World Water Day

Recently I participated in an advocacy day around World Water Day in Washington D.C. organized by Water Aid America. The day started with many inspirational professionals and experts outlining the devastating effects that unsafe water and inadequate sanitation have on the world’s poorest countries.

Monday was World Water Day, but if you are still thirsty for more information on this critical issue, take a look at the Pulitzer Center’s online water gateway, DOWNSTREAM: Our Water, Our Lives.

Last week, the WHO and UNICEF gave us what finally looked like a good news story.

Today some ONE staff got a chance to meet and chat with our friends from Water Advocates, and they brought a copy of April’s edition of National Geographic with them.

Yesterday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton marked World Water Day with a speech at the National Geographic Society here in DC. It was a great speech that touched on some of the key benefits of advocating for clean water and sanitation in developing countries.
Below is a video and key excerpt (full text here):

Water. We all underestimate its importance. It’s so readily available in the developed world that we think of it almost like air. But polluted air often causes disease and illness. The same is the case for water. Billions of people across the world lack access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation. One out of every five people does not have safe water to drink, and nearly one out of every two people does not have access to a decent toilet. Children are the most affected by these circumstances.

It was just a couple of us and our children going for a leisure walk around the lake on a nice Sunday afternoon. Here in Minnesota, where there is more than 10,000 lakes, the concept of spending a couple of hours walking around the lake is not newsworthy, especially in light of the warm March temperatures. It was simply a chance for us to catch up while the kids had some good fun after being cooped up for the winter.

None of us can live without water. But for many people around the world, the water they depend on is far away and it isn’t always safe for drinking. March 22 marks World Water Day.

Today is World Water Day—and it’s time to celebrate in a big way. So join ONE and Water.org and donate your Twitter and Facebook statuses to help spread the word about clean water.

This Monday will be World Water Day – and we’re getting ready to celebrate the 200 million people who have access to clean water for the first time. So how can you join the celebration?