On the day Peachy and I started out on this journey, it rained. Since it had been a remarkably dry spring, that was a good sign, and one remarked upon often and with joy on that afternoon. In the course of our travels we have visited hot mineral springs, meandered along brooks,creeks, and rivers, and camped beside reservoirs, and lakes. We have seen miles of irrigation ditches, and long, caterpillar-like sprinkling systems watering huge circles of crops in arid areas. We have read about the sprawling inland sea that once covered the center of our country, admired the fossils embedded, rock formations exposed, and marvelous caves formed, all by the action of water over time. Eons of time.
We have also read often in the Bible about the precious, life-giving and -sustaining gift of water. After all, civilization formed around, and has continued to develop near reliable sources of water. Water is vitally necessary for life.
When I planned this trip, I knew that I wanted to experience something of what peoples without nearby, reliable water experienced. I was what I would consider a typical American, living in a house with two and a half bathrooms, able to find drinking fountains in most public places, and not compelled to think much about, or expend much energy on obtaining clean water for my needs.
I have learned a lot. Carrying water any distance is hard work. I am just one person, and my water use averages about three gallons a day. The campgrounds where I stay usually have a water faucet within a two minute walk from any campsite ( I have timed the walks). Compare this scenario to the life of a mother (or child) in rural Asia or Africa who must walk an average 3.7 miles to obtain water. Then multiply the three gallons a person by the number of family members, and remember that water weighs 8.3 pounds per gallon. The math is sobering.
Even more sobering is the figure from a UNICEF study that 5,000 people die each day from waterborne diseases, and 4,000 of these are children. So, even if a mother walks miles to carry water home for her family, that water may carry organisms that could well be deadly. Over a billion people in the world are in this plight,lacking access to clean, reliable sources of water. The UN has pledged to try to cut this number in half by the year 2015, and Church World Service and the other NGOs with which they work are already making a difference. Their water projects, ranging from deep bore holes, shallower wells, and various catchment systems, are being put in place now,making life better for thousands of humans.
When CWS decides to build a water system, it is in response to a request of representatives from a village. The project is done with the approval and cooperation of the local and/or national government, and assures that the water supply will be publicly owned and managed by an elected committee from the village. This method includes training in management and repair of the water supply, gender equality,and community cooperation. These programs WORK! In addition, Church World Service has a four star rating from Charities Navigator, an organization evaluating charities on how well they spend their donations. Your gift will go directly to life-saving projects. If you are considering alternative gift-giving for the holidays, bringing clean water to a thirsty world has much to recommend it - and it is easy! Check out the links from this site, and feel good about your gift-giving this year; no worries about the best size or color, and recipients won't even have to dust it!
Shalom for now, and next time we will have some culture for you.
Lake Oglala, in Nebraska
No comments:
Post a Comment