Happy World Water Day! As we celebrate this day and reinvigorate our commitment to demand access to water for all, we want to share with you some updates we just received from Wangki Tangni, MADRE's sister organization in Nicaragua.
While access to clean water and sanitation was declared a human right by the United Nations General Assembly in July 2010 and made legally binding in October 2010, 884 million people are still denied access. For years, MADRE has been working with Wangki Tangni on the North Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua where lack of access to clean water and health care has led to increased incidences of waterborne diseases that quickly become fatal. Through our Liwa Mairin / Women Waterkeepers Project, MADRE and Wangki Tangni train Indigenous women and their families on how to maintain wells, and we work to provide much needed water pumps and supplies to facilitate access to clean water.
Today, Rose Cunningham, the Director of Wangki Tangni, sent me an update about a group of engineers that are currently visiting the project in the communities of Kisalaya and Kururia. She shared with MADRE that during their week-long trip, the engineers will be able to work with Wangki Tangni to repair approximately 10 water wells, install 2 water pumps and provide education on hygiene and sanitation to bring clean water to Indigenous families and their communities.
These simple solutions spearheaded by a local community group will make valuable strides in improving access to clean water. It is a lesson we should all embrace on this day.
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