The Club welcomed Fazlul Islam on Zoom. Fazlul, a Chartered Civil Engineer, was born in Sylhet, Bangladesh, but has lived in London most of his life. Currently he works for Transport for London and has been a volunteer and speaker for WaterAid since 2014. He joined WaterAid to try and make a difference to the lives of people around the world who are severely impacted by the lack of clean water, sanitation facilities and good hygiene.
When we have a shower or flush the toilet, for example, do we think about those who don’t have access to this facility? So many of us take access to clean water for granted but in many parts of the world this is not the case. One in ten people in the world still do not have access to clean water.
Photo by James Kiyimba for WaterAid
In Ethiopia for example, they don’t have clean water to drink, decent toilets to use or good hygiene to protect themselves. Without these basics, breaking the cycle of poverty is just a dream.
In northern Mozambique, Maria oversees a tiny team providing round-the-clock healthcare to thousands of people, including delivering several babies every day. Together, she and her team provide the best care they possibly can – but they’re missing the most fundamental basic.
Walking to get water shouldn’t be part of any medical team’s job description – especially when that water isn’t even clean. It’s not fair. And it means that right now – despite how tirelessly they work – Maria and her team’s every effort to provide safe care, to deliver new life, risks bringing harm. 6km is the average distance walked and 20kg of water carried.
We all need clean water to survive.
If you are interested in finding out more and ways to donate to this vital charity visit WaterAid’s website https://www.wateraid.org/uk/
Susie Hewitt
