Op-Ed: Why I champion hydro equality

If you are reading this, it is likely that you can readily access clean water.

With so many other issues on which to focus – health care, education, March Madness, sovereignty in the Ukraine – you might not have this basic necessity on your list of priorities. You might not realize that World Water Day is commemorated each year on March 22 or that this global day of awareness was created by the United Nations in 1993.

Since the people who most need you to think about the importance of clean water are likely too young, too sick or too poor to ask for your help, I'm speaking out. Those who are suffering can't raise their voices because they're simply struggling to survive. Water – a fundamental gift and giver of life – is all but absent in their world.

The daily quest for water is a reality in many developing nations, including Tanzania, where I serve as goodwill ambassador for the people. In the majority of homes in this beautiful country, you won't find a tap, a sink or a toilet, because the pipes to carry water simply do not exist. In many cases, infrastructure cannot be created because of a lack of public money, trained workers or material availability. In remote villages – and even some less so – I have seen countless communities fractured by a lack of water. The statistics are daunting:
• More than 21 million people – about half the Tanzanian population – lack access to safe water.
• For every 1,000 children born, 158 will die before their fifth birthday; of those who survive, half will have their growth and development stunted by water and nutrition deficits.
• Ninety percent of the country’s people lack sanitation, making children and the elderly particularly vulnerable to easily preventable and treatable illnesses.

On average, women and girls will spend about two hours a day collecting water, while in the poorest rural communities the pursuit can extend to seven hours a day. With so much time and energy invested in the pursuit of water, there is little time to attend school, earn money or seek or grow food.

Providing access to clean water is not a stand-alone solution, but it is a great first step. Accessible, sustainable water sources provide the foundation for education, health care, nutrition and economic development, which, if created alone would be far less effective.  With this realization, I joined the board of directors of WorldServe International in 2008. A nonprofit organization, WorldServe is one of the largest humanitarian providers in sub-Saharan Africa, providing nearly 2 million people with clean water since its founding.

Through my work with WorldServe and my role as Tanzania’s goodwill ambassador, I've come to believe in working with the local people and reputable partners to foster self-sufficient communities. The strong relationships we form with those communities create a virtuous cycle of caring and positive developments that reverberate throughout entire regions. By starting with something as fundamental as water, we can all work together to advance many other aspects for the greater good: education, agricultural development, economic empowerment and health care.

You can join me, in light of World Water Day, by making a gift to organizations that provide clean water, raise your voice to legislators, and conserve and appreciate this incredible resource.

Supporting the right to clean water, the Senator Paul Simon Water for the World Act needs congressional support. The bipartisan legislation leverages the efforts of the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Department of State, thereby enabling the United States to give attention to water and sanitation services that would mitigate unnecessary losses of life and conflicts in the future.

Also, it’s easy to learn how to individually conserve water. Start with a simple Google search to find helpful sites. For starters, I recommend WaterUseItWisely.com.

Doug Pitt of TSI Technology Solutions LLC is a Springfield-based businessman whose efforts to ensure healthy lives for children and families span the globe. He is goodwill ambassador for Tanzania, founder of local children’s charity Care to Learn and a board member of WorldServe International.