Today is World Water Day. Clean drinking water is something that we take for granted every single day. Many Ghanaians do not have access to clean water or proper sanitation facilities, and many face water scarcity during the dry season.
When we arrived in Ghana, we were cautioned against drinking any water that was not in a plastic bottle with an unbroken seal. Thankfully we were never in a situation where we did not have access to clean water. As we drove down the streets, there were men and women selling small plastic bags of clean water. Along each side of the street, there are trenches littered with garbage and excretion creating dirty, contaminated water. Unfortunately, many families rely on surface water to survive, leaving them more susceptible to water-related illness and disease.
According to research conducted by Water.org, “seventy percent of all diseases in Ghana are caused by unsafe water and poor sanitation.”
Pam explains in her book, Jantsen’s Gift, why it is essential for the children and staff at Touch A Life to have access to a well. “Ghana is one of several nations where it’s possible to contract a disease called Guinea worm from drinking contaminated water. It’s an awful disease in which a tiny flea enters the body, maturing in the intestines into a worm that can grow to be three feet long… Anyone in Ghana without access to safe drinking water is at great risk of contracting the disease.” Other common waterborne diseases contracted by drinking contaminated water are diarrhea, dysentery, cholera and typhoid fever.
Touch A Life is blessed to have wells in place at the Care Center, but they have a dream to install a water purification system on the main well. If you would like to join the Touch A Life Global Family and make a difference in a child’s life, visit TouchALifeKids.org/Give.
Sarah Mast
Marketing Partner