2019 Lenten Snapshots

LENTEN SNAPSHOT #3

March 22 is World Water Day. Designated by the United Nations, it is a means of focusing attention on the importance of freshwater and advocating for the sustainable management of freshwater resources.

The 2019 World Water Day theme is 'Leaving no one behind'. The message behind the theme echoes the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur’s vision for people around the world -- “Clean Water for Life”, especially those who have been ignored or are living in extreme poverty.

Did you know...

• 2.1 billion people live without clean, safe water at home?
• One in four primary schools have no drinking water service, with students using unprotected water sources or going thirsty?
• More than 700 children under five years of age die every day from diarrhea linked to unsafe water and poor sanitation?
• Approximately 159 million people collect their drinking water from surface water, such as ponds and streams putting them at risk for diseases such as cholera and diarrhea?

Look at how you and your family use and reuse water.

• Do you think about whether your water is safe to drink?
• How much water do you use everyday for bathing, laundry, cooking and brushing teeth?
• How often do you turn on the faucet to get a glass of water or reach for a bottle of water?
• What would you not be able to do if you had to collect water from a stream before being able to use or drink it?
• How would lack of clean water change your life?

In many of the small villages where our Sisters serve, our Sisters have seen how clean, safe water has the power to change, to protect and to save lives. Our Sisters have seen how water has the power to unlock education, create economic potential and improve health. Our Sisters have seen how access to safe water allows children to go to school to learn and for families to work outside the home. And our Sisters have seen how water has the power to turn dreams into realities and poverty into possibility.

We are most grateful for your support during the Lenten season, by helping our Sisters minister to the most vulnerable and educate for life through safe and clean water programs.

Making known God’s goodness with you,

The Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur