CARE: Defending Dignity. Fighting Poverty.

Children can't wait for clean water

Faced with drinking dirty water or going thirsty, a child will always choose water. It shouldn’t be a life-threatening decision, but sadly, it often is.

In the developing world, millions die each year from diseases caused by unsafe water and lack of access to sanitation and hygiene education. Congress has the chance to change this reality — which is why CARE is asking our legislators to support the Water for the World Act.

We can't wait for days or months to make sure children and families have clean water, latrines and the right information to adopt good hygiene. Lives are hanging in the balance. Email your members of Congress TODAY and ask them support the Water for the World Act.

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To Whom It May Concern:

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I'm writing as a constituent, and as a supporter of the poverty-fighting organization CARE. We currently live in a world where tens of millions of people suffer from preventable causes, and the opportunity exists for you to help change this. I am writing to ask you to support the Senator Paul Simon Water for the World Act of 2013 (H.R. 2901), introduced by Representatives Ted Poe (R-TX) and Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), and approved the House Foreign Affairs Committee on November 16, 2014. The bill will go to full vote in the House of Representatives as early as this week. The bill has also been introduced in the Senate by Senator Bob Corker (R-Tennessee) and Senator Dick Durbin (D-Illinois), and is scheduled for markup in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in early December, for a full vote during this lame duck session.  Unlike many other bills, indecision over the Water for the World Act can have devastating consequences on people's health and economic productivity.  I urge you to vote in support.

The Water for the World Act will improve the impact and efficiency of U.S. foreign assistance by leveraging non-federal partnerships and funds, increasing the effectiveness and transparency of existing funding, institutionalizing existing U.S. Government leadership for water, and enhancing criteria for directing limited funding to high-priority countries.  In essence, the Water for the World Act will ensure that we use our tax-dollars wisely, monitor our progress closely, and hold implementers accountable for doing good work.

It is estimated that for every $1 invested in water, sanitation, and hygiene, an average of $4 will be returned in saved health care costs and increased economic productivity. Economic growth spurred by access to clean water and adequate sanitation further helps promote independence from foreign aid for countries around the world, and has clear repercussions for our own domestic safety, production, and energy security.

This year, your support can help pass this important bipartisan legislation, but Congress needs to act.

I respectfully request that you support this vital legislation when it comes to the floor for a vote.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Address]
[City, State ZIP]

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