A Drop in the Bucket
One of my favorite social networking sites, Youth Noise, is working with UNICEF in a water availability program called the "Tap Project." Organized in order to build awareness of the distance which many people are forced to carry heavy jugs so that they and their families have potable water, the Tap Project began in 2007 in New York City. Participating restaurants asked customers to pay $1 per glass of tap water, the proceeds of which would go to help children around the world access clean, healthy water. "Growing from just 300 New York City restaurants in 2007 to over 2,300 across the country in 2008, the Tap Project has quickly grown into a national movement."
As World Water Week fast approaches (March 22-28), the Tap Project team has joined with UNICEF to launch Water Walks throughout the country. In the two major walks, to be held on March 22 in Chicago and New York City, participants will carry up to a gallon of water for one mile. Walkers (there will be at least 1,000 in each of the two cities) will be sponsored by community groups, schools, and philanthropists, in order to raise money for global water initiatives.
According to the Tap Project's site, "Currently, UNICEF provides access to safe water and sanitation facilities while promoting safe hygiene practices in more than 90 countries. By 2015, UNICEF's goal is to reduce the number of people without safe water and basic sanitation by 50 percent." This is an incredibly lofty goal, but a necessary one if I ever heard it. With all of this focus on the economy in America, it's important to remember that efforts still need to be made to ensure that all of humankind has the necessity of clean drinking water. Because without that, little else matters.
Posted at 9:00 AM, Mar 09, 2009 in Environment | Global Philanthropy | Poverty | Permalink