FOREST, Va. — Today, March 22, is World Water Day, and World Help is inviting advocates to invest in a different reality for people who need clean water. Refresh Your Bucket List is a campaign that encourages people to add humanitarian goals to their bucket lists, such as “provide clean water for one person” and “advocate for women worldwide.”
“Statistics tell us that the world water crisis is one of the greatest humanitarian issues of our time,” said Noel Yeatts, vice president of World Help. “Preventable diseases, caused by contaminated water, kill more than 360,000 children annually and put hundreds of millions more at risk of malnutrition and dehydration. Lack of access to clean water also deprives millions of children of an education, stunts local economic growth, and endangers the lives of women and girls by forcing them to go on long, dangerous journeys to collect water. These journeys consume a staggering 200 million hours every day — time they could spend working and pursuing an education.”
Access to clean and safe water is not only a basic human need, it’s a basic human right, recognized by the United Nations in 2010. But today, more than 660 million people still lack access to potable water, and more than 1.8 billion draw theirs from contaminated sources. Water-borne diseases are one of the leading causes of childhood deaths in the world.
“This is why World Help is inviting our supporters to make solving this humanitarian cause a life goal,” Yeatts added. “This worldwide water crisis is completely solvable, but we need helping hands.”
World Help is working to impact the lives of 1,000 men, women, and children by the end of March through the Refresh Your Bucket List campaign. Today only, on World Water Day, all contributions will be doubled because of a matching gift. Support raised will fund clean water projects in Guatemala, Uganda, and India. Deep bore wells and filtration systems will literally be the difference between life and death.
“Let’s not just wish this crisis away; let’s be part of the solution,” Yeatts said. “Together, we can make a difference.”
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World Help is a Christian humanitarian organization committed to serving the physical and spiritual needs of people in impoverished communities around the world. Since its inception in 1991, World Help has delivered humanitarian aid to more than 79 million people in 70 countries.
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