August 2009 by World Vision Australia

World Vision Supporter Magazine

Water

around

August 2009

the world Damian Walshe-Howling

Water around the world [ Page 4-5

Action on water: a powerful way to fight poverty [ Page 14-15

Child Rescue: Noy's dream becomes [ Page 25 a nightmare

Contents Features the world

8-9 ] Water

water everywhere... but not a drop to drink

14-15 ] Action

on water: a powerful way to fight poverty — Damian Walshe-Howling

25 ] Child

Rescue: Noy’s dream becomes a nightmare

A map in the April issue of World Vision News inadvertently dropped off the border between Morocco and Western Sahara. World Vision News maps adhere to United Nations cartographic standards, which indicate a border between Morocco and Western Sahara. We apologise for this error. © World Vision Australia. World Vision Australia ABN 28 004 778 081 is a Christian relief, development and advocacy organisation dedicated to working with children, families and communities to overcome poverty and injustice. Send all correspondence to World Vision News, GPO Box 399C, Melbourne 3001 © 2009 All material contained in this magazine is subject to copyright owned by or licensed to World Vision Australia. All rights reserved.

AC F I D

World Vision Australia is a member of the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID) and is a signatory to the ACFID Code of Conduct. The Code requires members to meet high standards of corporate governance, public accountability and financial management.

Inside Water around the world

[ 4-5

More than just a drop in the bucket

[ 6-7

Water water everywhere... but not a drop to drink

[ 8-9

World Vision Stir

[ 10-11

The source of life in more ways than one

[ 12-13

Action on water: a powerful way to fight poverty

[ 14-15

A day in the life: Imani

[ 16-17

Lifting the lid on the world’s sanitation crisis

[ 18

How you help your sponsored child, their family and their community

[ 20

Cultural traditions of the Maasai: Dressing to impress

[ 22-23

Sponsor visit: Meeting Ta in Thailand

[ 24

Child Rescue: Noy’s dream becomes a nightmare

[ 25

Let’s talk about water... and help save lives

[ 26

Making a difference to climate change

[ 27

Cover: Damian Walshe-Howling is star of TV’s Underbelly series. He visited Thailand recently and experienced firsthand the struggles of poor communities living without clean water, as well as World Vision’s work on water solutions. Find out what he discovered in our feature interview on page 14.

worldvision.com.au

aUGUST2009

Water around

] World Vision

4-5 ]

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My World Vision \/

Water around the world

ater is essential for human health and wellbeing. But today there are almost 900 million people who don’t have access to clean drinking water. As a result, nearly 4,000 children die each day for reasons related to dirty water.* Thanks to support like yours, World Vision is working with communities around the world to secure access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation. This is helping to prevent waterrelated deaths and diseases and to improve life for children and their families for generations to come. z

Turkey

• A series of dams being built by

Turkey on the Euphrates and Tigris rivers are causing tensions with Syria and Iraq, who fear depleted water supplies in the future

*Source: UNICEF/WHO Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation 2008

Mexico

• Mexico City is running out

of water and sinking at the same time • 40% of its water reserves lost as a result of leakage due to an ageing water distribution system • The city has no adequate draining system and the city uses rainwater mixed with sewage for irrigation Source: World Water Crisis, BBC

Spain

] World Vision

August2009

• More than half of Europe’s

cities are consuming water at an unsustainable rate • 4.5 million people in the Catalonian region of Spain are under severe water restrictions • Plans are proposed to divert water from France’s Rhone River Source: World Water Crisis, BBC

Mali

Egypt

Saharan Africa lack safe water • A baby here is almost 520 times more likely to die of diarrhoea than a child born in Europe

would use force to protect the water supply it has relied on for thousands of years, the Nile River • The Nile flows through Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia, all countries plagued by widespread chronic poverty

• Two out of five people in sub-

Sources: World Water Crisis, BBC; World Water Council

• In 1991, Egypt warned that it

India

• Ganges is a holy river, but is believed

to contain dangerously high levels of arsenic • Wetlands and mangrove forests in its delta are drying up because the river is so depleted • Many of World Vision’s Area Development Programs in India are helping communities to gain access to clean drinking water and basic sanitation

Russia/Central Asia

• Aral Sea is sometimes described as the

biggest ecological disaster of all time • By 2004, the sea had shrunk to 25% of its original surface area • Region now plagued by cancer, anaemia and one of highest infant mortality rates in the world Source: World Water Crisis, BBC

Northern China

• Home to two-thirds of the country’s

cropland, but only one-fifth of its fresh water • Growing cities and industry are competing for water supplies • Shrinking by an average of 7.6km2 a year since 1996, the Yellow River ran dry for most of 1997 Source: Shandong Provincial Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources

Southern Australia

• The Murray-Darling Basin supplies three-

quarters of Australia’s irrigated crops • Rising water tables are pushing salt to the earth’s surface, ruining much previously productive land • One of the world’s 10 most stressed river systems, where demand exceeds supply Source: World Wildlife Fund Global Freshwater Programme

in dirty, stagnant water. (see story, More than just a drop in the bucket) • Reduced rainfall has reduced crop production and more than 13 million people are suffering in the region. There has been a dramatic increase in the number of malnourished children. • In some areas of Somalia the cost of water has increased by 1,000% in the last few months • Read our story on page 6 to see how World Vision’s work in one Ugandan community is helping to reduce the incidence of water-related diseases. Sources: UNICEF/WHO Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation 2008, UNDP Human Development Report 2006

worldvision.com.au

] World Vision

• Of the 25 nations in the world with the greatest percentage of people lacking access to safe drinking water, 19 are in Africa • For one-quarter of Africa’s population, chronic water stress in high • About 90% of the annual global rate of deaths from malaria occurs in sub-Saharan Africa. Malaria mosquitoes breed

aUGUST2009

East Africa

My World Vision \/

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Harriet has seen many positive changes in her community as a result of World Vision’s work.

