Water Aid's Loo Queue

It may be raining where you are but water shortages this year are causing considerable difficulties for farmers in parts of England yet they still have access to water for drinking and sanitation. As illustrated above, 40% of the world's population do not have access to adequate sanitation.

Water Aid and its partners 'use practical solutions to provide safe water, effective sanitation and hygiene education to the world’s poorest people'. They also seek to influence policy at national and international levels. Currently they are seeking 30,000 signatures for their petition to the UK Government 'to help lift 100 million people out of water and sanitation poverty by 2015'.

Residents in the UK are being asked to show solidarity with the millions of people who will be waiting a lifetime before they have a toilet. If you are prepared to help the world's poorest people you can sign the petitionhere - by 7 July please.

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Sanitary reminder: Water Aid's Loo Queue Petition

On 17 June I blogged on the plight of the 40% of the world's population who do not have access to adequate sanitation. We take it for granted; others pray for it.

There is still time to sign the petition - by 7 July 2011. Thanks.

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Water of life - and of death!

In Britain our weather is rarely far from our lips. When it's not a 'Nice day!' it is too hot, too cold, too dry or, more often, too wet.

We can't live without water while too much can cause misery and death. The tragedy that has struck Pakistan has brought this home even more forcefully but for some it is part of the on-going struggle to provide for others what we take for granted. 'Water Aid' is an international non governmental organisation. Their mission is to transform lives by improving access to safe water, hygiene and sanitation in the world's poorest communities.

Their current campaign "Dig toilets Not Graves" seeks to save the lives of 4,000 children who die every day through the lack of this basic amenity. There are "2.6 billion people worldwide still don't have access to clean, safe toilets – a basic human right.

This is more than an inconvenience. It's a killer. Diarrhoea kills more children than AIDS, malaria and measles combined.

The solution to the duduk perkara is simple - safe toilets will save thousands of lives. Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg will be attending a Millennium Development Goals summit in New York to discuss dunia poverty targets and we are asking him to make building toilets a priority.

We call on our coalition Government to tackle this dunia crisis and prove their commitment by increasing aid to sanitation and water to ?600 million.

Please help us shout so loud the UK Government has to listen. There is no time to lose, so please put your name to our petition right now and together we can work to dig toilets, not graves."

Water Aid is asking for our support by signing a petition by 19 September 2010. You can do so here.

Postscript - Please forward this request to others who will be willing to sign the petition using the email facility below.

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Water Aid update

Some welcome cheer from Water Aid. International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell this week announced that he plans to attend the High Level Meeting of the Sanitation and Water for All partnership in Washington in April. In an email message Water Aid said "this came as a result of your actions, after your MPs asked questions in Parliament and many more wrote to Mr Mitchell to urge him to attend. It's fantastic to see the UK leading the way in committing to address the water and sanitation crisis. In the meantime, you can help us spread the word by sharing our short animated film with your friends and family. It's a simple and inspiring way to explain why water and sanitation are so fundamental not only to saving lives, but to health, education and livelihoods too."

To watch the 2 min film click here. So little can mean so much to others, life or death in fact.

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World Toilet Day

Not everyone can squat in luxury. In fact many do so in fear.

Today, 19th November is World Toilet Day.

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Water Aid

Today sees the end of "Africa Water Weekdanquot;. It probably passed you by but you can see reports here.

It doesn't stop there. Thousands of children die needlessly for the sake of a few pounds. As Advent approaches and you wash our hands regularly, think of those with no running water and consider a Christmas gift, the water of life, for those who pray for water rather than take it for granted. Why not visit the Water Aid SH2OP for Life and buy your Christmas cards adding a watery gift. Make someone else's Christmas happier than they could have imagined. Thanks.

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Blasphemy

Just a glass of water!

Many die for lack of it. Another will probably die because of it.

Many people in the world are without clean water but in Pakistan some Muslim women said that a glass of water was unclean because it had been touched by a Christian. This small episode has already cost the life of the Governor of Punjab,Salmaan Taseer, who was assassinated by a member of his security team and was widely praised for the murder. The Christian mother, Asia Bibi, is in prison for her alleged 'crime'. If she escapes the noose she will almost certainly be killed by a self appointed executioner who fails to see the blasphemy of assuming that the Almighty needs an earthly hand to judge another of God's children.

