Click the picture to learn why clean water is the issue of the day.
I just found out about this yesterday, so I didn’t have a lot of time to think about a deep and meaningful post. The first thing that came to mind was the spring near the hotel where we stayed in Moshi, Tanzania:
Now, don’t get me wrong — these kids are having a blast! And fortunately for them and the other nearby families, the spring is plentiful.
As visitors who are not used to the local flora and fauna (especially the intestinal variety!), we did not drink from any of the local water sources. We even used bottled water to brush our teeth. According to Blog Action Day’s website, however, it’s not just visitors to an area who are in danger of contracting an illness from dirty water:
“Across the globe, about 4,500 children die each day from unsafe water and lack of basic sanitation facilities. Over 90% of deaths from diarrhea diseases from unsafe water and sanitation occur in children under 5 years old.
The poor are especially hard hit. An infant born in sub-Saharan Africa is 520 times more likely to die from disease than a child born in Europe or the United States.
All told, more than 884 million of the world’s people still rely on drinking water sources that are unsafe.”
The hotel took its name from the nearby water source: “Springlands.” The same spring supplies irrigation for the nearby rice paddies.
I do worry a bit about these lovely people. Not really knowing enough about the lay of the land or the weather patterns, it is worrisome that with Kilimanjaro losing its glaciers there might be a day when the spring simply does not provide enough water.
Mt. Kilimanjaro. The clouds obscure the view a bit, but one can still tell it’s not quite the stunning white-topped bit of glory it once was.
These 2 are keeping their mothers company as they work in the rice paddies.
I’ll be honest and say that I am not entirely sure how signing the petition will have a direct impact on the availability of clean water. I’m never really sure that internet petitions work. I have, however, seen international attention and pressure on governments save lives. I believe petitions are a part of that, so I’m doing my bit to help out.
Click the logo to go sign the petition.
Only takes a few seconds. Less time than to read this post, really. :) Choose your country from the drop-down menu on the page. Have a go, won’t you?
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- You can follow Blog Action Day on Twitter: http://twitter.com/blogactionday. If you retweet this post, be sure to include the tag #BAD10. Thanks!
- Check out Water.org’s website: http://waterday.org/?s=water
In honor of the day, here are my 2 favorite charities in Africa:
- Children of Ethiopia Education Fund – http://coeef.org/
- Amani Children’s Home – http://amanikids.org/