More than just a drop in the bucket

imply through a lack of knowledge, Harriet lost one of her twin daughters to a curable disease. Since then, she’s made the most of a World Vision training program to make sure the surviving twin and her siblings don’t suffer the same fate – and now she’s spreading the word. Harriet lives in Kammengo, Uganda. It’s a place where, until recently, children bathed in dirty water and would regularly contract diarrhoeal illnesses, or would suffer from recurring bouts of malaria. The tragic irony of water-related diseases is that water is indispensable to human survival. People who live in communities that rely on water of poor quality, or who have difficulties disposing of dirty water, can become prey to the very resource they consider most precious. Water-related diseases can have huge impacts on communities. Programs to improve water quality and sanitation can make a big difference in people’s lives. One such program is being implemented as part of World Vision’s Area Development Program (ADP). A change for the better Decades of experience have shown us that the best way to help the world’s poorest and most vulnerable children is to lift their whole community out of poverty. Through the generous support of child sponsors, World Vision currently operates more than 250 ADPs around the world.

] World Vision

August2009

Through the ADP model, World Vision forms a long-term partnership with a community usually numbering in the tens of thousands. An ADP is only ever undertaken at the invitation of a community, and community participation is a fundamental part of its implementation. World Vision’s involvement tends to last 10 to 15 years, during which efforts are geared towards clean water, drilling wells, and improving education and healthcare facilities (see p.20 for more details).

Harriet’s daughter Babirye (left) collects clean water with a friend.

“And now that a new borehole has been drilled, mothers like Harriet no longer need to worry about the quality of the water their children are drinking and washing in.”

Millions of unnecessary tragedies One of Harriet’s twin daughters died of malaria when she was just two years old. At that time, Harriet wasn’t aware that malaria could potentially be fatal; mosquito nets were considered a luxury, and Harriet didn’t know that they could be chemically treated. The medication she had access to was often past its use-by date, and there were no qualified health workers available. Globally, a child dies of malaria every 30 seconds*, even though the disease is treatable and rates of infection can be vastly reduced with the use of repellent-treated mosquito nets. Technically, malaria isn’t a waterborne disease. But because mosquitoes breed best in still, hot, humid conditions, malaria is classed as a water-related disease, along with yellow fever, river blindness and sleeping sickness. The most common waterborne diseases are cholera and typhoid; the most common water-based diseases are guinea worm and bilharzia; and finally there are diseases caused by a scarcity of water, such as trachoma and scabies. And then there’s diarrhoea – a leading killer of children in sub-Saharan Africa. Cleaner water can reduce this toll by a quarter, while better sanitation can reduce it by a third. That is why water and sanitation needs are often the first things that World Vision addresses when it starts work with a community (see p.20, How you help your sponsored child, their family and their community). * Source: World Health Organization

When the Kammengo ADP was established, locals told World Vision that they wanted people to train as health volunteers. With some training, Harriet became her village’s community health worker where there had previously been none. As a result, Harriet’s children no longer suffer from skin diseases caused by dirty water. As part of her training, Harriet learnt important facts about malaria. She now knows that she and her family should sleep under mosquito nets treated with repellent, that they should avoid stagnant water, and, if children display malarial symptoms, that they should seek medical attention immediately.

And now that a new borehole has been drilled, mothers like Harriet no longer need to worry about the quality of the water their children are drinking and washing in. Watch a video story about Harriet’s hygiene quest at worldvision.com.au/Issues/WaterSanitationHygiene/ WhatIsOurResponse/Harriets_hygiene_quest.aspx z worldvision.com.au

] World Vision

These days, there’s a health centre and a child immunisation program that protects children against polio, measles and tuberculosis.

aUGUST2009

Another result of the training she’s received is that Harriet now has the skills and the confidence to go into business plaiting hair and weaving baskets. Financial independence training means Harriet can now save. Training in farming means the family is now reaping more from what they sow. And Babirye attends a new school with shoes and a uniform, with lunch provided, and where class sizes are 35 children per class instead of 100.

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Water water everywhere... but not a drop to drink

n a community in Bangladesh, the need for clean water has become more urgent than ever before.

For as long as anyone can remember, the people living in the Mongla region of Bangladesh’s southern Bagerhat district have relied on rainwater and run-off for their survival. The salt levels of the groundwater in the area have always been too high for human consumption. Thankfully, the area’s climate is one of high rainfall – at least during the monsoon season.

] World Vision

August2009

The situation has changed in recent years. Bangladesh has one of the highest population densities in the world and this is putting hitherto unseen levels of pressure on rainwater reserves. And then there’s climate change.

The world is now at a point where changes in climate are beginning to affect communities in real ways – and it’s expected the world’s poorest people will be the worst hit. Fuli Sarker, from World Vision in Bangladesh, has a groundlevel perspective on what’s happening: “We do not have much rain nowadays compared to what we used to have previously. Because of lack of rain we do not have enough water in our ponds. Therefore, now we see that trees and crops in fields do not grow as they used to grow in the past.” Population and climate factors mean that in recent years there hasn’t been enough water to go around, especially during the dry season, which runs from February to May.

Because underground and river water is contaminated with salt, people living in this Bangladeshi community depend on rainwater stored in ponds like this one.

World Vision is working with the local community to implement an Area Development Program (for more information on how ADPs work, see p. 20). Fuli is the ADP Health Manager, and a Mongla local. He says that the quality of river water has become more saline in recent years. Much of southern Bangladesh is delta country, where the great river Ganges, known in Bangladesh as the Padma River, meets the sea. The river floods during every monsoon season. Locals learned to live with the floods long ago, but with climate change flood levels are getting higher, and because the water is saline, the salt is contaminating local fields, making them less fit for agriculture. Government tests of groundwater found that it was unfit for human consumption or for agricultural use. Then natural disaster struck. In November 2007, Cyclone Sidr tore through the area, claiming 871 lives, completely destroying more than half a million homes and more than 4,000 schools. World Vision and other organisations launched emergency relief operations, but as normality slowly returned the cyclone’s legacy loomed larger than ever. Debris, the decomposing carcasses of dead livestock and saline water had polluted many of the Mongla area’s most important water sources. One of the ponds where water became undrinkable after the cyclone was Dothter Meth Pond, which had traditionally provided water for hundreds of families. World Vision worked to deepen the pond and clean it with lime. The water is now drinkable with the use of water purification tablets. As a second phase, World Vision provided training to many of the women who depend on the pond for water. The training was geared towards maximising the efficiency of its use as well as health implications. z

A community member clears leaves and other debris from the pond in preparation for filtration and treatment with lime.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;One of the ponds where water became undrinkable after the cyclone was Dothter Meth Pond, which had traditionally provided water for hundreds of families... the water is now drinkable...â&#x20AC;?

