Lutheran World Relief Seeks Your Help: Join us in Asking Congress to support an increase in clean water funding
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“Individually we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean.” – Ryunosuke Satoro.
On March 20, the UN celebrates World Water Day 2008, a day to consider those who do not have access to potable water or sanitary conditions. Take action to change these conditions by contacting your members of Congress and making some lifestyle changes at home.
Water, a basic necessity for life, covers almost 70 percent of the earth’s surface. Although water exists in great abundance, 1.2 billion people across the world lack access to safe water and 2.6 billion people lack even basic sanitary facilities. Every day, 5,000 children die from preventable diseases like diarrhea — and more than 80 percent of those deaths are attributable to this lack of clean water. The need for improved sanitation leads to malnutrition and increased child mortality rates.
In areas where clean water is scarce, the burden of walking many miles to the nearest water source often falls on women and children, who then do not have the opportunity to contribute to the family income or attend school. Water scarcity or poorly allocated water resources can lead to competition, tension and insecurity within communities.
Encourage Congress to Take Action
On December 1, 2005, Congress signed the Water for the Poor Act into law. This Act focuses on a long-term, sustainable water and sanitation provision in countries of the greatest need with emphasis on affordable and equitable access for impoverished communities. These long-term provisions will provide much-needed resources to communities who currently lack access to clean water. Contact your representative and senators today to urge them to include $500 million for clean drinking water and adequate sanitation in the Development Assistance Account.
Contact advocacy@lwr.org for a sample letter or get connected to your representatives’ offices immediately by calling the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121. We encourage you to contact both your representative and senators.
If you choose to call, ask to speak to the foreign policy aide. Here is a sample script:
“Thank you for taking my call. Hello I’m __________ (identify your name, town and state). I’m calling to urge Representative/Senator _________ to increase U.S. Development Assistance Account funding to $500 million for clean drinking water and adequate sanitation internationally. These increases should be part of an overall increase in U.S. development assistance for poverty alleviation world-wide. Millions of people every year die from diseases that are easily preventable due to the lack of sufficient clean water.”
Take Action at Home
Although a seemingly endless supply of water comes from the taps of many of our households, every community in the U.S. shares the same water source as the rest of the world’s communities. Consider these 10 suggestions for ways to reduce your personal water consumption. In addition to conserving gallons of water, you will reduce your water bill. Prayerfully consider which action is right for you, your home, your church or your community.
- Before running your dishwasher or laundry machine, fill these appliances to capacity or adjust the setting to reflect the amount of dishes or laundry to be washed.
- Instead of running the faucet while waiting for water to cool down, keep a container of cold water in the refrigerator. To heat water, use a microwave or tea kettle instead of waiting for hot water from the tap.
- Water your lawn in the early morning or after the sun starts to set. This way your lawn will absorb more water before it evaporates. If you have to water your lawn often, consider planting native plants that don’t require as much water.
- While washing vegetables, dishes or clothing by hand, catch the extra water in a bucket or a basin before it goes down the drain. Use this recycled water for watering plants or a garden.
- While washing your face, brushing your teeth, or shaving in the bathroom, turn the tap water off.
- Install a faucet aerator, a device which pumps air into the water stream. This reduces the amount of water coming out of the tap while maintaining the water pressure.
- Avoid flushing the toilet for reasons other than disposing of bodily waste. If you own an old toilet, consider replacing it with a low-flow toilet or displacing the amount of water in the tank by placing a plastic jug full of rocks into the tank.
- Check your house for dripping faucets or leaking water pipes, and fix anything that is broken.
- Consider purchasing a low-flow showerhead or reducing your shower time.
- Support Lutheran World Relief. In every country, managing water is a key step in ending poverty. LWR does sustainable development work with partner organizations all over the world. From providing potable water filters in the Philippines and Peru to building community wells in Mali, many of our projects help communities maintain and protect their water supply.
THANK YOU for taking action. By raising your voice you can help those in need of clean water and proper sanitation.
For more information, or to join the LWR advocacy network individually, please contact advocacy@lwr.org or Gretchen King at gking@lwr.org.
WHO IS LWR? Lutheran World Relief, an international nonprofit organization, works to end poverty and injustice by empowering some of the world's most impoverished communities to help themselves. With partners in 35 countries, LWR seeks to promote sustainable development with justice and dignity by helping communities bring about change for healthy, safe and secure lives; engage in Fair Trade; promote peace and reconciliation; and respond to emergencies. LWR is headquartered in Baltimore, Md. and has worked in international development and relief since 1945.
Lutheran World Relief is a ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS), individuals and parish groups in international relief, development, advocacy and social responsibility.
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Ask Others to Advocate with LWR - Sign-Up Sheet
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For more information, please contact advocacy@lwr.org.
