Water is one of the most important things in our lives. Clean, fresh water is something many of us take for granted. Think about all that water does. Without it we could not live. People can live for weeks without food but only days without water. Water lets our blood go through our veins. It helps carry oxygen, minerals, protein, and many other things. But for many children and families around the world, clean water is not available for their use.

Many people can go to the refrigerator and get clean water. But some people in Africa and the Middle East can’t. In Africa, there are children who have to walk eleven miles a day helping their parents get water. You probably walk one to two miles a day (counting when you are inside your house). They walk more than eleven miles every day. Because of this, those children don’t have time to go to school or play.

 
We are using water more and more every decade. In fact, some people use six times as much water as people used 75 years ago. Also, the world population is growing so there are more people who need water.  That means we really need to be careful not to waste water.  Read about ways you can save our water supply at Water Care and try to do some of the following ideas:

• Don't waste water - use only as much as you need
• Close water faucets tightly
• Don't leave the water running while you brush your teeth
• At the end of the day, if you have water left in your water bottle, pour it over some plants

People think that in twenty years places like Africa and the Middle East will lose 80% of their water. More people will die because of this. Did you know that two million children die every year because they drink dirty water that carries viruses and diseases?  But more people can get clean water if people with a lot of water take care of it and try to save it. Hopefully someday 100% of the world will have fresh, clean, safe drinking water.

Citations

Magazine

O'Meara, Donna.  "The Rights of the Child, Only In..." Faces. September, 2003: pp. 6-7.

Website

EduGreen. "Water." 2004. <http://edugreen.teri.res.in/explore/water/water.htm> (February, 2004).

Images

Images of water splat and water faucet from "Microsoft Office Online" <http://office.microsoft.com/clipart/default.aspx?cag=1> 
Images free for non-profit and personal use. 
(October-February, 2003-2004). 

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