Stories: Children, Communities, Futures

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World Water Day is celebrated annually on 22 March. It’s a day to reflect on the importance of global access to clean water and sanitation, and the sustainable use of water. It’s an opportunity to recognise the pivotal role clean water and sanitation play in daily life, supporting economic, social and human development.

Did you know?

  • 1.4 million people die every year and 74 million will have their lives shortened by diseases related to poor water, sanitation and hygiene.
  • 1 in 4 people – 2 billion people worldwide – lack safe drinking water.
  • Almost half of the global population – 3.6 billion people – lack safe sanitation.

The focus for World Water Day 2023 is accelerating change to solve the water and sanitation crisis. This year’s World Water Day theme puts a spotlight on the devastating impacts the lack of clean water and sanitation can have on the lives of children and their families.

To help you get involved, we’ve put together five ways that you can make an impact this World Water Day 2023. 

1. Practice responsible use of water

Take up the challenge to be more mindful of your own water usage. If you find you use a lot of water, try to reduce your usage during your day-to-day routine. 

Some suggestions to reduce your water use include:

  • Turning off the tap while you brush your teeth
  • Using the half flush on the toilet instead of the full when possible
  • Taking 2 minute showers 
  • Making sure your dishwasher is full before turning it on
  • Fixing leaking taps and toilets

2. Watch documentaries on water to educate yourself

As World Water Day is focused on raising awareness about the importance of clean water and sanitation, one way to gain a better understanding of water-related issues is by watching documentaries. There are a number of high-quality films available, often on YouTube or Netflix. 

Some documentaries we would recommend  include; ‘The World’s Water Crisis, ‘Kenya’s Water Women’ and ‘A World Without Water’. 

3. Visit the United Nations World Water Day website

Another way to get informed is to visit the official World Water Day website, which includes an abundance of resources, stories and information on how to become involved with World Water Day. 

4. Raise awareness on social media

Social media is one of the most effective ways to raise awareness. This World Water Day, we encourage you to share news, facts, statistics, videos or stories on your various social media channels to let your network know about the importance of clean water and sanitation, and sustainable water use. The more people that share information on their social channels, the greater the reach.

5. Donate to help those without access to clean water and sanitation

Celebrate World Water Day 2022

This World Water Day, you can give the gift of clean water and sanitation to those who need it most. Everyone should have the right to access clean water and sanitation around the globe. 

ChildFund Australia’s Gifts For Good range is a fantastic initiative for donations this World Water Day. Gifts For Good incorporates a number of water-based gifts that have the power to change lives. 

You can help provide children and families overseas with access to clean water and sanitation by donating:

  • Hand pump well: This will provide clean water for children and their families for drinking, cleaning and bathing. Children may no longer have to make long, dangerous journeys on foot to collect water from unreliable, contaminated sources. This will also offer children the protection from the risk of deadly waterborne diseases.
  • Deepwater borehole: Imagine your impact when you give the gift of clean water that a whole school – or even an entire community – can rely upon for years to come.
  • Hand washing station: This is a simple gift with the power to help everyone in a community improve sanitation and hygiene, and stay healthy. 

Disasters such as drought, coupled with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, disease and conflict has led to millions of people around the world in need of emergency clean water assistance. 

In Kenya alone, more than a million of people in need are children and mothers, who are malnourished and urgently need food and water. Your donation to ChildFund’s Hunger Crisis Appeal can help upgrade and maintain water facilities in communities, and provide water trucks in schools and water purifiers for families.

Celebrate World Water Day this March! 

However you choose to celebrate World Water Day, do it in an impactful and meaningful way for you and your community. Take on one or all of these five tips to ensure you mark World Water Day in a way that truly makes a difference.

24 January 2023 marks the fifth celebration of the International Day of Education. This day, first celebrated in 2019, was proclaimed to demonstrate the importance of inclusive, equitable, and quality education for all. Quality education,  Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations goals, is key to escaping poverty, reducing inequalities, and reaching gender equality — all of which are crucial to fostering inclusion and more peaceful societies.

While many of us consider education a fundamental right, millions of children around the world are still denied their right to an education. The purpose of this day is to create awareness around the importance of education and highlight ways to help children gain access to it.

 Invest in people, prioritise education

The theme of International Day of Education  2023 is “To invest in people, prioritise education.” This January 24th, we are at a critical juncture for the health and future of our societies. As stated by UNESCO, drastic inequality, a wounded planet, growing political polarisation and unrest, and the devastating impact of the global pandemic have led us to an important decision: continue on an unsustainable path, or radically change course.

Building on this, the 2023 International Day of Education celebration calls for global mobilisation, strong commitments and initiatives to prioritise education by investing in quality education and people. Quality education provides us with a better ability to join the workforce, earn a living wage and provide for our families, participate in local politics, and understand how to think and act more responsibly towards our environment.

What does inclusive, equitable, and quality education look like?

Currently, thousands of schools around the world, particularly in places such as Sub-Saharan Africa, lack access to drinking water, electricity, computers, and the internet, making it impossible for children to receive quality education. Further, even better-equipped schools do not necessarily have enough qualified teachers, and many children, particularly young girls, are kept out of school.

 SDG 4 aims to achieve inclusive, equitable, and quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. Targets of this goal include:

  • establishing free primary and secondary education and equal access to pre-primary education for all girls and boys;
  • eliminating discrimination in education;
  • building and upgrading inclusive and safe schools; and
  • increasing the supply of qualified teachers in developing countries, among others.

Creating action to achieve these targets by 2030 will help us ensure inclusive, equitable and quality education for all.

How you can get involved with International Education Day activities

A great place to start is simply to help build awareness about International Day of Education and the challenges that so many children face around the world that hinder their ability to receive a quality education. Sharing information on social media, starting conversations with your friends and family, or even organising educational events in your community are excellent ways to spread awareness.

Another way to get involved is by donating to organisations working to make education accessible and equitable for all children. At ChildFund Australia, one of our leading programs is focused on providing access to early childhood education for all boys and girls. This includes constructing new schools and renovating existing schools, providing classroom furniture and equipment, and training school teachers and educational leaders.

To join this effort, you can donate Gifts for Good, such as a school supplies set or a scholarship for a student. You can also donate monthly, which helps provide them with access to education.

In the words of Malala Yousafzai, “One child, one teacher, one book, one pen can change the world.” This International Day of Education, we invite you to help us change the world.