Did you head over to the water cooler today to fill your (reusable) water bottle? Or maybe you poured yourself a cool glass of H2O straight from the tap? Clean water is something that most of us take for granted in America.
But in the developing world, millions scavenge for water and billions don’t have a toilet. In fact, more than 2.6 billion people — nearly 40 percent of the world’s population — do not have access to adequate sanitation.
Today, in honor of World Water Day, Matt Damon wants you to do something about this crisis.
“I think what resonates with me most is when you see people living without clean water and they’re forced to scavenge for water and basically use up all of their time just doing that… You realize that they’re in such a crippling cycle of poverty; it’s just a death spin that they can’t possibly get out of,” the A-list actor and Oscar-winning writer has said.
The U.N. has designated March 22 as the day to call attention to this crucial issue. Right now, one out of every eight people lacks safe drinking water, and two out of every five people lack adequate sanitation.
In 2009, Damon co-founded Water.org, a nonprofit organization that has transformed hundreds of communities in Africa, South Asia and Central America by providing access to safe water and sanitation.
Clean water reduces poverty and hunger and prevents cases of diarrheal diseases among children — the leading cause of child death in Africa. It can also dramatically decrease child mortality and long-term developmental problems caused by pneumonia and malnutrition.
Damon’s vision is a day when everyone in the world can take a safe drink of water. Want to help him? Visit Water.org today to find out how.