Are you looking for a way to make a difference in the world water crisis? What if you asked your friends and family to skip giving you birthday presents this year, and, instead, to give you your age in dollars to donate to a well building project? I’ll be 40 this December. (As an aside…I’m going to be 40 this December!!! I can’t wait!!!!!!) What if each of my friends gave $40 to charity:water to help with their well building projects? What if each of my family members did the same? What if those who can’t afford $40 gave $10 rather than $0? What if those who could afford it gave $100? Check out the video labeled “Last Year” from their site and let me know if you want to get on board.

http://www.charitywater.org/

Tee hee hee! I just realized I talked about charity:water last month as well. They must be high on my radar. Here’s part of the reason why. As of May, they have participated in bringing 629 wells into 11 different countries. Those countries are: Kenya, Liberia, Central African Republic, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Malawi, Rwanda, Bangladesh, Democratic Republic of Congo and India. When it’s possible and beneficial, they work with other aid organizations already in the field, for example Living Water International and Healing Hands. They’ve used $3 million to bring water to over a quarter million people. They are helping to get the work done!

Quick what date is Father’s Day? Nope, but thank you for playing. It’s June 15th this year. Everyone jokes about the ubiquitous tie for a gift. Seriously, I can’t remember my dad ever wearing a tie unless he was at a wedding…namely mine. He probably wore one to his wedding, too. But, I’m sure he wasn’t happy about it.

So, ideas for Father’s Day gifts are always helpful. Here’s one my friend Lisa found. (Hi, Lisa!) charity:water has an option on their site which allows you to purchase an e-card for dear old dad. The entire purchase amount goes toward providing clean water to a community in Africa, India or Bangladesh. They have $20 and $100 options. $20 will provide clean water to an adult for 20 years. $100 provides safe water for a family of 5.

Just think, if you send an e-card, you’ll probably save some cash. (I usually end up spending more than $20, especially with postage, etc.) You’ll save a tree by skipping the paper card. You’ll bring life to someone across the globe in honor of the dude who brought you life. And, if you really feel passionately about giving him a tie…that’s still an option.

The AP is reporting that there are potentially 100,000 deaths in Myanmar due to the cyclone. Give now. Give in a month. And, please, give again a year from now. This will fall out of the news so quickly, and there is such a need.

100,000 people gone. Another 100,000 will die world-wide this month because they don’t have clean water. And, another 100,000 will die next month. And the next month. And…

Please, give.

Click here.

Can it be all about me for just a moment? Good, thanks. I hate to shop. I really do. I walk into a mall or department store and immediately feel like the life has been sucked out of me. My husband thinks it’s great. My friends think I’m weird. Of course, they are my friends, so my weirdness is no surprise to any of them.

I’m also not a huge fan of Oprah. I really can’t decide why that is. Maybe she was just too popular in my early teen years, so I decided to dislike her on principle. I feel the same way about General Hospital.

I admire and greatly love courageous women. I survived an abusive marriage and managed to get out, not before my children were born, but before they learned that life as “normal”. I can’t overstate how hard that was and how much courage and strength of will it took for me to get out and not go back. I look back on that time and, I have to say, I was amazing. But, I had friends who would help me, a family I could turn to, employable talents with which I could earn a living, etc. But, what about women who don’t have anything, and still refuse to be treated worse than dogs? What about the women who face imprisonment or even death for refusing to allow their husbands to beat them, rape them or mutilate their daughters? The women who escape those situations are truly courageous. You can read about a community of such women, the Umoja village in Kenya, here and here.

What does this have to do with Macy’s and Clean Water? I’m glad you asked. Oprah spotlighted the Umoja village and their problems with drinking water in her May 2008 edition of O The Oprah Magazine . She and Macy’s are fundraising for these amazing women. Macy’s is selling bracelets and 10% of the proceeds will go to the Umoja village to help bring drinking water wells to women who currently walk miles each day, facing attacks by animals and men, sickness and injury in order to get enough water to survive.

I wish it was 100%. Or 50%. But, it is 10% more than other stores will be donating. Mother’s Day is coming. Graduation is not far away. Christmas comes every year. If you have gifts to buy for a woman, check this out. Recommend it to your friends and family. If you’d normally be spending money anyway…and I just can’t believe some of you think that’s FUN!!!…then this is a way to make some of your spending count a little bit more.

The U.N. has designated March 22 as World Water Day.  The goal is to raise awareness of the world water crisis and their goal of reducing by half the percentage of people who lack access to safe (clean) drinking water and basic sanitation.  Click here for some statistics about those basic health markers.

This year, the city of Raleigh had no events for World Water Day, which is really sad given the water crisis our state has experienced.  Unfortunately, I discovered the U.N. designation too late to plan anything.  And, I’m pathetic at planning events.

That said, March 22, 2009 is a Sunday.  I’d like to have a water festival on that date.  I have lots and lots of ideas, but absolutely no ability what-so-ever to organize them, much less to implement them.

So, I’m putting out an all points bulletin.  If you are interested, capable and/or willing to either take this on, or to participate with someone else leading the project, please contact me at alicia.hemphill@gmail.com. 

I might make a separate page for these, but I’ll post this one here for now. This is more focused on the limit of clean water available planet-wide. But, keep in mind, we can do a lot with what we have already.

A thirsty planet looks for solutions to water shortage - Yahoo! News

So you’ve read the statistics, either on the water bottles or on this site.  Now what?  Where can you start?

 1. Pick an organization and give whatever money you can give.  There are some great groups that are “in the field” to the right of this blog.  Check them out.  Find one that connects with your philosophy and that is working in a part of the world that resonates with you.  Most groups make your money go a long, long way.  For example, Sower of Seeds International Ministry can provide clean water for life for one person for $5.

2. Share what you know.  Tell others about this site and ones like it.  Consider involving your friends, family and the organizations you participate in to raise awareness and funding.  Contact me at alicia.hemphill@gmail.com if you would like help with this process.  There are organizations to match every theological and philosophical bent.  Since over half the world’s population doesn’t have access to clean water, you can choose to help anywhere in the world.  We can find an organization that will fit the goals of your church, your club, your PTA, your class, etc.

The Book Industry Study Group is the “U.S. book industry’s leading trade association for research and supply chain standards and policies. “  (You can read about them here if you’re a huge statistics geek.)  In June 2007 BISG released a study showing that in 2006 publishers’ net revenues for religious book sales in the U.S. reached $35.6 billion dollars.

In 2004, the World Health Organization estimated that an investment of $11.4 billion dollars a year for the Water for Life Decade (2005-2015) would allow the U.N. to reach their goal of reducing by 50% the number of people world-wide who lack access to clean water and adequate sanitation.

$36,000,000,000 for books.  2,200,000 people died because the water they had available to drink was polluted with excrement or environmental pollutants.

Surely, God weeps.

About six months ago, I was meeting with my small group at church.  The topic of discussion was “If you could do anything, and God told you that you would succeed…money, time and ability are no object…what would you do?”  As we went around the room, almost every person said something like, “Well, I can’t do anything about world hunger, or people who have no water to drink, so I’d choose to do X.”As person after person said the same thing, I started to get piqued.   Naturally, I’d never let my friends know that I was sitting there judging their innermost desires and passions, so I started to argue with them in my head.  “What do you mean, ‘I can’t do anything about…’?!  The idea is that God promises you will accomplish whatever you choose!  How can you think so little of God.  That almost feels like blasphemy.”  Since “blasphemy” isn’t a word you’re likely to hear in our church, I realized that I should probably check in with God, rather than continue freely criticizing my friends.