H TO THE O
March 22 is World Water Day. Normally for legit and even funny holidays we bring you a crazy gift or party guide, but this holiday is a bit different. This day is about learning and inspiring action.
For years the UN has focused on increasing the awareness and understanding of the importance of safe and available water.
Each year World Water Day is used to highlight that awareness, and focus on a specific topic. This year’s theme is water and jobs. The focus is on how enough quantity and quality of water can change workers’ lives and livelihoods and even transform societies and economies. Water is central to survival, the environment and the economy, and decent work can provide income and pave the way for broader social and economic advancements.
Millions of people who work with water are often not recognized or protected by basic labor rights - such as the young girl who walks hours to collect water for her family. She works all day, doesn’t attend school, but isn’t paid and is offered no workplace protection. Access to safe water would change her life.
DID YA KNOW?
1. Nearly half of the global workforce works in water related sectors.
2. Nearly all workers globally depend on water and its safe delivery.
3. 663 million people globally do not have access to safe drinking water.
4. The average distance that women in Africa and Asia walk to collect water is 6 kilometers.
5. Clean water can reduce water-related deaths by 21%.
6. When communities get access to clean water, kids are freed from gathering water and being sick from water-born illnesses, allowing them to go to school and gain an education.
7. Access to water can help with food security, reducing hunger in impoverished communities.
8. If women no longer spend hours of their day fetching water, they can increase their farm yields up to 20-30%, lifting as many as 150 million people out of hunger.
*Source: UN Water
MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Being involved in the food industry, we obviously understand the importance of water for our business. Whether it’s watered crops to supply us with fresh produce, to the water we use to cook pasta, or the water used and consumed by our amazing team before they arrive at work; water plays a huge role.
But people around the world have even greater considerations on just how they will access water for these tasks and if it will be safe. And the earth water supply and climate change are making water access even more difficult.
We’ve compiled a list of some great charities that are running amazing programs to get more people access to clean, safe water. Let’s treat the world’s water with respect to ensure safe and abundant water for our future. Spread the word, get involved, or make a donation.
charity:water is one of the top rated charities globally for accountability and transparency. Over 80% of their expenses are spent directly on water programs and services.
They build freshwater wells, sanitation infrastructure and provide sanitation training to help alleviate disease and provide a gateway for healthier, better functioning communities.
Give a donation or take part in their birthday program, asking your friends and loved ones to donate instead of giving gifts.
Just like charity: water, Water.org’s mission matches its name. For over 20 years Water.org has been providing safe water and sanitation solutions for women, children, and communities around the world.
They work with local organizations who understand the local culture and needs and provide jobs in the community. We love how perfectly this fits with this year’s World Water Day focus of water and jobs.
Donate online, shop to support the cause, or start your own fundraiser.
The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF)
The EDF focuses on all of the important issues affecting our environment. One of the chief concerns being water.
Their programs focus on clean air and water, helping promote a safer and more stable environment that helps people and nature thrive.
Their projects focus more on larger environmental concerns related to water, so if you’re worried about the oceans, pollution, and ecosystems, your donation will definitely help support their mission.
United Nations Foundation
Want to give directly to the source? The UN Foundation connects us, regular people hoping to help change the world with the UN, who actually does it.
Your donation could go to one of the UN’s many water project or one of its thousands and thousands of other amazing causes.
If you like the UN and everything they do, donate here. But know that your dollars won’t necessarily go to a specific project.
Want another way to give back? Check out these Water Bottles that make a difference.