Water for All

More than one billion people lack adequate access to safe drinking water. Two and a half billion people have no access to proper sanitation. More than five million people, mostly children, die each year from water-related diseases. In more than 80 countries, people are experiencing serious water shortages. Church World Service has initiated Water for All to address the urgent need for accessible water. A vital part of Water for All is advocacy to public officials on behalf of water as a human right.

Peace & Justice News
Remembering the human right to water on Earth Day

The WATER FOR All campaign: what CWS is doing

Photo: CWS Vietnam

Enabling access to, and provision of, potable water through local and global partnerships
Supporting community-based water projects and building local community capacity to inform national water and sanitation policies
Providing a collective ecumenical voice in global public debate on water and sanitation issues
Advocating for access to, and provision of, water as critical to achieving the Millennium Development Goals
Building grassroots support for Congressional legislation that supports universal access to water worldwide.

Resources and information on water

	"Woman at the Well" ornament and card This olive wood ornament is produced in partnership with the Middle East Council of Churches. The card has a picture of the ornament, a description of a water cistern program sponsored by CWS, and information on the water crisis in the West Bank and worldwide. The card also provides education and advocacy opportunities. Order online »
	I Thirst: World Day for Water On the occasion of World Day for Water, celebrated March 22 each year, learn what Church World Service and its wider community of member denominations, supporters and worldwide partners are doing to make access to water and sanitation a right for all.
	Build a Better World: Water Children's curriculum on the importance of water for health and well-being

Poisoned skies, troubled waters (PDF file, 247KB) How CWS is addressing the impact of climate change on water. The latest in a series. Order online »

A river in their veins (PDF file, 489KB) How CWS supports the water rights of indigenous people in Bolivia, and the impact of climate change in the Caribbean. Order online »

Drinking rain in the occupied West Bank (PDF file, 523kb) This four-page resource describes how West Bank Palestinian villagers are harvesting rainwater in underground cisterns with CWS support. Order online

Thirsty Souls & Parched Lands (PDF file, 706kb) A 6-page resource paper, part of CWS series on water. Order online

Water for all in Africa (PDF file, 778kb) The latest CWS resource on water, this four-page resource describes CWS support for community ownership and management of water resources in Africa. Order online

Twice As Thirsty: Women, Children and Water (PDF file, 741kb) This 4-page resource paper describes the special burden women and children bear in getting water for their families. Part of the CWS series on water. Order online

Worship with the World: WATER
A sampling of voices of the thirsty people worldwide that Church World Service supports, alongside prayer, scripture and liturgical suggestions. HTML • PDF (431kb) • Order online

PowerPoint presentation for Earth Day, April 22
"Water for Children" (303 kb)
This brief, downloadable resource describes how CWS helps children move from having water as a burden to having water as a blessing. This resource explains what CWS is doing to provide water for children, and provides information on resources and advocacy that you can use to enhance your participation in the "Water for All Campaign".

Millennium Development Goals Backgrounder
The United Nations is focusing on eight Millennium Development Goals to alleviate hunger and address the root causes of poverty.

Sign-on Letters
Note: Most of the letters listed below are PDF files. You will need to have Acrobat Reader installed to view and print these files.

Thanking members of Congress for funding safe drinking water and sanitation in developing countries (09/11/07)
A letter from the Religious Working Group on Water calling for U.S. Congressional and Administration action (08/13/07)
Requesting funding and other support for water and sanitation (06/25/07)
Urging House (and Senate, in a similar letter) to appropriate $500 million for water and sanitation worldwide . (02/27/07)

Read more about what CWS is doing to help provide Water for All • Water Links