A Time to Speak — Water is a basic human right

A boy collects water in a dry riverbed in Kitui, Kenya, in this 2015 file photo. (CNS photo/Dai Kurokawa, EPA)
A boy collects water in a dry riverbed in Kitui, Kenya, in this 2015 file photo. (CNS photo/Dai Kurokawa, EPA)

By Patrick Greco

Look around and you will see water everywhere. There are creeks, ponds, lakes, rivers and oceans. There is so much water in the world, that most of us take it for granted.

You would think with all of the water available there wouldn’t be a problem finding clean water to drink. According to Pope Francis — and many folks in towns and villages across the world — this is not the case.

There is a lot of dirty polluted water that people are drinking because they have no other options. Pope Francis has stated “Access to clean drinking water is a basic human right and a key component in protecting human life. The right to water is essential for the survival of persons and decisive for the future of humanity.”

The pope also stated, “each day — each day! — a thousand children die from water-related illnesses and millions of persons consume polluted water.”

There are many groups providing clean water to needy people across the world, including Water with Blessings (WWB), a local non-profit organization located in Middletown. As dedicated volunteers that assemble and ship water filtration kits to places like Haiti, Honduras, India, Syria etc., we perform the work with joy, love and laughter in our hearts and souls because we know we are helping to provide clean water to children and their families.

I enjoy my time at WWB primarily because we are helping so many people around the world. What a great feeling. Also, our “little factory” is a peaceful, pleasant environment which makes completing the work so much easier. Another great feeling!

WWB’s mission is extremely unique. The approach is based on one simple truth: Mothers are the best way to get clean water to God’s thirsty children. We ask each mother to make a sacred promise to serve her neighbors as a “water woman;” sharing filtered clean water with at least three neighboring families for at least six months. WWB provides trainers in towns and villages across the world on how to use the water filtration kits.

Mothers are selected from a pool of candidates with children under 5 years old. Once selected, a mother attends a three- to four-hour training session to prepare to make a commitment to serve her community by filtering drinking water for her family and her neighbors.

Then she can share the joy of all “water women” by protecting her family and her neighboring families from the threat of drinking dirty water.

Patrick Greco serves on the board of Water with Blessings and is a member of St. Aloysius Church.

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