This fortnight's thi>eHealth Issue 159
 
 


"Invest in health, build a safer future"

"In today's world, water is something more than a source of life. Deprivation linked to water is a source of poverty, of inequality, of social injustice, and of great disparities in life chances. That deprivation matters because water is a human right - and none of us should turn a blind eye to the violation of human rights. Nor should we tolerate a world in which over 1 million children are, in a perversely literal sense, dying for a glass of water and a toilet."

Kevin Watkins Director, UN Human Development Report Office

Water - the elixir of life
Turning on a tap and having a glass of clean drinking water, boiling vegetables for dinner, washing your hands after being outside. The use of water is extensive. We use it everyday, but do we ever think about where it comes from?

Water is one resource that has been in the spot light a lot recently. The shortage of water is reaching crisis point now that some Australian towns have absolutely no water and are relying on clean drinking water being trucked in from neighbouring towns. It is often only at a time of crisis that we actually stop and heed the advice of experts. It is time to reduce and conserve our use of water. This is not only a problem that we here in Australia face. It is a worldwide concern. Let's consider the situation in the Pacific Islands of Tonga, Samoa, American Samoa, Fiji, Kiribati, Tokelau and Cook Islands.

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The Pacific Islands
The Pacific Islands are a group of islands located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Many people think that because these countries are small islands surrounded by water, there is a plentiful supply of it. In fact, some of these countries experience drought and others do not have access to any fresh, clean drinking water. Lately, there are plans by Governments to privatise the sale of water. Companies are making large amounts of money by increasing the price of clean water to local people. This means that people resort to drinking dirty and contaminated water where the chances of illness are high.

Like Australia, many people living in the Pacific Islands have to rely on rainwater to be caught and stored so that it can be consumed at later dates. The main problem with this is the cost of installing tanks.

Cement saves!
Caritas Pacific Islands (CEPAC) works with local people to help provide the finances required to install and maintain ferro-cement tanks. These tanks are strong, durable, cost effective and are a solution to the water shortages in many CEPAC Central Region countries. These tanks mean that people do not have to walk long distances to collect water or beg neighbours for their water. It restores dignity and helps to promote healthy living. The cement tanks store clean rain water and maintain its purity until it is needed for drinking, cooking or washing. This reduces the use of salty, dirty or contaminated water and has been shown to improve the health and hygiene of the local communities.

Water for one, water for all
The poorest and most marginalised people are often the people most in need of clean drinking water. They have often had only limited educational opportunities which further limits job opportunities. They therefore do not have access to money needed to purchase water. With the assistance of Caritas Australia, working with their local partners, many communities in the Pacific are able to access clean water through the water project. The local people are educated and trained in how to install, maintain and use the water tanks or water supply systems.

Working together for a common good
Providing water to these villages is a real team effort. The local villagers provide unskilled labour and resources that they can easily obtain such as sand, gravel and water. Caritas workers provide skilled labourers and other resources which are more expensive and harder to obtain such as cement, down pipes, mesh wire and taps.

Clean water means that diseases such as amoebic dysentery and typhoid which result from poor quality water have dramatically decreased. The incidence of malaria decreases when families no longer need to keep mosquito attracting ponds at the front of their house for their everyday water use. The presence of water means there is less dust around, and the soil is now more fertile so that crops can be grown and sold or consumed.

At Easter time we reflect upon the powerful message of Jesus' death and resurrection. It is a story about great suffering followed by new life. The water project is an example of new life. Not only does the community benefit through improvements in health, but the human dignity of all is upheld. The program aims to work with the most marginalised within the community - the widowed, disabled and single mothers. Their generosity in sharing the water they have fosters their self esteem and dignity.

World Health Day April 7
The United Nations established the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 1948 to concentrate solely on the health of people right around the world. Health is defined in WHO's Constitution as "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity." It is also very important to maintain health security. As awareness of personal security continues to increase, we also have to be aware of health security. This is the ability to stop the spread of disease and restrict outbreaks when disease does arise. On World Water Day it is important to remember the human impact that water scarcity and water supply can have.

MDG 7: Ensure environmental sustainability
The United Nations states that about 1.7 billion people in the world live in areas where there is a scarcity of natural resources that are needed for survival. This includes people who live in countries that are water stressed where the level of water used is greater than the level that is replaced. This number of people is greatly increasing and if we continue on the same path into the future, the number of people without access to clean water could reach 5 billion. Limited access to resources such as water weakens development efforts and places great burdens on women and children.