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My World Vision \/ VOX POP with Alex [World Vision Kenya employee]

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Are people worried about the Global Food Crisis in Kenya?

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Yeah people are really worried because as well as the high prices of food, and the food shortages, there is no rain.

Does this make people scared for the future? Pastoralists are really worried. Small calves are starting to die because they are weak. The weak ones die, then the stronger ones. So people are really worried.

So what do they do?

Hu n

BI T es... r bit

The Global Food Crisis is into its second year... and you probably didn’t even know it. In the last year, over 100 mil lion more people have been affected by a food crisis. Reckon that means no ice cream in the freezer? Think again! For many it means just one small meal a day. Sometimes it means no breakf ast, no lunch, no snacks, no drinks , no dinner. Nada, nothing, nought . Currently there are children and families in over 30 countries around the world who are suffering fro m the effects of the Global Food Crisis. Food can be harder to find and is more expensive to buy, so it’s the poorest families who suffer the most. There are now more than 900 million chronically hungry people aro und the world and approximately 1.4 billion in extreme poverty. Malnourished children are mo re likely to die from ordinary illn esses. In fact, every day an estimated 25,000 children die from hun ger and preventable diseases. Childre n are under threat of starvation. Children are suffering as families and communities struggle to feed the mselves.

! ACK

Their only hope now is to get help. They can’t do much without rain, you can’t force rain. The World Food Programme is really working hard, working out how many people have these problems.

Have you seen anything like the Global Food Crisis before? I think this is the very worst, the worst I’ve seen.

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How to BITE BACK at hunger

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World Vision’s 40 Hour Famine is one of Australia’s biggest you th fundraising events and this year it’s raising funds to help bite back at the Global Foo d Crisis. The 40 Hour Famine has change d a bit in the last few years. Now you can give up food or something else that rea lly matters to you (e.g. iPod, fur nitu re, technology) for 40* hours. But the funds you rai se still go toward helping hungry kids! To bite back at the Global Foo d Crisis, sig n up at 40hourfa mi ne.com

*Pri mar y school students can only give up food for 8 hou rs.

your climate. your futu re.

In September, the Australian Youth Climate Coalition (AYCC) and World Vision will be holding the first ever youth climate vote. Young people will be the most affected by climate change – we must have our voices heard on this issue before it’s too late. It’s about fighting for our future and those people in poor countries and communities that will be most affected by climate change, and don’t have the resources to deal with it.

your vote.

Hold a voting event in your school, community, university, TAFE or workplace this September.

youthdecide.com.au

Be a part of this historic moment. No-one else will solve climate change for us. We need you. Join the movement.

Take action & have your say on climate change.

How to BITE BACK at hunger

stories. videos. actions. ... photos. deeperOUT dig [BREAK BOX OF OPTIONS:]

worldvision.com.au/youth

aUGUST2009

IDE

[REFERENDUM AD]

] World Vision

YOUTH DEC

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The source of life in more ways than one

Composed of up to 70 percent water, the human body also needs water to regulate temperature, remove waste, and to carry oxygen and nutrients to organs. In fact, every system and cell in our bodies relies on water to operate properly. Here are just a few of the benefits it provides:

Few other interventions have a more profound impact on poor communities than improving access to water. It is foundational to all aspects of human life and development.

Essential for our bodies, water is also a basic requirement for much of the activity that goes on around us. Water is needed for everything from bathing and cooking through to irrigating crops and generating electricity. It grows the plants and livestock that we eat and it’s essential for industry. It takes 140 litres of water to produce just one cup of coffee and 1,350 litres to produce one kilogram of wheat. (Source: www.waterfootprint.org)

Of course, it’s not just any old water that we’re talking about. What good is it for a community to be surrounded by water if it’s salt water or full of contaminants? Fresh, clean water is the thing – and not just because we need it to drink, cook and clean. The impact of waterborne diseases – the result of a community’s exposure to dirty, stagnant water and inadequate sanitation – on a community’s economy can be devastating (see p. 6-7). Access to water can turn a desert into thriving agricultural land. Water plays a key part in improving the lives of children, families and communities – a key part, in short, of economic development. August2009

illness and less time spent collecting water

• annual savings of $1.7 billion spent on treating

less joint pain and more energy • provides protection from heart attacks and a whole list of other health problems

] World Vision

• 272 million more days spent in school • more than 20 billion working days gained from less

veryone knows how vital water is to our survival. We can’t go a few hours without getting thirsty. At best, our bodies can survive without water for three days.

• increases concentration • flushes toxins out of the system • aids digestion • contributes to healthier skin, fewer headaches,

of halving the number of people without access to clean drinking water and basic sanitation by 2015, the gains would include:

Water – a way out of poverty This year, about 900 million people have inadequate access to clean drinking water. About 900 million also go hungry every day. Coincidence? Hardly. While these 900 million people may not overlap exactly, the link between access to water and poverty is real. A recent World Health Organization study found that if we achieved the United Nations Millennium Development Goal

water-related diseases • total economic benefits of US$38 billion

The United Nations has calculated that the world needs to commit US$10 billion annually to meet the Millennium Development Goals to halve global poverty by 2015 and improve access to clean water and sanitation all over the world. Although it might sound like a lot, governments spend that amount on military hardware every eight days. As United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said in 2008, “A world short of water will be an unstable world. Yet the worst need not happen. We know what the problems are, and what to do about them. It is not lack of knowledge or technology that is holding us back.” Because of your support, World Vision can help to meet basic water and sanitation needs in poor communities through activities including:

• drilling wells and boreholes • protecting springs • building toilets and rainwater tanks • training communities on water source maintenance • providing hygiene education z n

This community in Mauritania celebrates as a drilling rig reaches clean water.

