SILVER SPRING, Md. – The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) commemorates World Water Day on March 22, a day devoted to further clean-water initiatives worldwide.
Stemming from a recommendation by the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), World Water Day seeks to focus on the importance of clean, drinkable water and promotes the ongoing management of freshwater resources.
The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs has stated that water is needed in all aspects of life, and maintains the objective to make certain that adequate supplies of clean water are maintained for the entire population.
ADRA responds to the call from the UN to bolster water initiatives and has been actively improving and providing access to clean water and sanitation in communities worldwide. For years ADRA has been increasing access to clean water for tens of thousands of people, thereby bringing health and hope to these lives.
In one rural Nigerian village, residents retrieved water from a contaminated stream that infected many with waterborne diseases such as cholera, diarrhea, dysentery, and typhoid. ADRA has responded to this need by digging boreholes and installing water reservoirs so that clean water is readily available to them.
Women and girls in Cameroon once had to walk several hours every day in search for water that was likely contaminated and unsafe to drink. ADRA is taking action in these communities and is drilling wells and installing water systems that will provide 8,000 people with safe drinking water.
According to the United Nations, Cambodia has the lowest water and sanitation coverage in Southeast Asia, leaving many families desperate for water. Some families go days without water. To combat this crisis, ADRA has launched a project that will provide 500 households with access to clean drinking water in their communities, thereby enhancing the health of the community.
In 1992, the United Nations designated March 22 as the World Day for Water. This year’s theme is “Water for Cities: Responding to the Urban Challenge”.
