Make E v e ry D ro p Count
Water is an essential building block of life. We use water often without even thinking about it. Yet 783 million people in 43 countries do not have access to drinkable water. We need to make every drop count!
Woreya and Maria, Aged 3, Rwanda
Source: http://www.unwater.org/water-cooperation-2013/ get-involved/campaign-materials/water-factsheets/en/
Tr贸caire/Eoghan Rice
Tr贸caire/Gary Moore
Young boy uses a well, Pakistan
Did you know that even though 71% of the Earth’s surface is covered with water and ice less than 1% is drinkable! This is because the rest of it consists of salt water that we cannot use.
Trócaire/Gary Moore
Trócaire/Noel Gavin
Fishermen, Burma
Vincent Sibomana, Aged 43, Rwanda
Source: http://www.unep.org/dewa/vitalwater/article5.html
Thinkstockphoto.com
Consider how people in your community use water today? Quenching our thirst with water makes up only a small amount of our overall water consumption.
Feeling thirsty? Simply turn on a tap and pour yourself a glass of water. However one in nine people don’t have access to safe drinking water. Water scarcity is a major human rights issue. Without it people can and do die. Trócaire/Eoghan Rice
Source: http://www.unwater.org/fileadmin/user_upload/ watercooperation2013/doc/Factsheets/water_quality.pdf
Globally many people find it difficult to access water. Over large parts of the Global South – sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and Latin America, people do not have access to water for drinking, health and farming.
Little or no Water Scarcity Physical Water Scarcity Approaching Physical Water Scarcity Economic Water Scarcity Not Estimated
Physical water scarcity = physical access to water is limited Economic water scarcity = population does not have the
money or resources to source enough water
Water shortage and poverty go hand in hand. Without access to safe water for drinking, cooking and cleaning, people are more likely to suffer from water related diseases, which can be fatal. Tr贸caire/Eoghan Rice
Tr贸caire/Eoghan Rice
Plumpy Nut Formula, Kenya
Midwife, Somalia
Tr贸caire/Jeannie O Brien
Tr贸caire/Jeannie O Brien
The time it takes mainly women and children to collect water denies them the opportunity to earn an income, grow food or get an education. Helping people gain improved access to water is a question of justice!
Enestina, Aged 9, Malawi
Enestina, Aged 9, Malawi
Partner Case Study Malawi, known as the ‘warm heart of Africa’, is the most densely populated country in Southern Africa. Despite making significant improvements in public health, economic growth and literacy since gaining independence in 1964 Malawi faces many challenges today. Malawi
Trócaire/Hu O Reilly
Trócaire/Jeannie O Brien
In Malawi 2.4 million people out of 16 million people don’t have access to safe drinkable water. In a largely rural population fewer than two out of ten people have access to a flushing toilet.
Enestina, Aged 9, Malawi
Source: http://www.wateraid.org/au/news/news/wateraid-in-malawi-presentations
Tr贸caire/Jeannie O Brien
Tr贸caire/Jeannie O Brien
The community in Dedza, central Malawi are all too aware of the consequences of water shortage. 230 families like the Muyeye family live in this village and obtain their water from the nearby Kamboni river.
Women washing cooking utensils and clothes at the Kamboni River, Malawi
Trócaire/Jeannie O Brien
Steven and Eliyeta Muyeye have four children. Steven is a farmer who owns half an acre of land that doesn’t have an irrigation system. The family endure an annual ‘hungry period ‘of five months as they are unable to grow enough food for the year.
Muyeye Family, Malawi
Tr贸caire/Jeannie O Brien
The women and girls living in the village are responsible for collecting the water. Eliyeta can make up to six trips to collect water a day. When women and girls get to the riverbed they face long queues before their return journey home carrying heavy containers of water on their heads.
Young girl, Dezda, Malawi
Enestina, Aged 9, Malawi
Tr贸caire/Jeannie O Brien
Tr贸caire/Jeannie O Brien
The water obtained from the river is dirty. Drinking it can cause many health problems. Girls can spend up to four hours daily fetching water, valuable time that could be spent in school.
Enestina, Aged 9, Malawi
During April the river dries up and the people have to dig at the riverbed to find moisture. Farmers rely on the river to water their crops. As they do not have an irrigation system they have to water their crops by hand and can only produce one harvest a year.
Drought in Kenya
Trócaire/Jeannie O Brien
Trócaire works through local partners like CADECOM (Catholic Development Commission in Malawi) to address the global water crisis by: • Helping farmers to irrigate their crops • Bringing water supplies closer to families • Helping communities to demand and manage water resources from their governments • Campaigning around climate justice
Helena Carlica Nhunho, Mozambique
Eliyeta Muyeye, Malawi
Will you make every drop count?
Tr贸caire/Gary Moore
Tr贸caire gets to the root causes of water shortage. But to do this, we need your help. Change starts with you. This Lent we are looking for you to be the change you want to see in the world.
School Children, Rwanda
One planet not enough! If everyone in the world consumed the same amount of water, food and material possessions that we do currently in this country then we would need three planets to cope with the demand.
How you can make every drop count? You can do this by taking a pledge to live more sustainably. You can take action now by addressing your water consumption, or choose from one of 11 other ways you can live more sustainably at trocaire.org/uptous.
Kencar
Hannah, Up to Us Campaign, Cork