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RAMADAN 2011
The Arab American News
WATER
SHORTAGE
• Over 1.5 billion people do not have
access to clean, safe water.
• Almost 4 million people die each
year from water related diseases.
• 43% of water related deaths are
due to diarrhea.
• 98% of water related deaths occur in the developing world.
• Unsafe water is the biggest killer of children under five; around 90% of all diar-
rheal deaths are in this age group.
• In Sub-Saharan Africa women spend on average 16 hours a week collec ng
water.
• A typical individual in the United States uses 500 liters of water each day.
• The recommended daily water requirement for sanita on, bathing, cooking
and consump on is approximately 50 litres per person per day.
• Over 1 billion people use less than 6 litres of water per day.
• A typical individual in Gambia uses just 4.5 litres of water a day.
• Lack of access to clean water and sanita on has claimed more lives through dis-
ease than any war through guns.
• The average toilet uses 8 litres of clean water in a single flush.
• At any one me, more than half the world’s poor are ill due to inadequate sani-
ta on, water or hygiene.
• It takes over 11,000 litres of water to produce a pound of coffee.
• Half the world’s schools do not have access to clean water, nor adequate sani-
ta on.
• It takes about 300 litres of water to make the paper for just one Sunday news-
paper.
• Agriculture is responsible for about 70% of the world’s water usage. Industry
uses a further 22%.
• 443 million school days are lost each year due to water related illness.
• On average, women in Africa and Asia have to walk 3.7 miles to collect water.
• The average dishwasher uses over 100 litres per cycle.
• It takes up to 5000 litres of water to produce 1kg of rice.
• 80% of all illness in the developing world comes from water borne diseases.
• Drilling a fresh water well can cost anything from a few hundred dollars to over
$40,000.
• Over 2.6 billion people lack access to adequate sanita on.
• 90% of wastewater in developing countries is discharged into rivers or streams
without any treatment.
• About 1.8 million child deaths a year are due to diarrhea.
• An 18 litre can of water weighs 20 kilos.
• About half the world’s hospital beds are occupied by someone with a water re-
lated illness.
Source: h p://www.pwf.co.im/watershortage.htm
HUNGER &
POVERTY
• 923 million people across the world are
hungry.
• Every day, almost 16,000 children die
from hunger-related causes — one child
every five seconds.
• In 2005, almost 1.4 billion people lived below the interna onal poverty line, earning
less than $1.25 per day.
• 820 million people in the developing world are undernourished. They consume less
than the minimum amount of calories essen al for sound health and growth.
• The world produces enough food to feed everyone. World agriculture produces 17
percent more calories per person today than it did 30 years ago, despite a 70 percent
popula on increase. This is enough to provide everyone in the world with at least
2,720 kilocalories (kcal) per person per day.
• As of 2008 (2005 sta s cs), the World Bank has es mated that there were 1,345 mil-
lion poor people in developing countries who live on $1.25 a day or less. This com-
pares to the later FAO es mate of 1.02 billion undernourished people. Extreme
poverty remains an alarming problem in the world’s developing regions, despite some
progress that reduced "dollar--now $1.25-- a day" poverty from (an es mated) 1900
million people in 1981, a reduc on of 29 percent over the period. Progress in poverty
reduc on has been concentrated in Asia, and especially, East Asia, with the major im-
provement occurring in China. In Sub-Saharan Africa, the number of people in extreme
poverty has increased.
• In 2008, 39.8 million people were in poverty, up from 37.3 million in 2007 — the sec-
ond consecu ve annual increase in the number of people in poverty.
• 49 million Americans — including 17 million children — live in households that expe-
rience hunger or the risk of hunger. This represents more than one in ten households
in the United States (10.9 percent).
• 4.0 percent of U.S. households experience hunger. Some people in these households
frequently skip meals or eat too li le, some mes going without food for a whole day.
11.1 million people, including 430 thousand children, live in these homes.
• Research shows that preschool and school-aged children who experience severe
hunger have higher levels of chronic illness, anxiety and depression, and behavior
problems than children with no hunger.
Sources:
and
As the month-long holy season of Ramadan begins, a
billion-and-a-half Muslims will welcome the opportu-
nity to plug themselves in spiritually and physically.
During this me they will answer the call to pray
more than usual, recommit themselves to acts of
charity and forgiveness and reflect on their many
blessings.
As Muslims undertake this annual religious journey
to feed their souls, they also starve themselves every
day from sunrise to sunset. This symbolic contri on of
fas ng reminds all how fortunate they are to have
plenty to eat and plen ful friends and family with
whom to share it.
The self-imposed hunger also is a sobering re-
minder of the plight of those who struggle every day
to feed themselves and their families. The U.S. De-
partment of Agriculture es mates more than 50 mil-
lion Americans do not have enough to eat.
Seventeen-million of those are children and, accord-
ing to the American Associa on of Re red Persons,
about 6 million are elderly.
The benefits of fas ng during Ramadan go far be-
yond improved physical health. By feeling the same
hunger pains that so many others experience year-
round, Muslims are reminded of their spiritual and
moral obliga ons to help others. Muslims believe
charity starts at home by taking care of the hungry
and needy in our communi es.
To that end, Muslims everywhere share their food
with anyone — especially the needy — as we break
the day-long fast at sundown with a meal called i ar.
Sharing God's boun es is just one more way for us to
thank Him for our many blessings.
In the spirit of Ramadan, the following informa on
should remind Muslims why to count their blessings,
give thanks and help those in need.
Giving thanks
this Ramadan season...
"And He gave you of all that you asked for, and if you count the blessings of Allah, never will you be able to count them." Quran (14:34)
