Water is the driving force of all nature."
- Leonardo da Vinci
One of the most formidable dilemmas facing many countries around the world is lacking access to clean water supplies. However this global crisis can be resolved as we make efforts to analyze the demand of tourism and its’ influence on water usage, finance and thereby provide access to sanitized water sources, create amendments that will ensure water as a human right, and alleviate the biases of gender responsibilities on water retrieval. These criterion entail the barometers and objectives of many organizations as well as individuals; in hopes for promoting the equity and likewise equality of accessible clean water supplies in all countries both large and small, developed and developing.
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With the increasing numbers of communities around the world lacking sufficient water supplies, the push to classifying water as a basic human right is gaining momentum among a variety of stakeholders around the world. In fact, on July 8, 2010 the United Nations General Assembly approved that access to clean drinking water is an official basic human right - just like the right to food and the right to live without torture and racial discrimination. Moreover, with the establishment of water as a human right, water issues are quickly emerging as among the most pressing environmental and social concerns around the world. For instance, U.N. studies predict that two-thirds of the world's countries will face scarcity and water-stress by 2020. Millions every year fall ill to preventable water-borne diseases that cause 3.7 percent of all global deaths. Although a daunting task, the world does contain sufficient, clean freshwater for everyone’s basic personal and domestic needs. In closing, in relation to water as a human right, President John F. Kennedy said it best that “the rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one man are threatened.” Conservatism is not about leaving people behind. Conservatism is about empowering people to catch up, to give them the tools at their disposable that make it possible for them to access all the hope, all the promise, all the opportunity that America offers. Africa...A country in need of opportunities. The country of Africa is desperately in need of accessible water. For instance, one international organization, the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, also known as the UNDESA reports that “in Sub Saharan Africa, 45% of the population used shared or unimproved facilities thus resulting in 25% of those residents practicing open defecation” (UNICEF, 2012). More importantly with increased access to water the UNDESA predicts that over some 2 million children would survive each year. Ultimately, such an affect would leave huge savings in health care costs and in time would influential factor in educated children and the African society at large. Gender equality is more than a goal in itself. It is a precondition for meeting the challenge of reducing poverty, promoting sustainable development and building good governance." Imagine a life without safe water flowing from your tap. Imagine if every morning you had to get up at the crack of dawn and walk for miles down uneven paths to the nearest water hole to collect your family's water.
Then imagine the state of the water, filthy, dirty with flies buzzing around and animals drinking at the same source. But you have no other choice. In many countries it would take you over six hours every day to collect enough water for your family. Having returned from this grueling journey you could start the rest of your day. This is the daily reality of life for many women and and young girls in developing countries. In Africa, the responsibility of collecting water again falls to women. For example, women often walk ten miles or more every day just to fetch water. Moreover, such a responsibility to fetch water limits their access to both educational and business opportunities. he tragedy is that, having spent so much time and effort in reaching a source of water, the water itself is often dirty, polluted and a health hazard. In fact, unclean water causes illnesses such as diarrhea and dysentery, which account for the deaths of thousands of women and children in Africa and worldwide. Please take action today in support for gender equality by breaking down gender roles. With your support we can be able to provide sustainable and localized water supplies to all communities in Africa. |
JUSTIN COWANAs a travel enthusiast and ambassador I have always had a passion for equality and helping others. Archives
April 2013
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