Sharing the Gift of Water

By Karen Moul

Water is basic to all life. Yet we often take it for granted. In developed countries, people need only turn on the tap and out comes a seemingly limitless supply of clean, healthy water. But for millions of people around the world, clean water is a precious gift. And for 60 years, CRS and the National Council of Catholic Women have been bringing that gift to poor families all over the world.

CRS has long held a close and fruitful relationship with the National Council of Catholic Women, which since 1946 has helped CRS raise $12 million for programs that help women. Consisting of over 5,000 Catholic women's groups, the council educates its members on the triumphs and testimonies of women who struggle to survive and care for their families in some of the world's poorest areas.

The partnership focuses on select program areas which benefit women and girls. A key project is Water for Life, which makes safe, clean water available by implementing local projects for water systems, basic hygiene and food distribution. Women and girls are greatly affected by water shortages because they are often responsible for providing water for their families' cooking, cleaning and sanitation needs.

Now, to celebrate the 60th anniversary of this partnership, the National Council of Catholic Women has produced a new DVD highlighting the water program. Also entitled Water for Life, the video explores why more than 1 billion people around the world do not have adequate access to clean water, for reasons including:

Drought:

In Brazil's semiarid region, rainfall is irregular and drinking water scarce. People and cattle often share the same water sources. When cows and other animals drink from a well, the water may become contaminated and unhealthy for humans, leading to disease.

Conflict:

Continuing violence in Sudan's Darfur region has made it difficult for people to venture far from their homes or camps in search of water.

Distance:

In Malawi, women often must walk for several hours, two or three times a day, to collect water for cooking, sanitation and other household needs.

The DVD also highlights the ways in which programs funded by CRS and the National Council of Catholic Women help communities to find, tap and manage water sources. Through inexpensive technologies such as boreholes, community reservoirs and cisterns, Water for Life projects help communities reduce disease, increase farming efficiency and improve sanitation and health conditions.

For poor women all over the world, the gift of clean water means better nutrition, healthier children and more time to spend with their families. And those are gifts for which, no matter where we live, we are all thankful.

Order the Water for Life DVD.

Karen Moul works in the Communications department at CRS headquarters in Baltimore. She has traveled to India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand on behalf of CRS.