I chose clean drinking water because clean water is a necessity for health. When I lived in Dominica, West Indies, getting clean water was sometimes a problem especially during the rainy season. I thank God that on campus we had water fountains that contained clean filtered water. My husband and I would fill 3 gallon jugs from the campus water and carry them home. I know the poorer locals didn't have access to clean water and at times my neighbor with young children would ask us to get water for her. Some households had regular plumbing while others had to pump water from a well. Some small towns would use the river to clean, bathe, and drink. Their government was working on ways to obtain clean water for their people.
I chose to focus on the health issue of clean drinking water in Afghanistan. This part of the world is of particular interest to me. My heart goes out to the women and children who suffer at the hands of corrupt leaders - both political and religous.
I can say that these issues will affect my future work because knowing and understanding these important issues will help me be sensitive to the needs of my students and their families.
I chose to focus on the health issue of clean drinking water in Afghanistan. This part of the world is of particular interest to me. My heart goes out to the women and children who suffer at the hands of corrupt leaders - both political and religous.
I can say that these issues will affect my future work because knowing and understanding these important issues will help me be sensitive to the needs of my students and their families.
Clean, safe drinking water is a basic right. A right which over 1.2 billion people
around the world are denied. A lack of clean water affects sanitation, health, food supplies and preparation and economic development.
Afghanistan has a population of 22 million people, 70% of which is undernourished and one in four children die before the age of five. Only 13% of people have access to improved water sources and the situation has worsened due to inadequate rainfall over the last two years causing the government to declare 12 districts drought-affected.
Hi Johan, Thank you for your informative and heartfelt post. I was unaware the childhood death rate is so high in Afghanistan. That is so sad.
ReplyDeleteMy grandparents lived on a farm when I was growing up. They had no indoor plumbing, so we used an outhouse, and got water from a well. Fortunately, the water was clean, something I take for granted. I'm glad you brought my attention to this issue.
Hi Johan - I also wrote about Afghanistan because we serve in the military there and get to see first hand what the children deal with. When I have friends that deploy there I always send boxes for the children and it is amazing to see how they react to simple things like candy. I also think your personal experience will certainly open your heart and make you a great advocate for children. Thanks for sharing that with us.
ReplyDeleteHi Johan,
ReplyDeleteAfter reading your post, again, I realized the blessings we are bestowed with as American citizens. We've gotten to the point now where we don't drink any water unless bottled water. Failing to realize how waking for another day is a struggle for people in other countries. My eyes are opened even wider.
Clean, healthful water is something we certainly take for granted in the US. Growing up, my family lived in many different places with out this commodity (such as Japan and the Philippines and it was really hard to deal with.
ReplyDeleteReading your piece caused me to stop and think about how fortunate I am to live where I do. I can go to eleven different places in my home, turn on a faucet and get clean drinking water. Reading your research reminds me to be grateful for what I have.
ReplyDeleteIt is truly alarming to know that one out four children, or 25% of children will not live to see their fifth birthday.
ReplyDeleteI have friends that teach in extremely rural parts of the United States. In these regions people there are also very poor and outhouses are not uncommon. While they have access to drinking water, it is bizarre to think that a nation as developed as the United States has regions of the country where people do not have full access to indoor plumbing. What can be done both here and abroad?
It's interesting that I should read this when my town has been experiencing a "clean water" crisis. Its posed as a challenge for opening schools, restaurants, even my children's sporting games. The panic that this has created this week is nothing in comparasion to the two countries you shared information. To think we're boiling water and told the water isn't even safe for handwashing and the problem is temporary. My mother was deployed to Afghanistan and her job dealt with water purification efforts. She said it really makes you appreciate our water to see brown colored water from lakes turned into drinking water.
ReplyDeleteHi Johan,
ReplyDeleteI think it is sad how the small things we take for granted are health imposed issues in other countries. Thanks for sharing your experience with us.