As the famous French proverb goes, “We never know the worth of water until the well runs dry.”

In the 21st century, there is not a single thing that we take more for granted than a sip of water. After all, it’s always there for us: we take our flasks with us to school or work, enjoy cups upon cups while at home, and if we ever get thirsty during the night, a soothing glass of water is only a kitchen’s walk away.

Scientists say that humans are 70% water, but water is 100% essential to human life. But if water is so essential, then why is it so hard to come by in some areas? The reality is that clean, drinkable water is still a luxury to many, especially in the continent of Africa. For you it is just a kitchen’s walk away, but for many it is an arduous, several mile long journey.

Many children have forgone their education due to a lack of access to clean water, which has resulted in them falling ill and being bedridden while they should be at school. This perpetuates a cycle of sickness and poverty that actively works against sustainable development across the globe, stagnating the progress of these third-world nations. And while we may like to think that this issue does not affect us, that we live too far-removed from the most underprivileged countries that we cannot be gripped by the issue of clean water insecurity, I would like to remind you that over 2 million Americans do not have access to clean drinking water. This number, when averaged out with the rest of the world, amounts to 1 in 4 people not having the basic right to quench their thirst and nurture their bodies as every human should.

Water is further essential in that it grants people dignity, allowing them to be clean and present their best themselves in a dignified manner. I refuse to live in a world where something as simple as water can stand in the way of people’s futures, which is why we must take action to provide clean, drinkable, accessible water to every person on this planet. Every mother and son, every father and daughter, every grandparent and grandchild, every professor and student, every aspiring engineer and passion-driven child who dreams of a future that is not crippled by a lack of water needs our help to give them the opportunity of life they deserve. It is time to make waves in the lives of countless people, and it is time to give them the water that they deserve.  -Forrest F.