More pressing reasons to shed light World Water Day
Given the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, most of us are washing our hands like crazy. Publicity for the United Nations’ annual observance of World Water Day on March 22 even highlights soaping-up’s role as a crucial first line of defense in the battle against COVID-19.
Which is all well and good for those of us who have access to clean water, one U.N. press release concedes:
“In some parts of the world there is little or no awareness of good hygiene practices and their role in reducing the spread of disease. However, it is often the case that even when people do have knowledge of good hygiene behavior, they lack the soap, safe water and washing facilities they need to make positive changes to protect themselves and their community.”
Not surprisingly, area residents who belong to the Living Water Ministry at Conshohocken United Methodist Church are well aware of this anomaly. Two years ago, the CUMC volunteers partnered with Living Waters for the World, an international ministry of the Presbyterian Church, to install a sustainable water purification system and health education program at the Salvation Army in Holguin, Cuba. That, after CUMC members learned about existing Cuban projects spearheaded by volunteers from Lower Providence Presbyterian Church to help counter the cross contamination and shortages caused by deteriorated and obsolete water and sewage systems installed before 1959’s Cuban Revolution.
Just weeks ago, members of the Conshohocken team returned to Cuba to further improve the filtration system Holguin Salvation Army uses to prepare food for community dinners and provide a ready supply of safe drinking water for area residents as well as students at an on-site elementary school.
In January, they traveled to Africa to begin working with two other non-profits – The Chain Collaborative and Now Africa Initiative – on the installation of a water filtration system at the Karama Education Center in southwestern Uganda.
“In Uganda, 80 out of every 1,000 children will die before they reach their fifth birthday due to illnesses caused by drinking contaminated water and inadequate sanitation practices,” CUMC volunteer Pat Patterson notes. “The children of this rural community often walk several miles to school and drink from rivers and swamps along the way… causing illness and missing valuable time in school. By installing a Living Waters for the World filtration system, we’ll be able to…provide the community with safe drinking water for a generation.”
Patterson, a Plymouth resident whose husband, Dave, is also an active water team member, explains the motivation behind the effort:
“The United Nations initiated World Water Day to raise awareness about water scarcity and how to preserve and use it safely. Water is our most precious resource. In the United States, we consume 322 billion gallons of water every day while one in nine people globally don’t have access to clean water. The global water and sanitation crisis impacts the lives of over two billion people worldwide. The effect of this alarming reality is that nearly two million children die annually from preventable water-related diseases.”
Shortsighted to view such problems as “theirs”?
“It’s true, there are many causes locally and internationally that demand our attention,” Patterson says. “But the matter of water scarcity is of global interest and impact. Approximately 748 million people around the world don’t have basic water access. That’s more than twice the population of the United States.
“More people die from unsafe water than from all forms of violence, including war. Two billion people or about one in four lack access to a toilet of latrine. Diarrheal disease kills one child every 60 seconds. Diarrheal diseases are caused primarily by unsafe water and poor sanitation…(and) kill more children under five than malaria, AIDS and measles combined. In subSaharan Africa, women and girls spend an estimated 40 billion hours a year collecting water, (and)…it’s estimated 400 million school days are lost each year due to water-related diseases…272 million to diarrhea alone.”
To date, CUMC some $20,000 had been raised for the Ugandan project “through fundraising events, grants and the generosity of (CUMC), Conshohocken Plymouth Whitemarsh Rotary, The Chain Collaborative and friends of CUMC’s Jillian’s Café.”
“But we need to raise an additional $6,000 to fully fund this project,” Patterson adds.
At press time, a wine tasting benefit at CUMC’s inhouse Jillian’s Cafe was scheduled for April 18 but might be subject to change given the coronavirus pandemic. Updates will be posted at www.conshyunited.com. Alternatively, donations may be mailed to CUMC, 20 W. Sixth Ave., Conshohocken PA 19428. Checks should be made out to CUMC with Living Waters Ministry specified on the memo line. Contributions may also be made online at https://kindest.com/ campaign/powerupkarama. Additional information is available via email to dpatter214@comcast.net.