Water Aid – What will you give up for Lent?

By Jill Adams

Lent is traditionally a time for reflection and fasting. Many of us will give up something which matters to us during this time. Every day in the world’s poorest countries millions of children are forced to give up things most of us take for granted: their time, their education and their health; simply because they do not have access to safe water. Children, particularly girls, in the developing world often take the main responsibility for collecting water for their families. The time they spend on this daily task prevents them from gaining the education they need to overcome poverty.

The tragedy is that after walking miles to fetch water and carrying heavy containers home the water collected is usually filthy and unsafe to drink. Each year 443 million school days are lost to water-related diseases. Around 5,000 children die every day from diarrhoeal diseases.

Children living in Yake, Burkina Faso, often used to give up school because they had to collect water. Sawadogo Talato, Vice President of the village Water Committee, says, ‘The children had to go to get water in the morning which kept them from school. When the pond dried up even the little ones walked five kilometres and back again two times a day to get water.’ WaterAid worked with the village to build a well and safe latrines, the whole community can now look forward to a more positive future.

We want to help more children like those in Yake by turning jars of change into jars of water for WaterAid. It costs WaterAid as little as £15 to enable one person to gain access to a lasting supply of safe water, sanitation and hygiene education. Our small change will make a big difference.

If you would like to help, collect your small change in a jar to turn it into a jar of water. Give your collection to one of the wardens at Easter and Moseley Benefice WaterAid support will be sent off as one donation.

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