Water and Sanitation Target: Halve, by 2015, the proportion of the population without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation
Every day Mame collects water for her family in Senegal. She’s lucky enough to live near a borehole. The average distance to travel for water in Africa is 6km, and some children spend up to six hours per day on this task. Photo Micah Challenge USA
Water and Sanitation: The Story So Far
Water covers seventy per cent of the earth’s surface and makes up sixty percent of our body’s content. We are surrounded by water, aren’t we?
According to the UN Human Development Report (2006) there is enough clean water in the world to meet everyone’s needs. However, as a result of “unequal power relations and flawed management policies” only one in six people have access to it. This is linked to the shocking fact that forty per cent of the world’s population do not have the most basic sanitation facilities. Water and sanitation should be available to all, but reality tells us a very different story.
This story is not just about almost half of the world not having a comfy toilet or glass of water when they want it. When access to clean water and sanitation is denied, five million children die every year because of water-borne diseases; children, especially girls, lose the opportunity to go to school because they spend a large part of their day fetching water; and conflict emerges over mismanaged water resources. The effects of water and sanitation poverty are crippling.
Remember that, unlike most stories, we can contribute to the narrative of this one. The MDGs give us the plot outline: to halve the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe water and sanitation by 2015. To make this a reality, let’s make sure that a global action plan on water and sanitation is agreed at the G8 this July. Read on to find out how!
Father,
We praise you that You are our source of living water and that You promise to fill us abundantly.
We lift to you all those who know physical thirst on a daily basis. We pray for the international community - that they would be wise in where they target their aid; for the governments of countries where access to water is limited – that they would have integrity in how they distribute their resources; and for the communities themselves – that they would be filled with hope that enables them to work for themselves and the lives of their families.
We pray too for all those currently suffering from diseases related to insufficient water and inadequate sanitation. We pray that their understanding of the simple steps they can take to reduce water related illness would increase and that they would encourage each other to make these changes.
And Lord we ask that as their practical need for water is met, they also receive your living water through a deeper knowledge of Jesus Christ as their saviour and friend.
In Jesus’ name, Amen
Badger the Japanese Government to talk about toilets.
The UN has designated 2008 the ‘Year of Sanitation’, and we believe it’s crucial that our leaders use the G8 meeting in Japan to commit to tackle the crisis.
Contact the Japanese ambassador, asking him to share your concerns with his government and ensure that a global plan of action is agreed by world leaders at the G8.
Micah Challenge coalition member Tearfund is campaigning as part of End Water Poverty, an international campaign than aims to bring an end to the global water and sanitation crisis.
Share this video from Samaritan’s Purse with a friend. It’s a simple way to raise awareness about the problems of inadequate water and sanitation and to inspire people to take action.
Don’t let the movement dry up! Invite a friend to join you in Taking Five.
