Remembering the Thirsty

Worldwide efforts to make clean water accessible are paying off, including those by Alliance people. In one of the most physically and spiritually thirsty places on earth, Burkina Faso, West Africa, The Alliance is partnering with like-minded groups to dig wells and share about the Living Water.

According to the grassroots advocacy group ONE, earlier this month the United Nations reported that “In 2010, 89 percent of the world’s population enjoyed access to safe drinking water—1 percent more than the 88 percent requirement published at the Millennium Summit in 2000.”

But there’s still a lot of work to do!

In places like Burkina Faso, the third poorest country in the world, Alliance workers report, “There’s a serious lack of water in the country, and most of the water that is available is not drinkable. People have to travel miles to get the smallest amounts of clean water.” One in three Burkinabe children dies before the age of 10, primarily from malnutrition and waterborne illness.

Another Water Crisis

Here’s another thing. “Over the past 50 years, the church in Burkina has experienced explosive growth!” say Andrew and Esther Schaeffer, the leadership couple for the C&MA in Burkina.

Yet, they add, millions in Burkina still need to receive the Living Water. “There are still so many walking in darkness in this West African nation. More than 10 million people, 60 percent of Burkina’s population, recently celebrated the birthday of the founder of the majority religion here.”

Water Facts:

• Diseases from unsafe water and lack of basic sanitation kill more people every year than all forms of violence, including war.
• Ninety percent of the 30,000 deaths that occur every week among children younger than five years of age are from unsafe water and unhygienic living conditions.
• In Africa alone, people spend 40 billion hours every year just walking for water; women and children bear most of the burden of water collection.

Source: Charity Water