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FAWCO and AWC The Hague...
Changing the Flow
by Anne van Oorschot, AWC Member & FAWCO Target Program Chair
As most of you know, our Club is raising
money to support the Target Project, a
well digging project in Cambodia. Our
involvement – and that of other FAWCO clubs
worldwide – has raised $106,160 to date,
resulting in the creation of 151 field wells
(kitchen use + irrigation) and 244 family
wells (kitchen use) in Cambodia. More funds
will be added before the end of December
2012 when the program ends, so even more
wells can be dug. (Look for the FAWCO Table
at the Holiday Bazaar for a fun and decorative
way to support this water project!) A
total success, you may think? While it is,
the Target Program is not just about raising
money. It is also about raising awareness to
the immense problems and challenges associated
with water. Read on and see if you can
increase your awareness…
Ten Startling Facts about Water:
• 884 million people in the world lack access
to clean water; that’s almost 3 times
the population of the United Sates!
• An American taking a five-minute
shower uses more water than the average
person in a developing country’s
slum uses for an entire day.
• People living in informal settlements
(i.e. slums) often pay 5-10 times more
per liter of water than wealthy people
living in the same city.
• The Earth is a closed system, meaning
that it rarely loses or gains extra
matter. The same water that existed on
the Earth millions of years ago is still
present today.
• Somewhere between 70 and 75 percent
of the Earth’s surface is covered with
water, but much more fresh water is
stored under the ground in aquifers than
on the Earth’s surface.
• About half the world’s hospital beds
are occupied by someone with a water-
44 GOING DUTCH
related illness.
• It takes over 11,000 liters of water to
produce a pound of coffee.
• Of all the water on Earth, humans can
use only about three tenths of 1% of
this water. Such usable water is found
in groundwater aquifers, rivers, and
freshwater lakes.
• Nearly seven times more water is used
to make a disposable water bottle than
it contains.
• Bottles used to package water take over
1,000 years to biodegrade. If incinerated,
they produce toxic fumes. It is
estimated that over 80% of all singleuse
water bottles used in the US simply
become litter.
NOVEMBER 2012 45