembly declared March 22 as World Water Day in 1993. As Americans, it’s easy for us to take water for granted. Generally we can find a clean water source without putting much effort into it. Even on long hiking/biking trips we have easy to carry products that allows us to filter our water before consumption. At times it can be hard for us to picture that there are 748 million that lack access to clean water? That is nearly two and half times the United States’ population. As a devastating effect, one child under the age of 5 dies every minute from diarrhea caused by contaminated water and unsafe hygiene.
If you have I second, I encourage you to take a look at World Vision’s clean water video for an inside look at the impact of the water crisis in one girl’s life.
Here are a few more ways to help this month:
Take a Short Shower: Keep track of time spent showering as a reminder of the water shortage around the world. An American that takes only a five minute shower has already used more than an entire day’s worth of water for the average person in a developing country’s slum.
Make a Home Cooked Meal: Skip a restaurant meal and eat in. Use the time at home to talk about the need for water and donate money saved by cooking at home to give clean, life-giving water. A gift of $50 provides one new person with clean water.
Give Clean Water: Help us get one step closer to providing reliable clean water sources around the world by visiting World Vision’s website to contribute to the Clean Water Fund, or make a monthly pledge. A total of $25 per month provides 6 more people with clean water every year.
Rally on Social Media: Last year, World Water Day posts reached up to 700 million people. Break this record and spread the word about clean water access, using the hashtags #WaterEffect and #WaterNow.
Water Now is a global clean water social media campaign that raises your voice and the voice of your friends alongside the voices of celebrities and dignitaries – including Pitbull, Pharrell Williams and more – in a week-long social-media blitz centered around World Water Day.
Organize a Mall Walk: For alternative scenery, gather family and friends for a mall walk to remember the significant time women in developing countries spend bringing water to families. The time North American women spend shopping daily equals the time many women devote to collecting water each day – nearly 200 million hours
Make and Share a Video: Pull out your camera or smartphone and make a video with your children, showing dirty water that many people may have to drink each day. Bring a water bottle or small bucket and find a puddle in the street or in a park. Use your container to scoop up the water and talk about your experience. Would you or your children drink it?
Wear the Scarf and Model the Umbrella: Throughout spring showers, use these accessories as a symbolic way to emphasize the importance and shortage of clean water around the world. The umbrella reminds readers that people in developing countries often collect rainwater for their supply, and the elegant scarf is a tangible way to appreciate the life-giving qualities of water.
What will you do to join in the conversation and help to celebrate World Water Day?
Be sure to visit World Vision to find out more and connect with them on Facebook andTwitter and by using the hashtags #WaterEffect and #WaterNow.
WIN,WIN,WIN
One lucky person will win a Royal Silk Scarf and World Water Day Umbrella from World Vision!
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