The day focuses attention on the importance of safe, clean water while advocating for the sustainable management of freshwater resources. While serving as a reminder of the global population who suffers from water-related issues, the day also provides calls to action to prepare for the management of water in the future.
Each year, U.N.-Water sets a theme for World Water Day corresponding to a current or future challenge. This year’s theme, “Glacier Preservation,” focuses on mitigating climate change and adapting to the loss of glaciers to protect communities and ecosystems.
According to U.N.-Water, 2.2 billion people still live without safely managed drinking water, including 115 million people who drink surface water. In addition, roughly half of the world’s population is experiencing severe water scarcity for at least part of the year.
“Salesian Missions has made clean water projects a priority in countries around the globe to address the need for fresh, clean water for drinking, cooking and other daily uses,” said Father Michael Conway, director of Salesian Missions. “The Salesian Missions ‘Clean Water Initiative’ makes building wells and supplying fresh, clean water a top priority for every community in every country in which Salesian missionaries work.”
In honor of World Water Day, Salesian Missions is highlighting water projects that are impacting youth and entire communities.
BURUNDI
Don Bosco Ngozi High School in Burundi is working to complete a sanitation project thanks to funding from the Salesian Missions “Clean Water Initiative.” The school has 1,248 students but has not been able to keep up with modernizing and increasing the number of toilets, even though the number of students has increased each year.
The “Clean Hygienic Facilities for a Big Smile” project is installing water facilities, wastewater channels, and other necessary amenities to ensure that the facilities are clean, safe, and hygienic.
A Salesian explained, “Before this project started, the toilet facilities were in a state of disrepair. The new upgrades made possible through this funding will play a crucial role in ensuring the health and safety of the youth who utilize them. Clean and hygienic facilities are essential for preventing the spread of diseases and promoting good hygiene practices. By providing these facilities, we are not only improving the physical well-being of the youth but also their overall quality of life.”
KENYA
Salesians in Korr, a city in the Chalbi desert in Kenya, are building two wells thanks to donor funding from the Salesian Mission Office in Turin, Italy. The project involves the installation of solar pumps, pipes and a 20,000-liter tank. The water wells will improve the quality of life and health of over 800 families. One of the wells has been completed.
A Salesian said, “Imagine a girl who can finally attend school regularly because she no longer has to spend hours looking for water. Together we can make a difference, transforming their daily struggle for water into a story of change and hope. Let’s build together a future in which water access is no longer a privilege, but a right guaranteed for everyone.”
The ongoing drought and poverty, along with and the lack of running water, makes life difficult for the Samburu and Rendille tribes who live in this region. Every day is a quest to find water. People travel up to 15 km to reach the nearest water point, which takes time away from education, work and family life. Women and children bear the greatest burden of this effort. The surface and underground wells, often distant and not always safe, are also used for subsistence farming activities.
UGANDA
Salesian missionaries with Don Bosco Children and Life Mission (Don Bosco CALM), in Namugongo, northeast of Kampala, Uganda, had the funding for a rain harvest water system thanks to the Salesian Missions. “Clean Water Initiative.” The project was completed in June 2024.
The new water system has ensured reliable clean water for the 558 students at the Salesian school along with staff, others on campus and people in the nearby community. The water is available for drinking, cooking and hygiene. The new system is also working to ensure that the campus no longer floods during heavy rains by controlling the impact of running water over the grounds. With the addition of the new system, Salesians are saving money on expensive water bills and can reinvest this money into the school.
Okori Timothy, age 10, is one of the students who have benefited from the project. He explained, “Before the new water system, my friends and I struggled to have the water we needed for washing clothes and for bathing. During the rainy season it was difficult to play because the field would be flooded. This new water system is solving both problems. We have the water we need and can use the grounds to play and be with our friends.”
ZAMBIA
Youth living at Don Bosco Makululu and students attending the Salesian primary and secondary school have access to clean water thanks to a project funded in Zambia by the Salesian Missions “Clean Water Initiative.” More than 1,500 youth are benefiting from this project at Don Bosco Makululu, a home for street children from poor areas who have nowhere else to live. Salesians ensure youth have their basic needs met and are able to access education.
The project included drilling a new borehole and the steel needed for a new water stand. A new water tank is connected to the existing water system so that even when the power is out, which can be up to 16 hours a day, Salesians can utilize the water pump and the solar power to ensure clean water access.
The entire area where the Salesian center is located suffers from poor sanitary conditions, including an inadequate water supply, bad drainage and poor air quality. This area of Zambia has also been experiencing frequent droughts. The new water resource is enabling Salesians to ensure that youth in their programs and schools have the water they need.
Source: Salesian Missions
