Voice 1
Thank you for joining us for today’s Spotlight program. I’m Ryan Geertsma.
Voice 2
And I’m Liz Waid. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
Everyone knows water is a basic part of human life. A person’s body weight is about sixty [60] percent water. Each day we use up the water in our bodies. And we need to replace it to survive. We can replace the water in our bodies by eating and drinking. But the best way is to drink clean water.
Voice 2
Usually when people have clean water, they do not think about the need for clean water. However, over one thousand million [1,000,000,000] people in the world do not have clean water. Many more people must travel very far distances to gather clean water each day. For these people, the need for clean water is great.
Voice 1
Dirty water can cause many problems. The World Health Organization says that eighty [80] percent of all sicknesses are caused by diseases from dirty water. Even more people suffer from sicknesses because they do not have enough water.
Voice 2
Lack of water also makes poverty worse. People without clean water spend a lot of time searching for clean water. Their search keeps them from working and going to school. Because they cannot spend as much time working or going to school, they do not earn as much money. And when dirty water causes disease, the disease can cost a family a lot of money too.
Voice 1
Muniamma is a forty [40] year old mother. She lives with her two children in MRS Palya, India. Her community just recently received clean water. They worked with a community based organization - AVAS. This group pushed the government to provide the water. And now, the water is changing the community. Muniamma shares what life was like before they had clean water. She says,
Voice 3
“Women used to travel three to five kilometres to gather water. To wash clothes, we had to start walking at one in the morning. We did without sleep. We were not able to send our children to school because they had to come with us to gather water.”
Voice 2
Muniamma’s story represents millions of people all over the world today. However, there is great hope for people without clean drinking water. Just like for Muniamma and the community of MRS Palya, receiving clean water is possible.
Voice 1
A 2005 New York Times story noted that people all over the world spend sixty four thousand million dollars [$64,000,000,000] on bottles of water each year. Many of the people buying this bottled water already have clean water supplies.
Voice 2
Governments and other groups are already spending a lot of money on developing clean water sources. But the New York Times story also noted that if these groups had just one point seven thousand million dollars [$1,700,000,000] more each year, all people in the world could have a clean water supply.
Voice 1
What does this mean? First, it means that many people buy bottled water that they do not need. They already have clean water. Second, if a very small percent of those people would stop buying bottled water, they could save a lot of money. Instead, they could give that money to water organizations and help supply clean water to everyone.
Voice 2
Michael Norton is the writer of a book called “365 Ways to Change the World.” While writing this book, Michael learned about the issue of clean water and bottled water. And he decided to make a change.
Voice 1
Michael decided to stop drinking bottled water. Instead, he drinks water from the sink - tap water. Where he lives, this water is clean. Michael saves the money he would have spent on bottled water. He then gives the money to organizations that help supply people with clean water. However, Michael does not stop there. He has also decided to encourage everyone he meets to follow his example. He tells friends, family and his community. And he gives speeches to crowds all over the world.
Voice 2
Even if you do not drink bottled water, you can still help people get clean water in other small ways. You may remember a past Spotlight program on Ryan Hreljac. Ryan is a young boy from Canada. He learned about the many people who do not have clean water. He decided that he wanted to help. He worked with his family and friends. And he worked at small jobs to earn money. After many months, Ryan raised two thousand dollars [$2,000]. This was a lot of money for Ryan. But Ryan gave all the money to WaterCan. And they dug a new water well in Uganda, Africa.
Voice 1
Michael, and Ryan’s stories may seem amazing. However, they are people just like you. They started by making small changes in their lives. Michael stopped drinking bottled water. And Ryan decided to find extra work that he could do at home. The result was the same. They both raised money for clean water. And they were able to work with people like Muniamma and the community of MRS Payla. Muniamma says,
Voice 3
“Before, we could not send our children to school because they had to gather water at night ... Today, the children go to school each day and they are doing well.”
Voice 2
There are many organizations that work to supply water to communities like MRS Palya. A United Nations’ Water organization is responsible for helping bring clean water to all people. They have made a goal to decrease, by half, the number of people with no clean water. They hope to achieve this goal by the year 2015.
Voice 1
However, organizations like the United Nations, WaterCan, AVAS and many others could do more if people helped in little ways. In fact, if people worked together, they could help all people have clean water more quickly.
Voice 2
In the Christian Bible, there is a story about those who are thirsty - they do not have anything to drink. The story encourages all people to help those who are thirsty - even those people they do not know. The story explains that if people give water to someone who is thirsty, it is like they are serving God directly.
Voice 1
So, what can you do to help the thirsty? Who can you tell about the many people who need clean water? If you have an idea or story about the need for clean water, we would love to hear it. You can e-mail us at radio @ English . net.
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