Helping farmers to irrigate their crops can dramatically improve food production.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;...World Vision can help to meet basic water and sanitation needs in poor communities...â&#x20AC;?

Access to clean drinking water reduces childhood illness and results in increased school attendance.

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Action on water: a powerful way to fight poverty

profound effect on me in many ways. First of all seeing how much poverty there is and yet I was most taken by the infectious joy of the people. I couldn’t believe that such impoverished communities were so remarkably willing to offer everything they had.

n this interview Damian Walshe-Howling, star of Channel Nine’s Underbelly and a recent Australian Film Institute award winner, shares his passion for raising awareness about the needs of poor communities around the world, in particular access to clean water and sanitation.

] World Vision

August2009

Q: What inspired you to become the water and sanitation ambassador for World Vision?

A: Growing up in a conscientious family definitely opened my mind to the many challenges faced in the developing world. My parents and family friends have always been socially aware about global issues and the effects of poverty overall, so I guess that sphere of influence ignited my imagination at an early age. I have also been inspired by those who devote their lives to taking action. People such as Fred Hollows, Mother Teresa and Nelson Mandela are obviously guiding lights for humanity as well as the many unknowns who devote time to helping others in need.

When I was 21, I travelled extensively through Southeast Asia, India and Nepal with a friend of mine. We spent the bulk of that year in India, which had an incredibly

Damian Walshe-Howling visited World Vision project communities in Thailand.

At times I found the poverty quite overwhelming and yet I had to experience all of that in order to start asking questions about what can be done to bring awareness to these enormous issues. I am most passionate about developing stories through the media and World Vision that can bring a deeper understanding into people’s lives about the extraordinary cultures of the developing world and the challenges they face in their everyday lives.

Q: What appeals to you about World Vision and helping the poor? A: In my travels I have been incredibly inspired by the joy and tenacity of those I have encountered living in poverty and particularly by their faith in life, despite the fact that they live each day on the very edge of survival. But that doesn’t make their hardships any less challenging, so you can’t romanticise it either.

In the field I see World Vision dealing with poverty holistically, empowering communities to work for themselves with dignity. Rather than simply dictating, they consult the communities about their needs, and help them to find their own solutions to the many difficulties they face.

Q: Have you travelled to any countries where water and sanitation are key issues? Tell us about your experience. A: Many of the places I have travelled have major struggles with water and sanitation. Most recently I visited two communities living in extreme poverty in the seaside resort town of Pattaya, Thailand. They are temporary communities, constantly forced to move on. The dwellings are made with anything from bits of cardboard to scavenged wood. The ground is littered with all sorts of garbage and refuse. In terms of sanitation, both communities have no sign of fresh water. They are built on the edge of canals – festering, stagnant waterholes with an abundance of mosquitoes increasing the risk of diseases like malaria and dengue fever. The houses were tiny and in some cases there were 10 to 12 people living together in one room.

This recent trip to Thailand was facilitated by World Vision and was particularly enlightening because it educated me about the direct implementation of various development projects in the field. It was a deep and intimate immersion into the many issues these impoverished communities face and some of the methods being employed to provide solutions.

approximately 4,000 children a day. And this is a constant, everyday problem. A child may get well but then fall ill again within a week, from the same condition. A major contributing factor is poor sanitation systems that often contaminate water supplies and make the situation even worse.

Fresh water is one of the most precious resources we have and yet we take it for granted because we can get it from a tap anytime. In Pattaya, where I’ve just been, I was struck by the contrast between large hotels with massive swimming pools and entire communities just around the corner where people are struggling to find water clean enough to meet their basic needs.

One of the aspects my Thailand trip revealed to me was how interlinked issues of poverty are with each other. It’s a web. The poorest people are living in the worst areas. Therefore they have the worst water and sanitation, which leads to illness, which leads to unemployment, which forces children into dangerous labour situations and compromises their education. It was a real eye-opener for me as to how all of these issues link up.

Q: How have these experiences affected you? A: Something really awoke in me when I started travelling the world. I thought I can sit around and philosophise all I like, but until I take action all that philosophising is just arguments I’m having with myself. Another thing that has become clear to me is that a position of nonjudgement is of great benefit when you’re collaborating with developing communities. World Vision is clearly addressing each individual’s rights and needs while working from a base of cultural acceptance. Q: What are some of the largest water and sanitation issues facing people in developing countries today? A: Clean water and healthy sanitation are the most basic of needs. It is absolutely imperative that developing communities have access to these resources. The sickness that abounds because of poor water and sanitation is mind-blowing.

Dirty water is responsible for illnesses that we treat as trivial in the developed world. For example something as simple as diarrhoea is responsible for the death of

Q: What's the biggest change that everyday Australians can make? A: Keep giving where you can, because the money is going into the projects that need it most. World Vision is constantly developing as an organisation and the money is an imperative part of keeping these projects thriving. Q: Finally, if you could say one thing to World Vision supporters what would it be? A: When I was in the field I saw money being utilised in a way that, to my mind, is extremely impressive. On my trip everything was open to me. All the questions I had were addressed with practical examples in the field.

If you’re looking to take action, providing clean water is one of the easiest ways to help break the cycle of poverty. Programs like Water Health Life are an affordable and powerful way to help provide one of life’s basic necessities. worldvision.com.au/whl z

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My World Vision \/ n

“Thank you for sponsorship.”

...I want to be a doctor so I can treat people against malaria and other diseases.

] World Vision

August2009

ing of th Malaria’s a th

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A day in the life: Imani

en-year-old Imani lives with his parents, younger sister and older brother on the outskirts of Dar Es Salaam, a major city in Tanzania. Imani’s day begins very early. “I wake up in the morning at 5am and make my bed and then tie up the mosquito net.” Before his family received the mosquito net, Imani would get malaria sometimes, but now he doesn’t get it at all. After brushing his teeth and sweeping his room, if the household needs water Imani will fetch it with a bucket from a well about 800 metres away. He carries the bucket back home in the traditional way – on top of his head.

