You could be forgiven for thinking that you’ve heard it all before; from last week’s assembly we know that people in subsistence economies grow their own food and if that they can’t grow their food because of drought they don’t have food. We know they need water to water to cook, keep clean and to put on crops. But the way today’s assembly speaker, Janet Wells from Water Aid, put across the facts had us listening so intently you could have heard a pin drop.

Janet came with an orange bucket, like any you might have at home. But think how hard it would be for us to spend ¼ of our day collecting water for the family, how heavy it must be to carry on our heads the equivalent of our luggage allowance when we fly.

The simple aim for Water Aid is to provide 3 things: a clean supply of water, sanitation and hygiene education in countries like Bangladesh, where only half the population has access to clean water. But the charity doesn’t just pilot in and out of the villages, it finds local partner organisations and it works to support them, so the progress continues long after Water Aid has moved on. Janet told us of her admiration for Green Hill, which successfully built pipes to bring clean water down from the top of a hill, so that cattle didn’t dirty it. The Village Education Resource Centre faced up to the problems of sanitation in a particular village by taking a determined stand against open public toilets.

It takes courage to speak out, but everyone can do something to help. Under the guidance of the Geography department, JAGS girls have long supported the charity by getting sponsorship to drink only water for a week. Janet said that the money raised so far has provided a supply of water for 1192 poor people; that’s fantastic but we can do better.  £25 would pay for a puppet show which teaches people in poor countries about hygiene. She asked us ‘How many £25s can you raise?’

We can help to make a difference. If $1 is spent to help achieve the provision of clean water and sanitation and hygiene education, that’s $9 saved because people aren’t in hospital taking up space, and if one person is in school for a year, the country’s GDP can be increased by $700.

But perhaps the most striking truth is that in 24 hours 4000 children will die from water borne diseases. That fact alone makes it worth us trying to help. Drink water, get sponsorship or give sponsorship. Either way, you’re making a difference which really counts.

www.wateraid.co.uk

The JAGS Drink Water Week  is 7-11 December. Thank you for your support.