World Water Day

March 22nd is World Water Day, as designated by the United Nations. They decreed 2005-2015 as the International Decade for action, or "The Water for Life" Decade. It aims to promote efforts to fulfil international commitments made on water and water-related issues by 2015, placing a special emphasis on the involvement on women in these efforts.


Water is essential for life. Yet many millions of people around the world face water shortages and a daily struggle to secure safe water for their basic needs. Millions of children continue to die every year from preventable water-borne diseases. Water-related natural disasters such as floods, tropical storms and tsunamis exact a heavy toll in human life and suffering. And all too regularly, drought afflicts some of the world’s poorest countries, exacerbating hunger and malnutrition.

Have you heard of the Millennium Development goals? These goals, agreed to by all 191 United Nations Member States at the Millennium Summit in 2000, set specific targets for educing poverty, hunger, disease, illiteracy, environmental degradation and discrimination against women by 2015. If you have received a copy of the paper I wrote on the poverty in Niger you will see these goals used as benchmarks to judge their progress and problems as a country and ways to address these needs with our work in Niger. (If you haven't read it and want a copy - email me).

Regarding water, Governments agreed to reduce by half the proportion of people without access to safe drinking water by 2015, the year to mark the end of the International Decade for Action: “Water for Life”.


Improving access to safe water and sanitation is critical not only to reducing poverty but also to reducing maternal and child mortality and combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other major diseases. More than 2 million people in developing countries, most of them children, die each year from diseases associated with unsafe drinking water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene.

So why do I care so much? Well, a lot of the work Paul and I are going to do in Niger revolves around development work and water plays a big part in that. We are partnering with Samaritans purse to help buid bio-sand water filters to bring clean waters and health education to families. You can read about this awesome project here: http://www.samaritanspurse.ca/ourwork/water/

Watch the video on that page. It's pretty amazing.

I will also be teaching about health and nutrition in Niger and water and hygiene plays a huge role. Last fall I designed an e-course, intended for workers going to countries like Niger, to be able to understand the importance of water and how to recognize, treat and teach others about Diarrhea and Dehydration, both of which are linked to poor water quality. You can take a few minutes and learn this information by looking at the e-course I designed. (It's still a work in progress so feel free to give me feedback!)

Water is Life e-course: http://payson.tulane.edu/courses/ltl/projects/fall2007/Diarrhea%20and%20Dehydration%20E-class/

I encourage you to take the time today or this week to look into the importance of clean water, and lack of it, around the world. Appreciate and be a good steward with what you have access to. And maybe even think about supporting water and health intiatives across the world, be it our work in Niger, or many other of the worthy initiatives that are out there.

You can make a difference.

A joint birthday party!

Bennett's birthday was on the 5th and Arielle's is on the 28th, so we decided to have a joint birthday party with a whole bunch of kids to celebrate!
We booked my mom's playschool room and got an hour in the gym next door with a private coach for the kids.

Having snacks and cupcakes with some of their friends

Playing with Great Grandpa and Grandma

An up close of the fruit flower bouquet Paul and I made.

So then we headed over to the gym side where the kids all ran around and burnt off all their sugar energy for an hour. There were trampolines, obstacle courses, a giant foam pit and other apparatus. All the kids (and parents!) loved it!

Paul and Bennett

Doing a floor routine. Arielle didn't quite know what was going on but she followed the actions with the other kids and looked so priceless!

Arielle and Dad in the foam pit.

The chaos of the foam pit!

Bennett climbing up part of the obstacle course.

Arielle hanging off the bar. She held on real tight and even lifted her legs up and down. She held on for a long time, her little muscles tight and straining, and she wouldn't let go!

Bennett making his way out of the tunnel at the end of the obstacle course.

Are you on my list?

I love that you read our blog. So many of you who follow our journey know you can always come here to see and read what is going on in our lives. But did you know there are newsletters too? As we've been speaking at churches, to groups and to individuals we try to remember to tell you to send us your email address so I can add you to our mailing list for when i send out prayer updates, ministry updates, etc. So here is another REMINDER!! If you would like to get our newsletters and other emails from us, please send me your name and email address (and maybe a brief note where we know you from or you are reading from) to our email address, which is the_mcivers@hotmail.com
If you found us by accident and we've never met face to face, you can still get our newsletters! Drop us a line and I'd love to meet you!

Oh yeah, another side note: We didn't always have the chance to hand out all of our information. If you are interested in more information on the state of poverty and the need for development in Niger, I have a paper I wrote I can send you that is easy reading but makes the situation clear. I also have information on the types of projects we will be doing to meet those needs, costs associated, and how you can contribute financially to our Work special fund to partner with us in meeting those needs in Niger. Let me know in you e-mail if you would like me to send you this information!

We look forward to hearing from you!

Chantelle