I love my cat, Bella Luna.
One of our nightly rituals is I empty her nearly full water dish and refill it to the top with fresh water. I feel she is grateful, even though she has never said as much. I do know it makes me feel better.
But last night, I heard in church that it's probable pets in America enjoy healthier lives than most people who live in developing nations. This doesn't even include those who now find themselves with no nation. It was a humbling thought for me.
Last night as I filled Bella Luna's water dish it was with a new consciousness. An uneasy awareness I already knew in the back of my head, but it was more comfortable there than staring me in the face. I hesitated before placing her water dish down, causing her to look up at me. For a moment we both took a moment. A pause. An important pause.
I am aware of many water projects there are in Haiti. But I also know they are hit or miss as to who benefits from them and even those projects always linger under the dark cloud of continuation.
While Bella Luna and I rarely find ourselves thirsty, we still suffer from thirst.
No, I do not have the solution, which opens me up to being guilty of merely adding to the too much rhetoric which already exists. One can't drink the rhetoric.
What I do know is I can continue the search for a solution. A solution not only of me, but one which includes the entire world community. As for specifically in the nation of Haiti, I ask Haitians, what do you think the solution is to fill your cups daily with the life of fresh water?
The facts.
42% of the Haitian population has no access to drinking water
Haiti Libre
22/03/2016
As part of World Water Day, celebrated March 22, the UN in Haiti reiterate their support for the country in its efforts to improve access of the population to safe drinking water and sanitation and alert to the fact that 42% of the Haitian population still lacks access to safe drinking water.
Regarding sanitation, the UN welcomes the increase of 18% to 28% of percentage of population with access to improved sanitation between 1990 and 2015. However, still 7.6 million Haitians lack essential facilities for good health and the prevention of waterborne diseases. According to recent studies by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), in Haiti, the death rate in children under 5 is 88 per 1,000 children . Water scarcity and water-borne diseases are among the leading causes of death and worsening child malnutrition, causing a hindrance to their intellectual and physical development.
The United Nations Country Team and the Minustah stressed that universal access to safe water and sanitation is a critical development challenge in Haiti. This right is recognized as a fundamental right by the United Nations General Assembly since 2010 and priority in the agenda of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In this regard, the UN supports Haiti's efforts to develop a national policy on water and sanitation and to reform the legal framework based on the rights of citizens to have access to public water services and sanitation.
Moreover, the UN said that women, girls and young children are most affected by lack of access to clean water in a context where about 56% of the population needs more than 30 minutes walk to get water, a task predominantly conducted by children and women. Women are also more vulnerable to lack of water which causes impact on reproductive health and maternity.
Finally note that safe access to water is limited to 35% of the population living in urban areas (1.7 million of the 5 million people living in urban areas) and the risk of waterborne diseases remains high because of the population concentration. Access to clean water is even more limited in rural areas (48%) and also among the most vulnerable, including displaced people living in extreme poverty and those affected by the migration issue with the Dominican Republic.
One of our nightly rituals is I empty her nearly full water dish and refill it to the top with fresh water. I feel she is grateful, even though she has never said as much. I do know it makes me feel better.
But last night, I heard in church that it's probable pets in America enjoy healthier lives than most people who live in developing nations. This doesn't even include those who now find themselves with no nation. It was a humbling thought for me.
Last night as I filled Bella Luna's water dish it was with a new consciousness. An uneasy awareness I already knew in the back of my head, but it was more comfortable there than staring me in the face. I hesitated before placing her water dish down, causing her to look up at me. For a moment we both took a moment. A pause. An important pause.
I am aware of many water projects there are in Haiti. But I also know they are hit or miss as to who benefits from them and even those projects always linger under the dark cloud of continuation.
While Bella Luna and I rarely find ourselves thirsty, we still suffer from thirst.
No, I do not have the solution, which opens me up to being guilty of merely adding to the too much rhetoric which already exists. One can't drink the rhetoric.
What I do know is I can continue the search for a solution. A solution not only of me, but one which includes the entire world community. As for specifically in the nation of Haiti, I ask Haitians, what do you think the solution is to fill your cups daily with the life of fresh water?
The facts.
42% of the Haitian population has no access to drinking water
Haiti Libre
22/03/2016
As part of World Water Day, celebrated March 22, the UN in Haiti reiterate their support for the country in its efforts to improve access of the population to safe drinking water and sanitation and alert to the fact that 42% of the Haitian population still lacks access to safe drinking water.
Regarding sanitation, the UN welcomes the increase of 18% to 28% of percentage of population with access to improved sanitation between 1990 and 2015. However, still 7.6 million Haitians lack essential facilities for good health and the prevention of waterborne diseases. According to recent studies by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), in Haiti, the death rate in children under 5 is 88 per 1,000 children . Water scarcity and water-borne diseases are among the leading causes of death and worsening child malnutrition, causing a hindrance to their intellectual and physical development.
The United Nations Country Team and the Minustah stressed that universal access to safe water and sanitation is a critical development challenge in Haiti. This right is recognized as a fundamental right by the United Nations General Assembly since 2010 and priority in the agenda of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In this regard, the UN supports Haiti's efforts to develop a national policy on water and sanitation and to reform the legal framework based on the rights of citizens to have access to public water services and sanitation.
Moreover, the UN said that women, girls and young children are most affected by lack of access to clean water in a context where about 56% of the population needs more than 30 minutes walk to get water, a task predominantly conducted by children and women. Women are also more vulnerable to lack of water which causes impact on reproductive health and maternity.
Finally note that safe access to water is limited to 35% of the population living in urban areas (1.7 million of the 5 million people living in urban areas) and the risk of waterborne diseases remains high because of the population concentration. Access to clean water is even more limited in rural areas (48%) and also among the most vulnerable, including displaced people living in extreme poverty and those affected by the migration issue with the Dominican Republic.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.