2013: United Nations Year of Water Cooperation

This year has been declared the United Nations Year of Water Cooperation.

I have just spent the school holidays in Bolivia traveling on a Mission trip with Uni students and their High school Spanish teacher – a life-long desire to return to the country of my birth and early childhood fulfilled!

The need for better water and sanitation was, however, very disturbing. We met a young couple working on a two year mission. Craig is an Australian mechanical engineer and he was in Bolivia working in a remote village to set up a supply of water into every home. Previously villagers only used a common pump and carried their water in buckets. Craig was ‘inventing’ a pressure system using Coke bottles – which seem to be plentifully available in every country!

As I recently made a display for the IRC featuring the UN Year of Water Cooperation and in looking at the global statistics for water and sanitation needs it is painfully obvious that there is a long way to go until global needs are met. Being aware of the issues is a good place to start so that more ‘Craigs’ will be inspired to assist when and where they can.