After a short lunch break, school finishes in the early afternoon. Imani is back at home shortly after 2pm, when he tucks into a bowl of ugali, a staple dish in Tanzania made of maize flour usually eaten with stew, and enjoys a rest. “Then maybe I do some cleaning or my study and then I play later.” Imani’s school was built by World Vision with a small contribution from Imani’s community. “I enjoy school very much. I play football (soccer) and we also pretend like we’re driving a car. I am a midfielder in soccer. Sometimes we play behind the school or sometimes on the street.”

School starts at 7am. It’s a short five minute walk from Imani’s home. First item on the agenda is assembly, then roll-call, followed by a clean-up of the schoolyard. “We pick up rubbish to make sure the school looks nice, then the bell rings and we sing the national anthem every day.” It’s called Wimbowa Taifa, which translates to Song of the Nation. Classes begin at 7.45am. “We learn mathematics, English, science, civics (a combination of history and citizenship), geography, history, Swahili, sports and life skills. We also study religion.” Imani doesn’t hesitate to nominate his favourite subject. “Science is my favourite subject because when I grow up I want to be a doctor so I can treat people against malaria and other diseases.”

Chore s are do

“Imani’s school was built by World Vision with a small contribution from Imani’s community.” Later in the afternoon, it’s time to help out with some chores. “Sometimes I help my mum fetch water. Then I go to play again, then I have a bath and then eat dinner. Some days I eat rice and some days I eat ugali. I go to bed at 9pm.” It’s a long and busy day, with a variety of activities involving work, rest and play. z

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My World Vision \/

Lifting the lid on the world’s sanitation crisis

Kusalta watches as her mother cleans their toilet.

oilets and hygiene are a topic that most of us were told should not be discussed in polite company. And even though sanitation is fundamental for human health, it is hidden in the shadows right around the world. The sad and shocking reality is that 2.5 billion people, or about 40 percent of the global population, live without access to improved sanitation in the form of a toilet or pit latrine.

(UNICEF/WHO Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation 2008)

As a result, millions of people suffer from a wide range of preventable illnesses, such as diarrhoea, which claim thousands of lives each day, primarily those of young children. The problem is particularly acute in southern Asia, where some 778 million people are forced to go to the toilet in fields, forests or other open spaces. The Kaski District of Nepal, home to the picturesque Lake Rupa, is a case in point. Until recently the area’s stunning physical beauty was hiding a sanitation crisis affecting the local community. Sponsored child Kusalta, 12, lives with her family near the lake. “This place may look and feel beautiful now, but it was not the same before,” Kusalta said. She explained that because they had no toilets, local people would go to the forested area around the lake to defecate. Over the years, the area not only became known for its foul smell, but also for the many health hazards it posed, especially for children.

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August2009

Kusalta’s older sister Safalta said that for years this forest was the only toilet she had ever known. “Even though I feared going there, everyone went there and I had no other choice but to take my sister there too,” she added.

As well as contending with the smell, also came the fear of leeches during the rainy season. And for girls, there was the possibility of physical assault, especially at night. But all these fears came to end when World Vision helped the community to construct a toilet for every household and provided hygiene education.

“I can see our village getting cleaner by the day...” The girls’ mother explained that this has lifted a heavy weight from their shoulders. “We had gotten used to it. But as my daughters were growing up, I had started to feel bad for them. I’ve had my own share of fears, and the worst one was having diarrhoea. It would be like a curse to everyone in the village.” Kusalta and Safalta take turns to help their mother clean the toilet and Kusalta also goes around her village advising others to do the same. “I remember vividly how World Vision oriented us on using the toilets and the advantages of having one. I want to keep the memory fresh in their minds,” adds Kusalta. Since the introduction of toilets, the foul smell in the forest is disappearing and people no longer fear going there. “I can see our village getting cleaner by the day,” she says. “We have been able to keep our village clean and conserve the beauty of the lake. Now I have a toilet at home which I can use anytime I want and I have good night’s sleep too.” z

“2.5 billion people, or about 40 percent of the global population, live without access to improved sanitation in the form of a toilet or pit latrine.”

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How you help your sponsored child, their family and their community

n In the early stages of an ADP, World Vision spends time getting to know community members and learning about the challenges they face.

nderstand the building blocks World Vision uses to help communities harness their knowledge to begin a journey toward self-sufficiency. These changes are not possible without the generosity of child sponsors like you. First introductions World Vision only works with a community by invitation. Beginning with the first handshake, World Vision and the community become partners in a journey that takes the community to self-sufficiency. Often, this partnership takes the form of an Area Development Program (ADP). Working towards making the entire community of the child you sponsor self-sufficient is the best way of making sure that child gets the best possible start in life. Building trust and making decisions Before starting an ADP, World Vision staff will spend many months working with the community to identify their needs and together plan responses. As World Vision and the community work together, trust is built and relationships strengthened. These ties become critical to successful social transformation. Community leaders help set the priorities. They are aware of issues that may not be apparent to staff members.

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Physical transformations Once the community and World Vision have set priorities, the physical work begins. Ensuring access to clean water and sanitation is a priority, alongside healthcare and education.

World Vision serves communities by drilling new wells, protecting water sources, or piping water from safe springs. World Vision prepares a community for a new well for more than a year. Staff train a village water committee to educate the rest of the community on hygiene, latrine building and pump maintenance. World Vision arranges for geophysicists to survey the best place to drill. Clean water Clean water helps protect children from many diseases. Across Africa, nearly two million children die from water-related diseases annually. Proper irrigation helps families double or triple the size of their harvests,

n An ADP helps to create many positive and lasting changes in a community.

providing more nutritious food for their children. Without funds from child sponsors, none of this would be possible. Education Working with local people, World Vision helps communities build their own schools and provide their own teachers. Educating children, including girls, is critical for the future of a community. Benefits include higher literacy rates, more job options, and increased income. Healthcare Child sponsorship helps provide for activities including:

• Natal and pre-natal care • Vaccinations and treatment for children • HIV and AIDS counselling Access to healthcare can reduce the infant mortality rate and eliminate some diseases from the community. Final phase As a community becomes self-reliant, World Vision’s involvement decreases. The community becomes more active in its continued growth and development and requires less outside assistance. The goal of any World Vision project is to empower the community to become self-sufficient. Once that happens (usually in a span of 10 to 15 years), the program closes. In effect, World Vision works itself out of a job. Communities experience ownership as they create long-lasting infrastructures, such as food co-ops, community centres and health clinics. When World Vision leaves, it’s a celebration for the community, staff and child sponsors. z Take a virtual tour through an ADP in Colombia at worldvision.com.au/Learn/VirtualTour.aspx

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Eva (left) and Penina wear traditional Maasai wedding attire.

