Every Drop Counts: 4 Ways You can Help the Water Crisis
By Evelyn Reams | March 1, 2021 | Return to Blog | World Water Day 2021
1. Pray
“On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” (John 7:37-38)
Pray that God would draw many hearts to the Living Water, Jesus. When Jesus spoke of "rivers of living water," there was special significance in the context behind his words. He spoke during Sukkot, or the feast of tabernacles, in Jerusalem. The festival included a special water-drawing ceremony to ask God's blessing on the coming year's rains and harvest (1). Through faith in Jesus, people in every circumstance can receive a bountiful harvest of hope and salvation.
"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23
Secondly, you can join us in praying for the children, women, and men in water-scarce areas. Ask God to give you a heart for these people as if they were your own family and friends.
2. Raise Awareness
Unsafe water puts an estimated 1.8 to 2 billion people at risk of exposure to cholera, typhoid fever, and polio, which are all preventable diseases (2). Numbers that large are nearly impossible to grasp. It may be easier to think of 5 of your closest friends and family members. Now imagine one of them lacking access to clean water. Around one fifth of the people in the world today lack a safe water source near their homes. Would you consider sharing about the impact of the water crisis with the five people who came to mind?
- Approximately 10% of people do not even have access to “an improved drinking-water source within a round trip of 30 minutes to collect water.” (3)
- Over 20% of hospitals in least developed countries lack water, sanitation and waste management services (3)
- According to the World Health Organization, half of the world’s population will be in a water-stressed area within four years (3)
3. Conserve Water
Many of us are familiar with the water cycle. Every particle of water is constantly moving through a cycle by evaporating and later condensing and falling to the earth again as rain or snow (4). But the journey of water is more complex today, involving purification, distribution, and wastewater management systems. Good stewardship of water in our homes can lead to a cleaner world water supply by reducing the impact of pollution (2). As an added bonus, the amount you save on your monthly water bill can change lives in India!
These are just a few of many ways you can be mindful about water usage in your home:
- Keep a pitcher of water in the refrigerator instead of running the tap until the water is cold
- Rinse produce in a sink or bowl of water rather than under running water
- Remember that certain foods, including beef and other meats, have a much larger "water footprint" or consumption rate than others. Vegetables have one of the lowest water consumption rates of all foods (5).
4. Give
Our team is constantly working to identify villages in need so your gift can make an immediate impact. Here at Global Partners, it takes an average of one to three months from donation to installation. Since our first well in August 2011, we have had the privilege of installing 364 wells in rural and urban settings. None of this would have been possible without many cheerful givers, who have chosen to use their resources to make a lasting impact.
When you fund or share the cost of a well, you play a vital role in restoring health and vitality to a community in need. We will send you pictures and facts about the exact village you helped. You can also watch a video* of the well being dedicated and enjoyed by the people of all ages your gift has impacted.
We strategically place wells in villages where a pastor or Christian leader is active. This not only gives our team an opportunity to share the Gospel message once, but it fosters a relationship between the residents and area ministry leaders. We encourage these leaders to use the well to share about the Living Water, Jesus.
“But whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:14
*For individuals or groups who fund a well for $2500, ($3150 in Uganda) your video will include a personalized greeting and banner.
(1) One For Israel. “Yeshua and the Sukkot Water Drawing Festival.” ONE FOR ISRAEL Ministry, ONE FOR ISRAEL, 1 June 2016, www.oneforisrael.org/bible-based-teaching-from-israel/yeshua-and-the-sukkot-water-drawing-festival/.
(2) Water, United Nations. “Quality and Wastewater: UN-Water.” UN Water, United Nations, www.unwater.org/water-facts/quality-and-wastewater-2/.
(3) “Drinking-Water.” World Health Organization, World Health Organization, 14 June 2019, www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/drinking-water.
(4) NASA. “The Water Cycle.” NASA, NASA Global Precipitation Measurement, gpm.nasa.gov/education/water-cycle
(5) Delynko, Kristi. “What's the Beef with Water?: Denver Water.” What's the Beef with Water?, Denver Water, 14 Feb. 2019, www.denverwater.org/tap/whats-the-beef-with-water#:~:text=Beef.,the%20way%20to%20the%20top.
