Today is World Water Day and we wanted to introduce you to Josephine.

Josephine Romero is 45 years old and has lived in Caloocan City, Philippines her whole life.

Including Josephine 9 people live in her house: 3 young kids and 5 adults, which is a typical Filipino household.

Every week her whole family consumes 3-4 containers of water, which is approximately 70 litres of water that they receive from the Caloocan City Water For Water station. An average Australian will use this amount on just a single shower!

Josephine's husband recently died due to sickness and she now more than ever understands the importance of good health for her family. We spoke to Josephine about what having clean water means to her.

"As a Grandma I believe that clean drinking water is vital to my grandchildren's growth and health. Clean water decreases chances of being sick and hospitalised. I do all I can to preserve my family's health”

Josephine's family like many others in the Philippines use clean water for drinking, cooking and cleaning vegetables. Without access to clean water Filipinos make do with boiling water or alternatively drink un-clean-water from taps. Water is life, and Josephine's family now has the opportunity to have a healthy life.

Buy purchasing a bottle of Water For Water from any Gloria Jean's Coffee house throughout Australia you are helping people like Josephine and her family get access to clean safe drinking water.

 

From afar, it looks more like a pile of garbage - old plastics, rusting cans, rotting wood, spoiled goods. To enter the community, you have to wait for your turn so you can alternately cross the path with other people. For many, this is not what a community should be. But for the residents of Tonsuya, Caloocan City, this is their home.

Poverty can be clearly seen in their housing and environment conditions. Add to this their limited or no access to clean drinking water. The challenges just keep compounding.

Virginia who is 62 years old lives in this community with her two children and 82 year old mother. Her husband is a laborer and only goes home on weekends.

Virginia’s youngest son James has been hospitalised several times because of recurring diarrhea caused by drinking tap water. James’s doctor advised to make sure they are drinking safe clean water.

Virginia now gets water from Water For Water’s Caloocan City Water Station.

Here are some pictures from the community, our water station staff delivering water to the community and Virginia receiving clean water for her family!

Thank you to everyone who purchases Water For Water and for helping change the lives of Virginia and others in Tonsuya, Caloocan City. 

 

We get asked a lot "Why The Philippines?"
Watch our video to find out about the need for clean drinking water.

 

I don’t know about you but my childhood memories revolve around water. Running through the sprinklers on a hot day, trips to the beach and a lot of sweltering afternoons in suburban swimming pools. MARIAM is an arts worker who grew up in the Philippines before migrating to Australia. We had a chat to Mariam about her chilhood memories.  

CHILDHOOD.
From age 4 to 13 I lived in Manila and Mandaluyong. In the neighbourhood I lived in there was crime, homelessness and poverty, so keeping your wits about you was a part of life.  People also got sick a lot due to contaminated water, so my family were always careful when drinking water at school, at other people’s houses, at restaurants. Basically, safe water meant warm water.

CLEAN WATER.
From an early age I got used to the idea that drinking safe water meant boiling it first. Water-related diseases were common, and sometimes you would see hints of bacteria floating in the water.Vegetables and fruits needed to be washed with hot water, you brushed your teeth with heated water and if you wanted to drink iced water (which is the tendency with Filipino weather) your ice cubes would need to be heated before freezing.

AUSTRALIA.
I was amazed at the privilege Australians have with their water supply! For so many years I was brought up to heat my water, to shower with pails and buckets, to conserve water, conserve water, conserve water! Then I migrated to Australia in 1996, and I didn’t have to do any of these things anymore. I could just put a glass underneath a tap and drink it straight away. The tap water was so clear, and naturally cold! I could launder my clothes in these machines, I could take regular showers and swim in pools.

WHAT’S IMPORTANT?
I believe people need to spare a thought for third world countries whose health and lifestyle suffer regularly because they do not share the same privileges. As capable, courteous human beings, we need to do whatever we can to help, even if it's through spreading awareness, donating to causes, and supporting products that are devoted to making a difference. So often people forget about the predicaments of our Asian neighbours simply because they are ‘out of sight, out of mind.' But the issue of water contamination is real, and people do die from drinking infected water, or not having proper access to sanitised water.

We in Australia are definitely in a position where we can make a difference, and I'm a big believer that even one individual can make an impact.

Although National Recycling Week 2010 has come to an end, Water For Water knows that recycling is a vital part of everyday life. With this in mind we have some tips for you on what to do with your empty Water For Water bottles.

1. Look out for Recycling Bins
Shoppers at many Westfield shopping centres can now recycle with ease with the recently installed new public recycling bins across their shopping centres so be on the look at for these!

2. Take it home
Water For Water bottles are 100% recyclable!!
When you’re out and about and have a Water For Water bottle, take it home for recycling if there are no recycling options around you.
90% of Australian households have access to kerbside recycling and we recycle around 70% of the beverage containers we use at home. For more information on Kerbside recycling visit: http://recyclingnearyou.com.au/ 

3. Ask your boss
If you work in an office make sure you have a recycling scheme. Companies like AMCOR Recycling and Visy Recycling can assist you if you don't. 

Water For Water love to see good use of recycled plastic bottles.

This year Nike diverted nearly 13 million plastic bottles from the landfill for the World Cup team jerseys, enough to cover more than 29 football fields.

We also think Radiohead’s Windbreaker Made From Recycled PET Plastic Bottles is pretty cool…


For some other crazy and wonderful ideas on what you can do with your empty Water For Water bottle head over to Design Boom. Check out Gulnur Ozdaglar's jewelry and other objects made from PET bottles!
 
For more information about recycling Planet Ark’s website is a great place to start!

Blog Action Day is an annual event held on October 15th that unites the world’s bloggers in posting about the same issue on the same day with the aim of sparking a global discussion and driving collective action.

Blog Action Day asks bloggers to take a single day out of their schedule and focus it on an important issue. By doing so on the same day, the blogging community effectively changes the conversation on the web and focuses audiences around the globe on that issue.

This year the theme is Water!
Clean water is essential for our survival, but dangerously scarce. Nearly one billion people in the world today don’t have access to clean water!

Water For Water will be taking part!

So if you have a blog or know someone who does, on October 15th get blogging - visit the Blog Action Day website for more information.

We were walking through our local shopping centre today and bumped into a very friendly World Vision advocate who was educating the masses on the lack of clean water around the world. World Vision's 'Child Health Now' campaign calls for an end to the health crisis that is killing millions of children each year. What's needed is determined action from governments all over the world.

Check out World Vision’s website for more information: www.worldvision.com.au/childhealthnow

Or click here to sign their petition: https://trans.worldvision.com.au/childhealthnow/

So this got us thinking about other great organisations raising awareness for pressing global issues. Take a few minutes to check out what they do…

Generosity Water is dedicated to ending the clean water crisis in developing countries, one community at a time. Through innovative awareness campaigns, strategic implementation and in depth accountability, they hope to inspire people to think globally and live generously.
http://generositywater.com/

3things is a blog that connects you to the issues you care about and to people creating a more equitable and sustainable world. 3things is an initiative of Oxfam Australia.
http://3things.org.au/

Side Street, Sydney is a blogazine dedicated to the fine city of Sydney and the competing passions of its people and its admirers. It is for the fashionista as much as it is for the social worker. Check out the Side Sense page.
http://www.sidestreetsydney.com.au/

The A21 Campaign stands for abolishing injustice in the 21st century. Anyone can join - everyone can make a difference.
http://www.thea21campaign.org/

Make sure you check out our blog next Friday and share with your friends...