(Photo credit: Living Water International by flickr’s creative commons)
During my last class of Water: Science & Society, we were each asked to write an essay in the style of “This I Believe: A public dialogue about belief, one essay at a time.” Though I have many more thoughts about the global water crisis, here is what I came up with during our last class together:
One billion people in today’s world do not have access to clean, safe water. That’s almost one out of every eight people you meet… but so what? I am one in a billion and I have clean water. Everyone I know has enough water to live, so what does it matter to me that some people in poverty-stricken areas are barely surviving without this basic need? How does it affect me on a daily basis?
Because it’s just that: water is a basic human need. Everyone has the right to clean water. It shouldn’t be something that is manipulated, managed, bought, sold, hidden, dirty, damaging, or unhealthy. I believe that our three most fundamental human needs are food, water, and deep, personal connections with others. Adequate food and water are needed on a physiological level — for our bodies to function. I need food and water to physically wake up in the morning, to put words to my thoughts, to give my precious two year-old niece the love she deserves, to do my best in school — the list goes on. I need personal connections with others for my emotional health. Without the important people in my life to share my struggles and successes with, I would not be finishing my junior year of college at 22 years old with — not to toot my own horn — a mature outlook on life and personal relationships.
This is why I so firmly believe in what non-profit organizations are doing for the water crises in today’s world. Not only are organizations like water.org and charity: water providing aid to developing countries by supplying poverty-stricken areas with clean water and the infrastructure and education to sustain a healthy water supply, but these organizations are doing something much more. Many non-profits are nourishing these small communities by teaching them to work together, by allowing them to take ownership of their health, of their lives.
I’ve come across so many pictures of smiling young faces from places like Kenya, India, Bangladesh, and Haiti. These children are usually holding a bottle of clean water, or splashing clear water on their face. It is not only important that these children have water that is safe from deadly diseases, but that they have interpersonal connections that make them smile when times inevitably get tough. It is these fundamental human needs that help all of us survive.
Keep questioning,
Sara
