1. The Decade of Freshwater Take a few minutes to think about water. It is of such critical importance in our lives! The United Nations has declared that 2003 will be the International Decade of Freshwater. We cannot live without water. That is why we have to make sure that everyone can get clean drinking water no matter where they live. International Decade of Freshwater.

2. Water Not many people ever think about where our water comes from as they brush their teeth or wash their faces in the bathroom each morning.

3. Water … A Poverty Issue But one billion people have no clean water to drink -- that is one out of every six persons here on earth. And more than 2 billion people, almost half of the world's population, have no toilet to use. Many people have to walk for hours each day to find the closest water pump or water well.

4. Water …. A Gender Issue Usually it is the women who have to carry the water, like this girl in Sierra Leone walking through a cassava field with a jerrycan of water on her head. Sierra Leone Even very small girls sometimes have to carry water instead of going to school.

5. Water … A Health Issue Although fresh water can be found all around the world most of it is either frozen in the polar ice caps, mixed in the soil or deep underground. In fact, less than 1 percent of the world's fresh water is available to be used. That is why we need to take care of it! The United Nations is busy bringing water to villages and cities. Here are a couple of men working on a UN project that is helping to improve the delivery of water in Lachi, Pakistan.Pakistan

6. Water The leaders of the world promised to make sure another 1.5 billion people will have access to safe drinking water by the year 2015. You can go to MillenniumMillennium Development GoalsDevelopment Goals to check the progress so far. You can help by promote awareness of the precious gift of water during this International Deacde of Freshwater by passing along this littleInternational Deacde of Freshwater presentation on water. Thank you. Water is a Women’s issue – Act Now!