Each Friday, the another jennifer blog shares stories of those who incorporate philanthropy into their everyday lives – personally and professionally – in a creative and unique way. If you have a story you’d like to share, please contact Jennifer. You can view past posts from the series here.
Growing up in a house with a well meant that any time the electricity went out, we lost access to our water. The pump didn’t work, so our water was reduced to a trickle. I remember my parents filling up the bathtub when a storm threatened to cut our power off. My sister and I were reminded not to flush the toilet when we lost electricity. And, of course, bathing was out of the question.
Once the power was restored, those first bursts of water from the faucet were often a brown color. While it wasn’t the best tasting drinking water, it was safe.
Luckily, we didn’t lose power too much. There was only one time, during a hurricane, that we lost power for an extended period of time and traveled to a family member’s house to shower and freshen up.
My water story is a whole lot easier to handle than many others in the world, including those in Nicaragua with whom I will be spending time with next week.
I can’t fathom spending my days traveling just to obtain clean, safe water for my family. Yet 768 million people in the world today do not have access to safe drinking water. That’s about 1 in 10 of the world’s population. And 1 in 3 people in the world don’t have access to a safe and private toilet. (Can you imagine having to go to the bathroom in an open area outside?)
Last week, I told you how to get involved with International Women’s Day. I was happy to see many of my readers interested and engaged.
This week, I wanted to let you know of two very easy ways to celebrate World Water Day. World Water Day is on Saturday, March 22. It is a day for all of us to acknowledge and raise awareness of the world water crisis.
1. Share Your #WaterStory
We all have a water story, whether it’s having to deal with less than stellar facilities while camping or forgetting our water bottle when working out. They are the moments that remind us of how important access to water and a toilet can be.
WaterAid wants to hear your #waterstory. Be sure to blog it, tweet it, Facebook-it, and tell @WaterAidAmerica about it so that we can celebrate the importance of water every day.
2. Join Me in the #WaterAidNica Twitter Chat
Mom Bloggers for Social Good, whom I’ll be representing while in Nicaragua with WaterAid, is hosting a Twitter chat on Friday, March 21 from 1:00pm – 2:00pm EST. You can follow along using the hashtag #WaterAidNica.
I’ll be in Bilwi, along with WaterAid America, answering questions about my journey in Nicaragua. You can ask any questions you’d like. You can even tweet them to @socialgoodmoms using #WaterAidNica to get your questions in ahead of time. I hope to see you there!
Will you join me in celebrating World Water Day?
this post was also published on pplkind.com
I wrote this post as part of the Global Team of 200, a highly specialized group of Mom Bloggers for Social Good members who focus on maternal health, children, hunger, and women and girls. It is part of a 24-hour blog carnival. You can read more newborn health posts on the Global Team of 200 site.
