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Today is World Water Day. The United Nations created World Water Day (3/22) to shed a light upon the water issues around the world. As part of the Global Team of 200 [2] and Mom Bloggers for Social Good [3], we are supporting and using our collective voices to raise awareness on this important Day.
As you reach for your next glass of water think about these staggering water facts [4]:
- More than 1 in 10 people (783 million) still do not have access to safe drinking water.
- Coverage in sub-Saharan Africa stands at only 61% – with further disparities in access between urban and rural populations in that region.
- Almost 2.5 billion do not have access to adequate sanitation.
- 1.8 million people die every year from diarrheal diseases. Ninety percent of these deaths occur in children under five years old.
- WHO estimates that 50% of malnutrition is associated with repeated diarrhea or intestinal worm infections as a result of unsafe water, inadequate sanitation or insufficient hygiene.
- In developing countries, drought is ranked as the most common cause of severe food shortages, causing more deaths than any other natural disaster over the last century.
How you can help
- Follow WaterAid on Twitter [5] and Facebook [6] and share their posts on the #20ways that water is just the beginning of the road out of poverty.
- Make a donation [7] if you can. Every little bit helps.
- Raise awareness, spread the word and use water conservatively [8].
Earth Hour
This Saturday, March 23, take the time to turn off your lights at 8:30 pm (in your local time zone) for Earth Hour [9]. Earth Hour is a worldwide collective display of commitment to protect something that unites us all – the planet. I participated last year [10] with my family and I have to admit that it wasn’t as easy as it sounds. But we did it and so can you!
I’m also challenging you to go beyond the hour and continue on a daily basis to take action to make our world a better place.
Where will you be this Saturday night at 8:30 pm? Can you commit to turning off your lights?
photo credit: UNAMID Photo [11] via photopin [12] cc [13]