Cultural traditions of the Maasai: Dressing to impress

] World Vision

August2009

ll over the world, clothing is one of the most important and distinctive expressions of human culture. From everyday wear to special occasion finery, what we wear says a lot about who we are and where we’ve come from.

In this issue, we take a look at the Maasai people, an indigenous semi-nomadic tribe living in Tanzania and Kenya. The Maasai are proud people who historically resisted the slave trade and continue to protect their culture to this day. Nowadays, at the same time as their lifestyle is being lauded as a showpiece example of how to live in an environmentally sustainable way, they are coming under increased pressure from growing populations, deforestation, drought, climate change and even tourism. Tradition and ceremony are the two most important determinants of clothing and personal grooming for Maasai women. The Maasai are pastoralists who traditionally live in areas that have long dry seasons and short torrential rains. Therefore, over time Maasai women have adapted to their environment,

making the most of the few resources at their disposal in order to look their best. Monica, a 27-year-old woman living at home with her parents, starts her daily grooming routine early in the morning. “I wash my face with cold water, and then lightly apply petroleum jelly,” she explains. In the past, ghee (clarified butter) was used instead of petroleum jelly. The role of clothing Maasai women use clothes that distinguish each other according to their rank in society – and their rank is determined by their age. “When I was a little girl,” Monica says, “I wore one piece of cloth, usually made from two metres of cotton or polyester material wrapped around the body through one armpit and knotted over the other shoulder. When I grew up I wore two pieces of cloth and I started fastening a belt around my waist to hold the flaps together. When you are a little girl you don’t care if your clothes are blown in the wind as you play.” On special occasions or during traditional gatherings the women bring their most spectacular colours out. Women not yet eligible for marriage can be recognised by the plain red, maroon or blue colours of their clothes. A strict tradition allows her only two pieces of cloth, called shooka, knotted over her shoulder.

A young woman ready for marriage wears three pieces of cloth, which she becomes eligible to wear after initiation. “I got my third piece of cloth on my initiation,” Monica says. Initiation ushers young ladies into adulthood. It’s a colourful event organised by the girls’ families. An uninitiated Maasai woman will never be regarded as an adult. Rams are slaughtered, traditional meals are prepared and dances take place. “I got training on personal hygiene, how to live like an adult, respect for parents, and many other things,” Monica explains. Equally important was the bright piece of cloth that was added onto her plain maroon. Proudly, now she is eligible for marriage. When she gets married Monica will add another set of colours to her outfits.

“On special occasions or during traditional gatherings the women bring their most spectacular colours out.” The wedding day A Maasai bride’s body sparkles brightly, as if it is draped in a thousand silver stars from head to toe. Round, polished pieces of aluminium, the size of a trimmed fingernail, twinkle in the sunlight on equally shiny, delicate aluminium chains sewn onto a brown wedding gown. Around her neck are plates of beads. For a Maasai bride, beads and aluminium rings are as emblematic of a wedding ceremony as a white veil in Australia. A thick bead ring is strapped tightly across the forehead and held into position by a narrow thread of beads that runs down the ears and round the chin. Two more lines of beads branch off from the left ear to the right ear, across her eyebrows, with another across the ridge of her nose. From both threads of beads hang numerous round aluminium pieces like those twinkling on her brown gown. The polished aluminium turns and twinkles when she smiles. They shine as they reflect the light in different angles. A Maasai bride’s outfit is incomplete without thick beads on her left elbow and beaded bracelets on her upper arm. To complete the attire she holds a colourfully beaded wooden stick in her hand.

On the wedding day, special makeup is applied on the face. “I smeared red mud on my face. It makes you look very beautiful and special,” says Penina. Penina, 28, was married three years ago. “It was a special day in my life,” she says as she turns a stick in her hand. An elderly woman escorts the bride, also in special, though somewhat less spectacular, ceremonial attire. Her plates of colourful beads match the bride’s, and just for the occasion she wears a special belt made of white copper-tipped beads. She also wears cow hide, which she wraps around her waist under a blue gown, leaving it to jut out at her ankles, trailing on the ground. The matron holds a stick too. For Eva, the dignity and status of marriage are symbolised in the deep blue of the three pieces of cloth she wears; one wrapped around her waist, two over her shoulder. The hem of her cloth has a shimmering white lining. “I can wear any colour, depending on what is on the market,” she says. “But Maasai colours are maroon, blue and red.” Ngeli also wears an upper arm bracelet, usually made of aluminium wire. Only a mature woman can take so many liberties with colour with ceremonial dress. “We are people who copy things and once we like them, we will not change for a long time. You can rarely see a Maasai wearing white or green. Our favourite colours started with our ancestors. They loved them and started wearing them and assigned a colour to each age group. We have taken to wearing those colours and we have made them our culture,” says Mary, 44. In contrast, Maasai women have only one hair style. “We shave our heads bald,” says Penina, whose hair has started to grow. “This is already too much hair,” she says, brushing her hand across her head. Whether girl, bride or elderly lady, heads are shaved and groomed with petroleum jelly. Except for special traditional occasions, Maasai women don’t spend much time worrying about their faces. Some have etched permanent marks on their cheeks. “These are called didimati,” says Monica showing round marks and lines on her cheeks. She’s wearing the clothes of a single woman, waiting for her opportunity to earn a third piece of cloth. z

New educational activities for your children Growing up in Australia, our children have such an advantage. They have access to a comprehensive education system and the opportunity to pursue their interests and achieve their dreams. Our children are also growing up as part of a global community where life is very different for millions of other children who face a daily battle for survival. How do we teach our children what life is like for children living in poverty and build into their lives respect and compassion for others? > Rebecca Gibney

To enrich this experience for your whole family, World Vision is creating a new range of fun and educational activities for primary school aged children, with practical support materials for parents. To find out more, register your details online at worldvision.com.au/learn/childrenactivities

“I want my child to understand about the life of our family’s sponsor child. World Vision is developing fun and educational activities for Australian children that will help us as parents to instil positive family values.” – Rebecca Gibney

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Sponsor visit: Meeting Ta in Thailand The last gift we gave was some lollipops. We had bought a few packets a couple of weeks ago and we thought it would be nice to give them to Ta’s classmates. God is so good and knows all the details, even the little ones. We had just the right number of lollipops to give Ta, all her classmates and just enough for us; the perfect number of lollipops. Of course we had to take some photos. We got to see Ta’s classroom and then we went with Ta to see some of the projects that World Vision are helping with.

