How You Can Stop the Global Water Crisis

May 20

May 20 How You Can Stop the Global Water Crisis

Photo obtained online

Shannon O’Dwyer

My freshman year, I was asked a question that stuck with me since. The question was simple: How many taps do you have in your house with access to fresh water? This includes sinks, toilets, hose taps, anywhere that fresh water comes out of. Simple right? I own two houses, my home in Sussex and my vacation house. I counted 17 outlets to freshwater. At first, I didn’t realize the question's relevancy until I was told that 666 million (9% of the world) do not have access to an improved water source. 2.1 billion (29% of the world) do not have access to safe drinking water. Here I was with 17 outlets of clean water when nearly 30% of the population didn’t even have one. That’s when I learned about Thirst Project--a nonprofit organization that works with the support of young people to END the global water crisis by building freshwater wells in developing communities that need safe, clean drinking water.

Dirty drinking water affects everything about someone’s way of life. According to Thirst Project:

Women, young and old, spend hours every day collecting water from sources that are typically polluted. Women experience chronic fatigue and dehydration while walking for water. Pregnant women can suffer spontaneous miscarriages because of the physical demand of collecting water. The time spent and the physical toll it takes on women to collect water keeps women from better employment opportunities to provide for their families.

The dire effects of the global water crisis are the spread of life threatening diseases in these developing countries such as AIDS/HIV, diarrhoea, cholera, dysentery, polio, and typhoid. That’s just the tip of the iceberg. 1,000 children under the age of five are affected by water related illnesses every single day. These diseases are caused by water that is primarily contaminated with animal and even human feces. According to the World Health Organization, “Some 829,000 people are estimated to die each year from diarrhoea as a result of unsafe drinking-water, sanitation, and hand hygiene. Yet diarrhoea is largely preventable, and the deaths of 297,000 children aged under 5 years could be avoided each year if these risk factors were addressed.”

Where You Come In

When I first learned about the global water crisis, I felt powerless against it. That was until I learned about what Thirst Project does and how they work with students to make a real impact. I have become a large supporter of what they have done for a few years now, supporting when I can. However, I wasn’t fully satisfied with my participation; I needed to think bigger. So I decided to kick start a campaign to build enough money for a well. Just $25 gives one person clean water for life, and $12,000 builds one freshwater well for an entire community. It is a large goal, meaning I have my work cut out for me, but the impact is massive. We, right now, have the ability to do our part to help others across the world to gain access to clean water for life. Even the small donations help. Please help me in my campaign by donating!

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