By Nick Baldry
March 22nd is circled in your diary already, right?
If the answer is absolutely nothing or what the heck are you talking about, don’t worry. Although 2015 is the last year of the UN’s International Decade for Action ‘Water for Life’ 2005-2015, their website for World Water Day leaves a lot to be desired. The UN has all 13 events in the US that are being held in a small corner of Kansas, but I'm sure there are some other actvities going on around your local area. Oh, and there is the now obligatory request to use a hashtag on the day. That may be great for awareness, but it is unlikely to give someone access to clean water.
So with this half baked approach to outreach you can be forgiven for not having World Water Day at the forefront of your mind. The UN’s main information source for the day doesn’t exactly scream get involved.
That is tragic. Someone should be screaming about this. They are underselling a day that is supposed to be highlighting the single most important issue in the lives of millions. Clean water for drinking, cooking, farming, washing, for life as the UN has been trying to highlight over the last decade is a life or death issue. Wells Bring Hope has been helping support villages throughout Niger with access to fresh water, providing support in developing sustainable drip farming techniques, helping to install new latrines, providing education on sanitation and so much more. Wells Bring Hope has been embodying the Water for Life motto since 2008.
So what can you do?
On March 22nd I recommend taking action. A couple of options include starting a Water Circle or volunteering with Wells Bring Hope.
Starting a Water Circle is easy. You can create a fully customizable Water Circle page at the Wells Bring Hope website, set your target (a well costs $5,600, how many do you want to fund?), and start fundraising. It’s that simple and your contribution is immense. You can start saving lives on World Water Day.
If giving your time is more your thing, then please go to our volunteers page to find something rewarding that you can do to help bring clean, sustainable water to thousands in Niger. Your time and effort really do make a difference so please pitch in. We’d love to have you on board.
So now when I ask you what you are doing for World Water Day on March 22nd, what is your answer going to be?
