Sustainable Development Goal 6: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.
Jesus said, ‘I was thirsty and you gave me a drink’ Matthew 25:35
‘While substantial progress has been made in increasing access to clean drinking water and sanitation, billions of people—mostly in rural areas—still lack these basic services. Worldwide, one in three people do not have access to safe drinking water, two out of five people do not have a basic hand-washing facility with soap and water, and more than 673 million people still practice open defecation.
The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the critical importance of sanitation, hygiene and adequate access to clean water for preventing and containing diseases. Hand hygiene saves lives. According to the World Health Organization, handwashing is one of the most effective actions you can take to reduce the spread of pathogens and prevent infections, including the COVID-19 virus. Yet billions of people still lack safe water sanitation, and funding is inadequate.’ (Information copied from the UN website)
Read
Judges 1:12-15 Achsah asks her father Caleb for springs of water and he gives her the upper and lower springs.
Pray
We thank God
- For the gift of water for drinking, washing and agriculture.
- For initiatives that enable access to safe water.
- For educational programmes that teach the importance of good hygiene.
- For those who dig wells in dry places; for those who build toilets.
We ask God
- To forgive our mis-use of water resources and our reckless pollution of rivers and streams.
- To help us achieve the goal of providing access to safe drinking water and sanitation for all.
- To protect women and girls whose task is to walk long distances in order to collect water.
- To protect women and girls who, having no proper toilet, are vulnerable to disease and attack.
Respond
Support Water Action Day on 22 March and World Toilet Day on 19 November.
Find out about the Valuing Water Initiative (VWI) launched in January 2019.
Wash your hands. Value the water you have. Use water wisely. Don’t waste water.
Follow UN_Water on Twitter and Facebook and raise awareness by sharing positive stories.
Find out about Tippy taps and how they help fight the spread of disease.
Donate to a scheme like toilettwinning.org or Water aid
To find out more about Goal 6 and other Sustainable Development Goals visit: http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment
The World Federation of Methodist and Uniting Church Women supports the Sustainable Development Goals.
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