Accusations of blasphemy areincreasing in Pakistan. Although Muslims are not exempt, the law is easily used against minority religions such as Christianity in Islamic countries . Pope Benedict has beencondemned throughout the Muslim world simply for highlighting the problem. An alliance of Pakistani Islamist organisations have said they would hold rallies to protest Pope Benedict XVI's remarks that called on the country to scrap an anti-blasphemy law which allows for the death penalty for insulting Islam.

To comment is not to insult Islam. Such charges are designed to make Islamists untouchable regardless of excess. Charges of racism and Islamophobia are frequently raised in Great Britain when searching questions are asked, ignoring the overriding problem. Killing people simply for having different religious beliefs in the twenty-first century is totally unacceptable by any measure. Silence implies acceptance of religious intolerance which results in the 'religious cleansing' of which President Sarkosy haswarned.

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World Water Day 2015

"Water is our worlddanquot;

22 March 2015: A day for water and water for sustainable development.

"Today 748 million people around the world still have no clean water to drink"

If you would like to help click HERE.

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World Toilet Day 2015

Toilet on the outskirts of Lima, Peru                                      Credit: REUTERS/MARIANA BAZO

This toilet outside a family home on the outskirts of Lima Peru hardly warrants the name.

See the 'Wider image' in 'Around the World in 45 toilets'here for some stark contrasts in what most of us take for granted.

Did you know?

• 2.3 billion people – around one in three of the world's population – don't have a safe, clean, private toilet.
• Last year Water Aid helped 3.1 million people gain access to toilets.
• Around 315,000 children under five die every year from diarrhoea caused by unsafe water and poor sanitation – that's almost 900 children a day.
• Every year, around 60 million children are born into homes without access to sanitation.
• For every £1 invested in sanitation, there's around a £4 return. Health is improved, fewer days are lost to illness, and girls stay on at school for longer.

If you want to know more or think you can help, please visit Water Aid.

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Women in distress: An apology

"I don't have a latrine. Sometimes I go to the bush.

It's quite far and there have been a lot of people going.

Sometimes I feel ashamed and go back without defecating.

Sometimes I wait until dark so no one can see me.

To reach the bush, first there is a bridge.

Sometimes people fall off the bridge and then they die.

At night it is very dangerous. A woman I know has been raped."

Monday, 19 November 2012 was World Toilet Day. Like many others I was too concerned about Mother Church and what the future might hold for around one third of Anglicans in the Church of England who feel that they are being squeezed out so the email I received from Water Aid sank further down my in-try. It made this plea: "1 in 3 women worldwide risk shame, disease, harassment and even attack because they have nowhere safe to go to the toilet. That's 1.25 billion women – daughters, sisters, mothers, grandmothers. In April, the UK Government pledged to double the number of people they would reach with water and sanitation to 60 million by 2015. Now is the time to turn that promise into action and every voice adds pressure, so please add yours today."

As the Church of England Synod counted up votes on the women bishops measure, both sides praying that the Holy Spirit would shine upon them, one third of the women in the world were praying for rudimentary sanitation. It is hard not to feel ashamed that an unnecessary controversy deflected attention form the genuine need and suffering of one third of all women. They cannot be dismissed as a small minority. If you have not already done so, please sign-up to Water Aid and help the 1.25 billion women who are in desperate need of our vote.

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Stuck for a Christmas present?

Are you really stuck wondering what to buy someone for Christmas when they say they have everything they need?

Naturally we want to do the best we can for our children and for our grandchildren but when it comes to adults, particularly the elderly, if they say they want for nothing and need something even less, why not give someone else a present on their behalf and completely change the lives of people without even the basics of clean water and proper toilet facilities?

There are many charities running Christmas gift schemes but there is nothing more basic than the need of a toilet and clean water. Water Aid can do something about it. Here is their Christmas Appeal which dropped in my in tray with a request to share it with friends:

Dear Mr Briton,

"All day we walk for water, morning and afternoon. It makes us so tired. But today was a wonderful day..."

This is how Ayelach's story from Lahyte, Ethiopia, begins. She recently gave birth to her second child Oytiba. Like every parent, she wants a happy and healthy future for her children.

But the reality is that without safe water nearby, baby Oytiba may not even survive his first year.

It doesn't have to be this way. Your Christmas gift of £50 could help to bring safe water from a borehole to the community. You can change Oytiba's life forever.

The people of Lahyte have suffered because of their community's remote location. The water here is incredibly deep down. We are able to use our knowledge and experience from working in other communities to bring safe water to Lahyte.

