2.2 billion people!
When I sat down to research this blog, that number shocked me, “2.2 billion people living without access to clean water”1!
And, as many of us know, having access to clean water is about more than a drink of water. The CDC shared that “Global access to safe water, adequate sanitation, and proper hygiene resources reduce illness and death from disease and lead to improved health, poverty reduction, and socio-economic development.” 2 Additionally, the pandemic of the last two years have only served to illustrate the importance of clean water, to prevent the spread of disease.
This World Water Day, please join me in praying for our sisters and brothers around the world that do not have access to, as Pope Francis stated in his encyclical Laudato Si, “this basic universal human right”. One of our partners in mission, the Catholic Health Association shared this beautiful prayer and reflection.
Jessica Franks
1 https://www.un.org/en/observances/water-day
2 https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/drinking/world-water-day.html