World Health Day is April 7.

 

    

Teaching and Learning Activities

ACROSS CURRICULUM

  1. Go to www.cyberschoolbus.un.org
    Read the booklet. It provides excellent information on water statistics, how countries handle a lack of water, how peoples' lives improve when access to clean drinking water and sanitation are made available to them, and what can be done. Use relevant information to place info cards around your school in the lead up to World Health Day.

  2. Read the quotes and passages below. As a class, divide these up and make posters to display around your school and class room:
  • We can live for 40 days without food, but only 5 days without water
  • Water is a human right
  • "Filthy water cannot be washed" African Proverb
  • Right now almost half the population of the majority world suffer from diseases because of dirty water and inadequate sanitation
  • Diarrhoea kills 1 child every 3 minutes
  • Studies suggest that if a woman only had to carry water for one hour a day, she could earn an additional US $100 each year
  • 385 million people live on less than 1 US dollar a day and have no access to safe water
  • 700 million people live in water stressed countries, by 2025, 3 billion will be living in countries or regions with absolute water shortage
  • Infant mortality can be halved with clean water
  • 2.6 billion people have no sanitation
  • Human rights are not optional extras
  • Water gives life to everything, including human development and human freedom

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

  1. Go to www.caritas.org.au
    View the Power Point presentation of Lucia. Lucia is a young Tanzanian girl who featured in Caritas Australia's 2006 Project Compassion Appeal. Her story highlights the many benefits to the community of a water project. After viewing this presentation, discuss as a class how the lives of people living in Lucia's community have changed for the better.

  2. Read the following passage from Genesis 24:14. How would you feel if you were asked to provide water for another person and had none to give?

    May it be that when I say to a girl, 'Please let down your jar that I may have a drink', and she says, 'Drink, and I'll water your camels too' - let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master.

  3. Read the statement of Raffia Saleem from Pakistan below. Do you agree with it? Write this statement up onto a large piece of paper and have students in your class sign their names onto it as a pledge.

    I can make one promise and one wish.
    I promise that I will never be careless towards water from now on, and
    I wish that every single person on this planet would follow my lead.

ENGLISH

  1. Use the following information from Caritas Australia's Global Family site to write a speech that will be delivered to school students to educate them on the need for fresh and clean drinking water right around the globe. You may use props or resources in your speech.

    Most of us can just turn on a tap to get clean water to use for drinking, cooking bathing and even watering our gardens. However, 1.1 billion people live without safe drinking water. 1.8 million people die every year from preventable water borne diseases, like diarrhoea. 90% of these people are children under the age of five. (WHO, 2002) Providing clean water addresses one of humanity's most vital needs. Dirty water directly contributes to diseases that are easily preventable.

  2. Read the following poem written by Charles Sendegeya from Uganda and comment on its impact to you. Write a poem as means of replying to his plight.

Cans of Silver

Every morning
yawning
she suffers
desiring mouthwash
with fluoride wafers.
With great caution
she tips
the cracked plastic bucket
like
a can full of silver.

Or
turning aside.
In silence
surrounded by chores
needing water
in abundance.
Parched spirit, dry hopes
Desperate mother
tracing
water for broth.
Cost leaves
unwashed dishes, skin.
Can you just look on
and swim in a world of silver?

Source: www.cyberschoolbus.un.org/

  1. Divide the class in two and stage a debate. Have one side of the class be the leaders of majority world countries who are trying to improve access to clean drinking water, and the other half of the class represent businesses and politicians from countries who want to privatise the sale of water. Each speaker should speak for 4 minutes. Use the following websites as a starting point for your research.

    www.cyberschoolbus.un.org/

    www.caritas.org.au/

    www.caritas.org.au/

HSIE/SOSE

Geography

  1. Go to www.caritas.org.au/
    Read about the work of Caritas in the Pacific Islands. Use the information to answer the following questions:

    1. Use the information in the main text to describe the location of the Pacific Islands.
    2. List five countries included in the umbrella title of 'Pacific Islands'.
    3. How would rising sea levels increase soil salinity?
    4. Why is this a problem?
    5. People are often at the mercy of their environment.How is this evident by what is happening in the Pacific Islands?
MATHEMATICS
  1. Caritas Australia seeks to empower communities to access their basic human rights. Use the information below to answer the following question:
  • $35 could purchase one water tank for a family home in Vietnam
  • $65 could enable the installation of a tap for a community in Tanzania
  • $285 could build a bathroom for a family in Vietnam
  • $525 could provide a water pump in Tanzania
  • $1,400 could provide a 3,000 gallon water tank for a community in Tonga
  1. Keep a record of how much money your household spends in a week. Use this total to calculate what you could do with this amount of money if you were living in Tonga or Samoa.
  1. Go to www.cyberschoolbus.un.org
    Look at the bar graph on page 12. Comment on the incidence of water borne diseases. What does this say about the necessity for clean drinking water?

SCIENCE

  1. Go to www.caritas.org.au
    Read about the work of Caritas in the Pacific Islands. One of the main issues raised here is that of soil salinity. How can this affect the availability of clean drinking water for people?

  2. World Water Day is a day when people are encouraged to look at the way they use water in their lives.

    Go to www.caritas.org.au
    Read about the way people's lives are improving due to access to clean drinking water.
    Then answer the following questions:
    1. What is the chemical symbol for water?
    2. From the article, list three diseases that can be spread through dirty and contaminated water. Find out three points on each of these.
    3. How can we, as a society, minimise our waste of water?
    4. Go around your school and check for any leaking or dripping taps. Make a list and report this to your Principal.

CAPA

Creative Arts

  1. World Health Day is on April 7. This year the focus is on water.
    Go to www.who.int
    Read about this day. Design a poster on one of the following topics:

    • Use and misuse of water
    • Diseases spread through drinking dirty water
    • Importance of minimising water wastage
    • Spotlight on countries with water shortage (see www.caritas.org.au)

Art

  1. Look at the following painting by Samadhee Malalasekera and use it as a stimulus to answer the following questions:

  1. What images can you see in the painting?
  2. How does it make you feel?
  3. Divide the painting into the four main sections and analyse the use of colour, texture and tone. What does this say about the mood of the artist?

PD/H/PE

Health

  1. Good health is something that many people take for granted, but is in fact a major issue for many people around the world. World Health Day is on April 7.

    Go to www.who.int
    Read about World Health Day. The World Health Organisation aims to promote the health of people around the world. Read the information and follow the link to view the video that shows the work of the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN).

  2. Design a health campaign brochure that informs people about the necessity to look after their health, the importance of drinking clean water, and the ways that they can try and minimise infection and disease.

  3. Go to www.cyberschoolbus.un.org/
    Read the statistics on page 13-16. Also look at the pictures of the raw sewage outlets on page 13. How could increased sanitation aid in increasing health?

  4. Read the following passage from Norman Wai of Papua New Guinea. Why is the ample supply of water essential to a healthy life?

    In January 2006, the Waghi River in the western highlands of Papua New Guinea flooded. After months of drought my family had been praying for rain. We needed water for the vegetable gardens where we grow our food and for the coffee plantation we work on. When the rains came they didn't stop. The river overflowed its banks and washed away everything in the flat valley bottom. Everyone in the village fled into the hills, but our homes, our gardens, our animals, the plantation... Everything was under water.

    We thought the worst was over when the water receded, but we were wrong. Everything was covered in a thick layer of mud and sand and debris. The bodies of drowned animals began to decay and we got sick from malaria because the puddles and ponds were ideal breeding places for mosquitoes. It took four months of cleaning and repairing before my family could move back home.

    The bitter irony of the flooding was that even though we had prayed for rain and the water came, we were dying of thirst. After the flood there was no access to safe water for drinking or washing because the usual streams that we took water from were destroyed or polluted with dead animals. We had to rely on bottled water! Even a year later things still haven't returned to normal.
    Source: www.cyberschoolbus.un.org

PARISH/COMMUNITY/SOCIAL JUSTICE GROUPS

  1. Find out more about Caritas Australia's Global Family Water campaign and how you are helping communities to access and enjoy their basic human rights. 
    Go to: www.caritas.org.au

  2. World Health Day is on April 7.
    Go to www.who.int/ to find out more.
  1. Go to www.caritas.org.au
    View the PowerPoint presentation of Lucia. Lucia is a young Tanzanian girl who featured in Caritas Australia's 2006 Project Compassion Appeal. Her story highlights the many benefits to the community of a water project.

 

  
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