The Seemann family meet their sponsored child Ta, in Thailand.

n a recent trip to Thailand, the Seemann family from Brisbane had the opportunity to meet their sponsored child Ta and to see firsthand the positive changes taking place as a result of World Vision’s work with her community. Here the Seemann family write about their experience. After breakfast we were picked up by the World Vision staff and taken by van to the school our sponsored child, Ta, attends. We were greeted by school staff and taken to a room to meet Ta. She greeted us with such a big, beautiful, friendly smile; you could not help but smile back at her. After the introductions we gave Ta our gifts. We think that she liked the kangaroo as she carried it around all day and cuddled it. She gave us some very special gifts that she had made and a beautiful clock with elephants on it.

Ta chose her best friend Gaew to come with us. First we saw the water tanks and the clean drinking water taps for the school. We then saw the mushroom cultivation project and the vegetable patch. These vegetables are used to feed the children at lunchtime. Whatever is left over is given to the children to take home. We then went for a ride in the van to see a rubber plantation and a catfish farm. We learnt so much and got to feed the catfish. As it started to rain we sat under a shelter and got to talk to Ta and better understand her world; her likes, her favourite things and her dreams for the future. The shelter smelt like rubber because it had rubber sheets hanging down to dry. They sell these at the market. After lunch we went to a pig nursery project. We saw one- and two-month-old pigs; they were huge and smelly. It was then time to take Ta and Gaew back to school. We said our goodbyes and drove back to the hotel. We had such a wonderful day, making new friends, seeing new places and learning so much about a culture and a lifestyle so different to ours. It was great to see the wonderful work World Vision does for the communities they help. The Seemann family z

Racking your brains for a great gift for dad?

Gifts that change lives

Call 13 32 40 or visit worldvision.com.au

Noy wanted to help her family, but ended up being trafficked to work in slave-like conditions as a domestic servant.

Child Rescue: Noy’s dream becomes a nightmare Living with her family in a remote and extremely poor rural community in Laos, the bright lights of neighbouring Thailand must have seemed like the land of opportunity to her. It was this dream that led to Noy being trafficked across the Laos/Thai border and ending up as a virtual slave in the capital Bangkok. When a stranger arrived in Noy’s village and began talking to families about high-paying jobs in Thailand and how employers were willing to pay all travel expenses as well, it wasn’t hard for Noy and her father to believe his lies. They had heard stories of other girls and boys who had gone to work across the border in Thailand, so it all seemed plausible. “I wanted to help my family and earn some money so that we could have a better life,” Noy explained. Noy’s father had no idea that the man was a human trafficker. “I knew that my daughter would cross the border to work illegally but the man persuaded me and told me that everything would be fine and many people from other villages had done so before,” he said. It wasn’t long before Noy and two other children were on a bus on their way to the border. They crossed the river at night so no-one could see them and were met by strangers who locked them in a house with others from Laos. Soon a car came to pick them up and take them to Bangkok. Noy was delivered to a family where she was forced to become a domestic servant. They treated her with cruelty and locked her up when they had to go out. “I slept on the hard floor and was given little food to survive,” Noy said. The house owner told her she must stay and work for three years before she was free to go and that the man who trafficked her across the border had already taken her pay.

After seven days, Noy found a way to escape. Hungry and lost, she ended up at a small restaurant where the owner persuaded her to stay and work for him. Noy worked there from some time until the police found her and made arrangements for her to be sent back home. With support from Child Rescue, World Vision was able to work with the police and other agencies to reunite Noy with her family in Laos. We are also educating children and families in at risk communities about the dangers of child trafficking and ways they can protect themselves from such predators. Slowly settling back into her community, Noy’s experiences have given her a new perspective on life. She hopes to use her trafficking experience to warn others in her village about the dangers. She sees herself as an advocate for antitrafficking and is doing all that she can to ensure that others will not fall into the same trap. “I wanted to work to help my family with financial support, but I will never follow anybody across the border to work on the other side of the river again,” she concluded. z

Did you know? It is estimated that trafficking has enslaved 27 million people in countries all over the world.

• An estimated 1.2 million children are trafficked each year. Around 10 million children, mainly girls, are sexually exploited.

• In the Asia Pacific region alone, there are around

127 million working children under 14 – six times the population of Australia.

Sources: UNICEF, International Labour Organization

* Names have been changed in accordance with World Vision Australia’s child protection policy.

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he prospect of earning almost $100 a month was something a girl like Noy*, 13, could only dream of.

] World Vision

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Let’s talk about water... and help save lives

ustralians are no strangers to hardship where water is concerned. Drought has been one of our biggest worries and will remain so for many years to come. For some of us this means no longer being able to wash our cars and water our plants when we want to; for others it can be far more serious, threatening livelihoods and entire ecosystems.

