I love water! As a personal trainer, of course it’s the drink of choice that I recommend to all my clients. About 7 years ago, in an effort to save money and evoke healthy habits in our family, we became a family that only drank water. No soda or juice. Just water. Tap water. As a result, our family saved a lot more money and my boys grew to LOVE drinking water. Now, when they get a “treat” beverage in our household, it’s sparkling water or more expensive bottled water that we all love instead of soda or juice.
Today I want to write about something that I truly had never given much thought to before tonight. Clean drinking water. I remember feeling deprived during a time in my life when money was really tight and couldn’t afford to buy drinks. I had to drink tap water because I couldn’t afford to drink anything else. As I listened tonight about the people around the world who don’t have access to clean drinking water, I felt a little convicted about my attitude. We are so blessed in our country that we take for granted readily available necessities (like clean drinking water) that people in other parts of the world desperately lack which leads them to a life of sickness, disease and even death.
“Americans on average are drink about 58 gallons of water.That’s 7,242 ounces of water annually.” (taken from the website: theatlantic.com)
Did you know, that while we are drinking our clean water, every 23 seconds, a child dies because of a water related disease? We can last approximately 3 weeks without food but only a few days without water. Over 10% of the world’s population does not have access to drinkable water. Often times, women and children are walking well over 2 miles to get water for their families at least twice a day. Women can’t get jobs to help support their families financially and children are forced to drop out of school spending several hours each day going to get water for their families to use and drink that isn’t even clean. So, the cycle of poverty is perpetuated.
Tonight, at church, a man by the name of Danny Thomas, talked about his organization, Water For the World. His organization developed something called a Biosand Filter. “Studies have shown the Biosand filter can remove more than 90% of bacteria and 100% of parasites. With the BioSand Filters 3,800 children in 26 orphanages where 700 cholera cases were confirmed… after 2 months with the Biosand filtration systems not a single case of cholera was found in Goma, Congo DRC.” (taken from the Water For the World website)
It’s not very big, it can last up to 35 years and what really struck me was that it was AFFORDABLE. As opposed to digging wells which costs thousands of dollars and can take several months to dig, one small water filtration system only costs $50! It doesn’t take long to set up and people can have access to clean drinking water by filtering whatever water source they have readily available in a matter of minutes! Danny travels the world in order to educate people on how to use the Biosand Filtration Systems, raise awareness and money so more areas of the world can have readily available clean drinking water.
We read things like this and we are moved but then we think, good for Danny, but can I really make a difference? I am writing to YOU dear reader to tell you that YES YOU CAN! I did donate money to this organization tonight at church but it didn’t feel like I did enough. I want to help raise awareness and financially support this amazing organization.
I desperately love my boys. If they were in danger of becoming severely ill or even dying, I would do anything possible to save them. I would reach out to whoever would listen to implore them to help me. I’m writing tonight for that mother on the opposite side of the globe who desperately loves her son or daughter. She knows that her son or daughter might die because she lacks clean drinking water to nourish her them. She can’t ask you to help her, but I can. Will you help? As Danny Thomas said tonight, “I DARE YOU!”
We don’t need to be superstars, well known or famous people to make a difference. We do have a responsibility to use the gifts, talents and treasures God has given us to impact others for His kingdom. You may never know how your donation impacted someone else but God knows and the person whose life you changed and possibly saved definitely knows. Tonight, I have included a Paypal donation button on my blog post. 100% of everything donated will go directly to support Water for the World. For more information or to donate directly to them, please visit their website: supportwaterfortheworld.org
Be Extraordinary:
Make a donation of any amount today to help bring others clean drinking water. Share this post with others to raise awareness and raise money to support the mission of Water For the World.
“For I was hungry and you fed me. I was thirsty and you gave me a drink…” -Matthew 25:35a
Great post! Yes. It’s easy to support clean water initiatives, but difficult when we have other priorities in place already or when there is debt. If people cannot support financially, it’s important to pray. And very important to be aware of needs of 3rd world countries. A read aloud book we used as a family was “A long walk to Water,” about an African man who didn’t have access to water as a boy, but out of divine circumstances came to America as a refuge from Sudan, and went to school. Now, he leads well projects and got to see transformation in the village he grew up in when his company put a well there. I cried. It was beautiful! Yes. All humanity deserves clean water. It should be a human right.