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Achives: June 2009
Aware...
Archives: June 2009
It's about time...
By Craig Borlase
A few months ago a handful of increasingly malodorous charity-types at Tearfund had a crack at living on just 10 litres of water per day. That was it. Just those big bottles with which to eat, wash, launder, drink, flush and clean.
After a week, they stopped. And people around them were happy about that. Really happy, as it turned out, particularly those who got on the wiffy end of their ‘if it’s yellow, let it mellow…’ Toilet Flushing Policy.
Why do it? The week-long smell-off was more than just a stunt. It was the start of something new.
All this year we at Tearfund have been thinking about water and sanitation and it’s come home to us that this is one issue that it’s about time we did something about.
The Facts
900 million people in the world today don’t have access to clean water. Instead of turning on a tap or stepping under a shower they must walk to the nearest river or lake to fill their cans.
A staggering 40 per cent of people lack access to basic sanitation – they have no water to wash their hands with after using the toilet. Three children under 5-years-old die every minute and poor sanitation is a massive factor in this. Billions are denied the opportunities that we take for granted. Across Africa and Asia it is the women and children who are left with the task of walking long distances to collect water weighing up to 20kg.
Not having a tap at home is inconvenient, but there are other words that best describe what life’s like without good water and sanitation: desperate, painful, tragically short, humiliating as they are forced to defecate in the open.
The Prospect
We could do nothing. Seriously, we could just stay silent and leave it to somebody else. After all, isn’t this a problem that requires Big Government to step in and deliver the solution? Doesn’t it need pipes and engineers and people in suits to write big cheques? How can a bunch of Christians ever hope to make a difference?
Feeling as though we’re out of our depth actually seems like a pretty good place to start. After all, where’s the bit in the Bible that suggests that we work best when we’re reliant on nobody other than ourselves for strength and support? Where does fighting injustice and building God’s kingdom become a testament to our own greatness rather than God’s?
And come to think of it, does scripture tell us to sit quietly by, hands under thighs and lips welded shut while people living in poverty soak up the suffering? Where’s our instruction to ‘stay home and do nothing’? Does God want us on mute to the problems of the world?
We believe the answer to all of the above is a resounding ‘no’.
We believe that it’s time to challenge and change this injustice.
And, yes, we believe that the church can be the voice that calls for life to flow again. Together, connected, united by our desire to put our faith into action, we believe that local churches can speak out to those with the power to make changes and act for justice.
You And Me
And all this talk of ‘us’ and being ‘connected’ includes you and it includes me. And it includes such simple steps as playing Lob A Loo Roll and getting others to join you as you Turn It Up by making essential noise and influencing those with the power to bring change.
So , what are you waiting for?
About the writer...
Craig is a legend. He's a writer of many books, sometimes does stuff for Tearfund and is the reason the Soul Survivor Magazine exists (he created the first one)!
Soul Survivor is a Christian charity that puts on events for young people. Our registered charity no. is 1080720. We are also a company limited by guarantee in England & Wales. Our company registered number is 03991111, which is nice. Thanks for caring.
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