Faiths For Safe Water
“We don’t honor God when 4500 children die every day. But they do … from the lack of something so simple, each of us takes it for granted each day — a clean glass of water.” ~Rabbi Jack Bemporad
Sister Laila Muhammad, Rabbi Jack Bemporad and The Rev. Dr. Arnold Isadore Thomas at New York City's Riverside Church for World Water Week 2012
- One child dies every 15 seconds, every single day, from water-related illnesses.
- Almost a billion people do not have access to safe water and 2.5 billion lack basic sanitation.
- 50% of malnutrition is due to a lack of safe water and 80% of disease is due to a lack of sanitation
- At any given time, half of the world’s hospital beds are filled by patients suffering from water-borne diseases.
- It kills more people than malaria, AIDS, and TB combined with a catastrophic result: 2 million, mostly preventable deaths, every year.
Yes, preventable.
World Water Day grew out of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro. The goal is to recognize the central importance of water to life on earth and to recognize the way competition and lack of water can be a source of conflict and suffering.
In recognition of World Water Day 2011, Rabbi Bemporad co-founded the inter-faith consortium of American religious leaders called Faiths For Safe Water who remain committed emphasizing the religious importance of water and the access to it.
To become involved in the CIU and Faith For Safe Water’s World Water Day 2012 initiatives, visit the Faiths For Safe Water website.
“Religion Can Play A Role”: Rabbi Bemporad speaks at National Geographic Water Day
World Water Day: A Sermon (Huffington Post)
We Don’t Honor God When 4,500 Children Die Every Day (Washington Post)
We Don’t Honor God When 4,500 Children Die Every Day (Islamic Information Center)
Rabbi Bemporad: Religion Can Help Solve The Water Crisis (Pulitzer Center On Crisis Reporting)
U.S. Secretary Of State Joins High-Level Coalition To Mark World Water Day (Cypress Times)