Water Water Nowhere

Hi everyone, hopefully we can take a moment to reflect on perhaps one of the most essential things to life: water. You can view a list of some interesting facts about water such as how much of it is in the human body.

World Water Day was March 22nd! But it's a year round effort to impact the global water crisis. There is some information available about the extent of the issues we face. These include inadequate sanitation, toxin contamination, decreasing access globally, the amount of water consumed for personal to agricultural practices and what this could all mean for the environment. Included in this grim perspective is the role water could play in instigating conflict. Ban Ki-Moon, UN Secretary General issued a statement on World Water Day and ended on this note:

On World Water Day, I urge governments to recognize the urban water crisis for what it is - a crisis of governance, weak policies and poor management, rather than one of scarcity. Let us also pledge to reverse the alarming decline in pro poor investment in water and sanitation. And let us reaffirm our commitment to ending the plight of the more than 800 million people who, in a world of plenty, still do not have the safe drinking water or sanitation they need for a life in dignity and good health.

If you would like to learn more about the water situation in Liberia, from loss of water security to the health impact, there is an informational video.

But there's something each of us can do. From being conscious about how much water we use during personal activities to promoting and supporting policies that encourage resuse of water and effective conservation strategies. Here are some tips on how you can use water wisely.

Water.org has some more information on organizations that work primarily on water sanitation and security so please visit their site for more resources.

Also, there is a poll available about your personal water use.

Thank you!

100th Anniversary of International Women's Day

Last time we acknowledged International Women's Day (Celebrating Women) by outlining the history of the day and how it was celebrated throughout the world. This March 8th is just around the corner!

Watch how it is celebrated in Russia with the giving of flowers and read about the history of the day from the early 1900s:

International Women's Day History in Russia

View Women's Art (a chosen piece seen above titled "Who are you?")

Themes for each year can be chosen on the country to individual level as there is no international theme but the UN has posted some information about how we can recognize the day and below are some thoughts for this year:

Equal access to education, training and science and technology: Pathway to decent work for women

What is your individual theme for this day? You can email International Women's Day and tell them!! Or celebrate with others by searching for events in the US!

On the subject of the UN and Women the two ideas were merged and manifested in the creation of the newest United Nations agency, UN Women. Created in July 2010 the UN entity writes its mission and goals on its website:

It will be a dynamic and strong champion for women and girls, providing them with a powerful voice at the global, regional and local levels.

Grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the UN Charter, UN Women, among other issues, works for the:

•elimination of discrimination against women and girls;
•empowerment of women; and
•achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security.

I hope we can all take a moment to reflect on how women have played positive roles in our lives. Perhaps we can recognize the struggles women endure and acts of strength they demonstrate. We can stand in solidarity with women around the world to acknowledge the elements of our society that allow injustices such as sex trafficking, maternal mortality, financial repression, low literacy, gender based violence, discrimination, elimination of essential funding for health service delivery and marginalization to continue without accountability.

For more information about efforts in Liberia such as the the Economic Empowerment of Adolescent Girls and Young Women Program which partners with the Clinton Global Initiative, World Bank, Nike Foundation and Government of Denmark to provide opportunities for small businesses and training.

Please feel free to engage in the dialogue about women and International Women's Day. If you have any thoughts, topics, information, books on the subject, or links you would like to share please do so!!

Please take a minute to participate in the poll about UN Women and pressing issues facing women and girls today.

Finally, a video by girleffect.org

Thank you, happy celebrating!!