How often do you think about the water that comes out of your faucet? If you’re like me, probably not very often. I’m reminded that we’re lucky to live in a country where we have access to fresh, clean water when traveling to other countries. When I’ve been in Haiti and China, I’ve had to consciously think to reach for the bottled water next to the sink to brush my teeth but it’s so easy to forget that the habit of rinsing my toothbrush under the running faucet could transmit water borne bacteria that could make me sick.
Water is essential for healthy living yet in many countries around the world, over 748 million people lack access to clean water. Imagine contaminated water being served to nearly two and a half times the United States population. Imagine one child under the age of 5 dying every minute from diarrhea caused by contaminated water.
Not having access to clean water is devastating and a worldwide crisis that the United Nations is working to address through World Water Day. Founded in 1993 by the United Nations General Assembly, World Water Day is designed to address this crisis and acknowledge the importance of water because clean water and safe sanitation are necessary for health, education, and daily life.
Not only is access an issue, but water is a precious natural resource that we run the risk of running out of in the next 15 years if we are not conscious about ways to conserve. Citing the U.N.’s report, Time.com reports that “if we continue on our current trajectory, we’ll only have 60% of the water we need in 2030.”
There are many organizations whose missions are dedicated to providing access to clean water around the world including World Vision. As part of their 2015 campaign, World Vision asks “What will it feel like when you have clean water for the first time in your life?”
Over the next year, World Vision is following the stories of 5 children as they receive access to water for the very first time.
One of these children is ten year old Violet who lives in Zambia. Violet wants to be a doctor and wishes she was in school. Like many children, she loves to jump. Her grandmother says that the inability to access clean water causes sores on Violet’s skin that she worries about. She is always having to take Violet to the doctor to have them looked at.
This powerful campaign is providing an inside look at the impact of the water crisis on the lives of five children and being documented via video.
Become More Knowledgeable About Global Water Issues
Celebrate World Water Day by more you know, the more you can do to help prevent a looming shortage of one of the world’s most valuable resources. Here are 3 very simple things you can do educate yourself and your family about the water crisis so you can make a difference.
1. Read Time.com’s 5 Ways to Celebrate World Water Day.
Washing your hands the right away (the percentage of how many people don’t is just gross!), taking a break from meat, and why Bill Gates is so passionate about drinking poop water provide a fascinating look at water and sustainable development.
2. Donate your voice to the Thunderclap.
Thunderclap is a crowd-speaking platform that helps people be heard by saying something together. By agreeing to lend your voice to a cause, you join hundreds of thousands of others creating a wave of attention that is blasted out via a timed Twitter, Facebook, or Tumblr. It takes just a second to click and join but the impact is huge.
3. Be a water conservationist.
In under 2 minutes you can learn 10 things you can do to conserve water at home.
World Water Day Giveaway
To help build awareness about the importance of clean water, World Vision has provided products as a giveaway. The blue umbrella serves as a practical reminder that rainwater is considered a precious resource for people that lack established water systems. The Royal Silk Scarf from the World Vision Gift Catalog blends soft colors to emulate the purifying qualities of water and the vibrant life that it sustains and is with luxurious silk using Fair-Trade practices.
How to Enter
Since UN-Water has invited people around the world to celebrate water by showing what it means to them, enter to win the umbrella and scarf from World Vision by lending your voice to the social media campaign for World Water Day.
To enter, leave a comment about one thing you can do to be a part of the global water solution. There are so many simple things you can do each day!
Complete the required entry above and then do any of the following:
- Pin this post and leave a link to your pin in the comments. (1 entry)
- Craft a tweet about what water means to you and include: @WorldVisionUSA #WaterEffect #WaterNow #WaterIs. Leave a link to your tweet in your comment as your entry. (1 entry/link)
- Take a piece of paper, write down what water means to you, and snap a selfie with your piece of paper and share it on Instagram. Tag me (@TechSavvyMama) and include the hashtags #WaterIs #WaterNow #WaterEffect to join others around the world as they spread their messages as part of World Water Day. Please note you can do this as many times you like. Just be sure you come back and leave a link to your photo on Instagram for each photo you post. (1 entry/link)
For more information about World Vision, like their Facebook page and follow them on Twitter at@WorldVisionUSA.
A winner will be chosen from all eligible entries next Sunday and will need to provide a US mailing address within 24 hours to claim their prize. I received gifts from World Vision as a thank you for highlighting their World Water Day campaign. No compensation was received for this post or hosting this giveaway. All opinions are my own.
My daughter is learning about the savannah and African culture in her kindergarten class. We have started to discuss how life is different there and how people don’t have running water, among other things. I’m going to the share the water video about consumption with the kids as I think it’s so helpful for them to learn about it now while they are small. Thanks for sharing this story.
Hi Emily! Congratulations! You were my winner! I’ll email you to get your info and hope that you love the scarf as much as I do!
This is such an important topic. Many people don’t realize what a precious resource water its! Thanks for sharing!
Such an important topic of conversation, not just for kids, but for adults who need a reminder too. My kids are at that age when they start noticing the differences around them, especially those that affect children their own age. We talk often about the lack of water, food and education all over the world, the ways we can help change them. Will be bookmaking this post to come back later so they can watch the videos with me. Thanks, Leticia!
Leticia great post. People forget that clean water is a gift not a right.