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World Water Week - Brings Hope for Global Clean Water
World Water Week is a global effort to raise awareness and funds to help the low income countries and provinces of the world receive clean water and appropriate sanitation. The lack of these two basic essentials causes the death of more than 2 thousand children and infants daily. With more than 2 billion people globally living without access to a toilet and even more living without access to fresh, clean water, the death toll keeps climbing. The institution of World Water Week came about in 1992, and recently has grown in global interest and public awareness. The need for clean water does not only indicate a health hazard but it also indicates other problems within the lifestyles of these small rural communities. Establishing a clean water and sanitation solution is known to help improve income, improve educational and employment opportunities, and help establish access to education and employment for girls and women throughout these areas. Promoting clean water and basic sanitation is also promoting a higher standard of living in these areas. Since almost all the places without access to water and sanitation are rural, they also do not have simple things like schools, doctors, and human welfare offices. They have only their community and the skills to stay alive despite their isolation from a very technical, advanced world. Those living without access to clean water are forced to share water sources with livestock, drink from the same water that the community defecates in, or travel for hours per day to retrieve water. Often this travel does not result in the retrieval of clean, fresh water but of polluted water from the nearest public source. This problem spreads disease, kills victims with diarrhea and dehydration as well as bacterial infections which can be painful and slow. Since the inception of World Water Week numerous villages, countries, and provinces have been helped through the program. The organizations that sponsor the week do make time for celebrating the victories of those areas with well established sanitation and water sources. The hygiene improvements in these areas are truly remarkable. March 22nd to 28th marks the beginning and end of this week long annual event. The week not only celebrates past achievements and heightens awareness of current issues, but it also highlights current projects that are underway. Without this week, many of the world's leading officials would not consider worldwide clean water and sanitation to be an urgent, pressing matter to be dealt with as soon as possible. Without this week, many of the world's citizens would not realize the vast number of people who live without simple necessities like drinking water and toilets. Through the continuation of World Water Week it is likely there will be improvements to the rural areas of the world still suffering. The projects that are expected to take place will need the financial support of the world's leading governments as well as other funding sources. Hopefully, progress can continue and soon everyone in the world will have access to clean water and basic sanitation as a way of life. To read more about related subjects, please follow these links:
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