The recent Queensland floods also demonstrated the destructive power of too much water. Water is a big issue for us all. It is the source of life and an incredible blessing but lack of it can be devastating. Water can heal the sick but when it’s dirty it can kill. For most Australians, washing our hands and flushing our toilets are normal, little-talked-about facts of life. In the film Kenny, the main character, a purveyor of rent-a-loos, brought the topic into the Australian vernacular with humorous accounts of his somewhat unusual vocation. It was a great film, and it was funny to us because the topic is so rarely discussed here. It makes us embarrassed and uncomfortable and we generally avoid it. Yet this is a conversation we must have if we are determined to save lives. In the developing world, a rent-a-loo isn’t an option. Millions of people live without such basic sanitation. According to UNICEF, of the approximately 120 million children born in poor countries each year, half will live in households without access to basic sanitation, putting their development and very survival at risk. And the result is devastating. About 4,000 children die each day from unsafe water and lack of basic sanitation facilities. Lack of water exacerbates other development issues. As the effects of climate change continue to take hold, experts predict that warmer temperatures and uneven rains could affect food crops, reducing food availability in areas where it is already scarce.

With more than a third of the world’s children already either moderately or severely underweight, this is a grave threat to our development work. The United Nations has expressed concern that reduced supplies of clean water in rural areas can add to the burden on women and girls, who can spend up to half their day collecting water for washing and cooking. In 2009, 2.5 billion people still lack adequate sanitation. World Vision is dedicated to improving sanitation wherever we work. Water and sanitation initiatives are built into all of our Area Development Programs, funded by child sponsorship. Enabling access to clean water is one of the first things considered by World Vision staff in any emergency. There is also a dedicated World Vision program, Water Health Life, working with local communities in developing countries to find practical solutions to water, sanitation and hygiene challenges. We’re already noticing exciting health improvements. In one program in Ethiopia, World Vision has brought clean water to 64,000 people. Water pipelines, springs, water collection points, new toilets and education have all contributed to a significant increase in the health and productivity of the community. There is still much work to be done, particularly in Africa. Through Water Health Life, World Vision has a number of water and sanitation projects in progress in various countries including Uganda, Sudan and Burundi. The support of our donors is vital in ensuring we can continue to work toward reducing deaths and diseases caused by a lack of clean water. Improving sanitation in developing countries is a vital ingredient in better placing the world to meet the Millennium Development Goals and halve extreme poverty by 2015. Clean water is something we tend to take for granted in Australia. Perhaps next time you’re washing your hands or cleaning your clothes, spare a thought for the millions of people living without access to clean water and sanitation. Start the conversation with friends and family and get people talking about the issue. But mostly, be immensely proud of the fact that through your ongoing support for World Vision, you are part of the solution. Tim Costello World Vision Australia Chief Executive z

Will you choose to leave a legacy that lives on for generations? For information on how to make a bequest to support World Vision’s life changing work:



1300 303 440  service@worldvision.com.au  worldvision.com.au/bequests/ContactUs.aspx

In May this year, 5,000 people gathered on St Kilda Beach in Melbourne to make a stand on climate change. Photo credit: Andrew North of Cloud 9 Aerial Photography

Different parts of Australia have recently faced the dilemma of being surrounded by either too little or too much water. But we’re not the only ones dealing with this. For many people in developing countries this is an even bigger issue and one that climate change is making even worse. Too much, too little This is particularly important for countries in Africa. Experts tell us that by the year 2020, between 75 and 250 million people in Africa are projected to be exposed to increased water stress, with demand exceeding supply. (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) Lake Chad, for example, was once the third largest source of freshwater in Africa but it has lost 90 percent of its surface area in 30 years. (Global Policy Forum) Both extensive irrigation and the effects of climate change have contributed to this situation, which is causing conflict between farmers, fisher folk and cattle herders who are all trying to make a living from this abused natural resource. But it isn’t just lack of water that causes problems. Too much water can be just as devastating. Pacific islands, like Tuvalu*, have literally shrunk because the sea level around them has risen and storm conditions have changed. Many people living in low lying areas have been forced to leave their homes because they have been flooded by the sea. Food production has also been affected because there is too much salt in the soil. * See the bigger picture: Act on climate change, Make Poverty History

Again experts suggest that these trends will become more frequent and more severe. Climate change and water Climate change is having a major effect on the availability and distribution of water. While this has implications for us all, the impacts on those living in poverty are greatest. And they are the least able to protect themselves. World Vision is working with the poor in countries like Ethiopia and Senegal to implement environmentally sustainable projects that reduce poverty and the impacts of climate change at the same time. And there’s a way you can be involved too. You can make a difference To lessen the impacts of climate change, wealthy countries like Australia need to take a leading role in international climate change negotiations and show their commitment to reducing their carbon emissions. In the run-up to the UN climate change meetings in December, you can help remind our government of the crucial role it can play in securing a fair and just deal for developing countries by becoming a Climate Change E-monitor. What is a Climate Change E-monitor? As an E-monitor, you will receive regular email updates from World Vision via a special blog during each round of UN climate negotiations. These updates will come from climate change experts at the negotiations and will provide you with the latest inside information. At key times during the UN meetings you will be asked to send off urgent emails to the Australian Government negotiators. This will let them know that we’re keeping a close eye on what’s happening and encourage them to play a positive role for the worlds poorest people. Visit worldvision.com.au/emonitor to join us today! worldvision.com.au

AIGUST2009

Making a difference to climate change

] World Vision

If Joseph drinks it, he could die of disease. If he doesn’t, he could die of dehydration.

At any one time, half of the world’s hospital beds are occupied

Water Health Life works, with communities like Mwinilunga

by patients suffering from waterborne diseases. And every day

in Zambia where four boreholes have been dug. Now 500

6,000 people die from drinking dirty water. Why? Because they

households have access to clean drinking water. The children no

have no other choice.

longer have to walk 3kms for water from contaminated streams

More than 884 million people in the world don’t have access to clean water. As a result, they are forced to drink water that could make them sick with diarrhoea, typhoid or cholera. But what’s remarkable is that when a community gains access to clean water, its child mortality rate drops by half.2 So by supporting Water Health Life, you’ll be helping to save lives in countries like Sudan, Uganda, Burundi and Cambodia.

and spend more time in school. But there is still more to do. Your help will make a difference.

Clean water is everyone’s right. Please donate now.

Call 1300 303 440  Visit worldvision.com.au/whldonate 

Basic Needs. Permanent Solutions.™ References: facts stated in this communication are drawn from 1. United Nations, Water For Life 2005–2015, Factsheet on Water and Sanitation. 2. www.worldvision.org/content.nsf/about/press-development-water.