-by Ally Dalsimer,
VA-11 congressional candidate
Water is essential for life. We use it to drink, wash, cook, recreate, and more. Yet, according to the World Health Organization, 1 in 3 people globally doesn’t have access to clean drinking water, and 2.5 BILLION lack basic sanitation. Today, March 22, is World Water Day-- a day to reflect on what water means to you. To celebrate and honor the day, I am challenging everyone to drink a glass of water (celebrating our access to clean drinking water) and to donate to a charity of your choice (honoring those less fortunate). As we saw recently in Jackson, Mississippi, lack of access to clean water is not something that only happens elsewhere; it happens right here at home in the U.S. Water is a precious resource-- one to protect and conserve, and one to enjoy by drinking, fishing, swimming, or whatever you want to do with, in, and around water. So please join me by taking the World Water Day Drink-- and-- Donate Challenge! Video yourself taking the challenge, post and share on social media, then donate to a charity or social movement, or even to the Ally For Congress campaign! Together, we really can make a difference! #A4CWorldWaterDay
Washington state progressive Jason Call backed up Ally immediately. "It's stunning that in America, we have hundreds of cities like Flint that for one reason or another don't have something that most of us take for granted-- a clean, healthy water supply. Around the world and particularly in the Global South, at least 2 billion people don't have access to a fresh, clean, local water supply. Many have to make daily travels of miles carrying water containers from sources that still require the water is boiled before it's safe to drink. Furthermore, we have seem heinous attempts over the decades by multinationals like Nestle and Bechtel, to usurp and privatize natural water supplies not only in places like Cochabamba, Bolivia, but right here in Washington State where local communities have protested and rejected a bottling plant. We must always stand firm against profiteering off the essentials of life. Today, International Water Day, we highlight that which makes life on earth possible."
