Apr
4
Religious Leaders: We Dishonor God When 4,500 Children Die Daily For Want of Safe Water and Sanitation
April 4, 2010 | Posted by Michael "Aquadoc" Campana
1 Comment
I missed this Washington Post item when it was first published two weeks ago. Four interfaith leaders – a Jew, a Muslim, and two Christians – wrote a letter calling for more efforts on behalf of those who lack safe water and sanitation.
This is an appropriate post at any time, but especially during this multifaith holy season.
The interfaith leaders are:
Rabbi Jack Bemporad, Executive Director, Center for Interreligious Understanding
The Very Reverend Dr. James A. Kowalski, Dean, The Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine
The Most Reverend Archbishop Vicken Aykazian, Armenian Church of America and past president of the National Council of Churches
Imam Syed Rafiq Naqvi, Chairman, Islamic Information Center
Thanks to John Sauer at Water Advocates for this.
Here is their piece:
Safe water is the under-recognized — and perhaps most solvable — global humanitarian crisis of immense proportion.
One child dies every 15 seconds, every single day, from water-related illnesses. Almost a billion people do not have access to safe water and 2.5 billion lack basic sanitation. At any one time, half of the world’s hospital beds are occupied by patients suffering from water-borne diseases. It kills more people than malaria, AIDS, and TB combined with a catastrophic result: 2 million, mostly preventable deaths, every year. Yes, preventable.
It is a solvable problem and there is secular and nonsecular water development field work happening around the world. But water projects need dramatically ramped up and far wider, sustained support. What’s missing is not the technology, but the sense of urgency and leadership.
Water is a shared symbol among every world religion. As faith leaders, we can – no, we must — step up to the plate. We are issuing that call. Water is the forgotten keystone to solving so many of the world’s ills —
Hunger: 50% of malnutrition is due to a lack of safe water
Disease: 80% of disease is due to a lack of sanitation
Malaria: Poor sanitation increases breeding in malaria-carrying mosquitoes
HIV/AIDS: Patients already susceptible to disease must take anti-retroviral drugs with unsafe water
Women’s Burden: Women’s bodies break down hauling 40+ pound water jugs miles every day; girls are denied education when forced to leave school to help their mothers or when there is no gender appropriate sanitation facilities to take care of their personal needs
Poverty: Sickness prevents productivity
War and Peace: the potential for conflict and more importantly, the potential for negotiated peace.
We don’t honor God by allowing 4,500 children to die every day. All faiths can unite and mobilize their megaphones, from pulpit to pew, around water. We ask that you add your powerful voice, as a faith leader, to underscore the urgency of this fundamental global crisis.
On March 22, a high profile consortium of leaders, including Secretary of State Clinton, NGOs, philanthropists, corporations, universities and media will gather at National Geographic Headquarters in Washington D.C. for UN World Water Day. Now, as “WASH” (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) NGOs coordinate advocacy efforts and gain global steam it’s time that religious leaders step up with the following goals:
Ø Declare a Global Interfaith Water movement making 2011 the Year of Water
Ø Raise awareness among global faith leaders
Ø Set the goal of having every congregation in the U.S. support one sustainable water development field project
Ø Spotlight regions of particularly urgent needs in terms of clean water and sanitation
Ø Meet with U.S. and global leaders to help focus attention on water as a keystone to solving other world crises
We ask that you join us in a coordinated interfaith effort that can deeply impact hundreds of millions of lives, and be a monumental example of interfaith cooperation at its best. Together, we can accomplish greatness by making water a source of life and health, for all. Go here for more information.
Five other leaders signed the letter.
And they are right - clean water and sanitation are solvable problems. No ‘rocket science’ is required.
I’m more in favor of a Interfaith World Water Year (forgive me, Emily) than a World Water Day, which has been forgotten by now.
It’s a great thing to see religious leaders doing this. This is what religion should be doing – alleviating the suffering of those who lack safe water and sanitation. We dishonor more than just God when we allow this to occur.
“Water is the forgotten keystone to solving so many of the world’s ills.” – from the article
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I agree completely with the notion of introducing faith and morality to the way we debate water. That idea began to form and only got stronger after you posted the lecture by the philosopher about why science alone isn’t capable of steering us in the right direction; we need to understand why our actions are right or wrong in some bigger collective way before we can take action.
There are so many rivers whose divides are cultural rather than geographical surely faith will play a strong part if mounting strife is to be reconciled. The Mekong river was in the news this week as Chinese dams threaten to dry up South East Asia. The Jordan is the river with the religious intersections people know best.
I may have undermined my point by flashes of sarcasm in my original post about World Water Day and so on the highest of Holy days for Christians, let me try again without a trace of a smirk: my problem isn’t with the ideas behind the Water days, years, decades, it’s that I can’t see evidence that the chronological gimmickry works. But if ensuring safe water to those who need it most becomes a standing mission central to an interfaith coalition, I’m with it. Just don’t give it a stop date.
Happy Easter Aquadoc. Your fan, Emily