Today we celebrate World Water Day 2022 and join with organisations globally to highlight the vital need to conserve and protect the earth’s groundwater.
World Water Day focuses on inspiring action towards the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6: water and sanitation for all by 2030.
Fresh water is on of our most basic needs and a fundamental human right, and yet billions of people still struggle to find clean, safe water. The UN World Water Development Report 2022 highlights the vital part access to water plays in fighting poverty and “the challenges and opportunities associated with the development, management and governance of groundwater across the world”.
“Groundwater is central to the fight against poverty, to food and water security, to the creation of decent jobs, to socio-economic development, and to the resilience of societies and economies to climate change.”
– UN World Water report 2022
Well project in Guatemala
In October 2021, we started drilling a new well in Guatemala for our girls school, Zona 13. Access to fresh, clean water has been a struggle for the school. In the dry season, the Sisters need to order in clean water for drinking, preparing food, and sanitation. The cost of buying in water is high and by installing a well at the school to access groundwater, we can provide our girls with clean, safe water locally, reducing the financial burden of buying in water.
Many people in Guatemala live with severe water insecurity. Access to safe drinking water, especially during the dry season, is limited.
Poor access to clean water in Guatemala
Students from our schools have told us how each family member would take turns walking to find fresh water to bring home, sometimes taking hours in a day. In the rainy season, they have to work hard to collect rainwater for drinking and sanitation.
The people most affected by poor sanitation, pollution, overuse of groundwater, and lack of access are people who live in poverty in places with poor infrastructure. Collecting water adds hours of time and labour to people’s days, compounding poverty.
Read Lesly’s story about how she and her family face a daily struggle to access clean drinking water in their rural village near Santa Rosa.
We wholeheartedly support and call for better access to safe, clean water around the world, ensuring sustainable practice to balance the needs of people and the planet, and support the ecosystems we rely on.
– Carey Evans
How you can help
You can continue to support this project and others by becoming a regular donor. This will ensure that we can continue to fund projects like this for our programmes around the world. Many of our schools are in countries affected by climate change and are in drought prone areas.
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