But we need to move quickly. The dry season starts in January, and then even the unsafe water sources will disappear.

Please give Ayelach's story the happy ending she so desperately needs by giving £50 this Christmas . You'll be helping to bring safe water to Lahyte, so children like Oytiba have the best chance of survival.

Thank you so much for all of your support this year, it really does mean the world to people like Ayelach. I'd like to wish you a happy Christmas and a healthy new year.

With warm regards,

Angharad McKenzie

Head of Supporter Development

WaterAid

Ayelach hopes the new year will bring safe, clean water for her and her baby Oytiba.

Credit: WaterAid/Anna Kari WaterAid - water charity

Copyright WaterAid - All rights reserved.

WaterAid, 47-49 Durham Street,

London, SE11 5JD, UK.

E-mail: supportercare@wateraid.org

Website: www.wateraid.org

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Water Aid update

A message from Water Aid:

"The world is waking up to water.

While colleagues in Washington worked right up until the last moment to make Friday's Sanitation and Water for All (SWA) High Level Meeting a success, I was glued to my screen at home watching the action unfold on a live internet stream. Over tiga,000 miles away the buzz in the room was still palpable. The meeting got off to a great start with inspiring speeches setting the tone for what was to come with impassioned rallying calls, such as "it can happen, it must happendanquot;, "water is life, sanitation is dignity".

Then, almost an hour in, the moment that we in the UK had really been waiting for ? It was the turn of International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell to speak. Supporters like you had persuaded him to attend the meeting and here he was ? Now what would he say? We could scarcely have hoped for what happened next. Mr Mitchell seemed genuinely excited as he announced that the UK is to DOUBLE its targets on water and sanitation.

We've been doggedly campaigning for the UK government to prioritise this overlooked sector for years, and thanks to your support we've really felt the campaign gain momentum over the last few months ? Even so, the implications of this result were hard to take in. An extra 30 MILLION people will now be reached by 2015 through UK aid ? At least 60 million in total. Incredible news!

The meeting continued for several hours with more and more countries signing up to the SWA partnership and pledging to prioritise water and sanitation. Finally, it seems the world is waking up to water.

Read more about this momentous meeting on the Water Works website where you'll find photos, videos, audio clips and blogs.

With best wishes,

Rebecca Owen

Senior Supporter Engagement Officer (Campaigns)"

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To be a girl

From Water Aid

?I want to live in a world where girls are free from the burden of walking for water, where they and their families have the dignity of somewhere safe and private to go the toilet ? A world where everyone, everywhere has taps and toilets by 2030.

I believe world leaders meeting at the UN should prioritise water, sanitation and hygiene for a healthier, fairer and more sustainable world.?

This September, world leaders are meeting in New York to discuss a set of international development priorities for the next 15 years.

The last time they did this, in the year 2000, they failed to prioritise water and sanitation. That?S partly why today millions of people still don?T have taps or toilets, and millions of girls still spend hours that they could be in school making long walks to collect water for their families.

This year, we need to make sure that water and sanitation make their shortlist.

Taps and toilets can be key to a future where girls like Ze are educated equally and are free to fulfil their potential.

If you agree, sign the petition here and help get to 100,000 before September.

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Always welcome gift

If you are still stuck on what to buy for Christmas, how about a gift ofwater for life instead of an unwanted present?

Many of us take water for granted, often joking about the weather and rain in particular.

It is no joke for the world?S poorest people who have no access to safe water, sanitation or hygiene. This crisis is ruining lives and holding back development.

WaterAid's mission is to transform the lives of the poorest and most

marginalised people by improving access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene.

There are 844 million people living without clean water and dua.3 billion people who do not have a decent toilet.

A gift of clean water would make their Christmas happy too.

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World Water Day 22 March 2017

Today, 22 March 2017, is World Water Day.

WaterAid is asking people in the UK to spring into action and email their MP to help raise awareness for the 1 in 10 people still living without safe water? Link here.

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World Water Day 2016

Tuesday, March 22 is World Water Day 2016

Water Aid is asking you to go blue this World Water Day ? 22 March ? In any way you can:

Seven ways you can turn the world blue this World Water Day here.

Join people around the globe and help turn the world blue for a day to raise awareness about the water crisis, and make sure everyone has access to clean, safe water by 2030.

And all you need to do to get involved, is go blue!

By raising funds and spreading the word, you can help to get another step closer to ensuring that everyone everywhere has access to clean, safe water by 2030. To give extra help donate here.

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