Launching this Ash Wednesday of the campaign 7 Weeks for Water

Access to safe drinking water and to improved adequate sanitation is judged by the Pope as a “crucial question” as do many organizations including the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary (SNJM) who took a corporate stand on this issue in 2013.

Unfortunately, even though access to good drinking water and improved adequate sanitation became a human rights issue in 2010, today approximately 750 million people do not have access to safe drinking water, while close to 2 billion people have to drink contaminated water.

The World Council of Churches Ecumenical Water Network (EWN) invites you to use this season of Lent to reflect on water. Since 2008, the EWN has been providing weekly theological reflections and other resources on water for the seven weeks of Lent and for World Water Day on 22 March.

This year the reflections on water and sanitation will focus on inequality, stigma and discrimination related to water, feminisation of water poverty in the context of Africa, among others.

Here is the first text for reflection.  You will find the texts for the following weeks under “Prayers and Reflections” in the column to the right.