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WATER IS LIFE December 11 2009
We often take the simplest things for granted. And it’s easy to do so with the hustle of everyday life. Yet for some people in the world, those simple things are actually luxuries. Like water.
There are about a billion people on the planet who don’t have access to safe, clean drinking water. While you and I have coolers, or bottles, or filtering systems, they walk for hours to get theirs from ponds, muddy rivers, and puddles in the ground. This causes disease and it causes poverty. Unsafe water and lack of basic sanitation account for 80% of all sickness, and kill more people every year than all forms of violence. Those hours spent walking could be used for working or going to school.
There is actually a solution. A sustainable one, in fact. Our good friend, Alex (Encompass LA, Rhythm Natives), reminds us of it with his participation in charity:water - an organization that commits itself to drilling wells in impoverished communities. He felt compelled to be a part of this because water has been so integral in his life. He’s an avid surfer and attributes water to a happier and healthier lifestyle.
Alex has a personal charity page called Water is Life, where friends can donate to providing clean water. 100% of donations go directly to project costs. In addition to this effort, he is currently developing a program to sell his photography, tentatively called “Photos for Life”. Every time something is purchased, half of the cost will go to charity:water.
Please take some time to navigate through his site, and please spread the word. I’ll leave you with this stat that I found: $20 can give a person in Africa, safe drinking water for 20 years. We all can help and we can give in one way or another. Thank you for reading.
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