Mothers Who Will Change the World

Mother's Day is a day to celebrate our mothers. It's for brunches, flowers, and time spent with your beloved mom. But for millions of mothers around the world, it's a day they'll lose to one of the world's most preventable causes of death -- waterborne disease.

Mother's Day is another day where in many countries women will be responsible for finding and fetching water for their families. All the water they need for drinking, washing, cooking, cleaning. They'll walk miles, carry heavy burdens, wait for hours and pay exorbitant prices. The work will be back-breaking and all-consuming. Often the water will be contaminated, even deadly. In these instances, they'll face an impossible choice -- certain death without water or possible death from illness.

Once they are old enough, their daughters will join this effort. They'll spend countless hours trying to provide this basic life necessity. This includes women's struggle to access basic sanitation. The global clean water challenge can be summed up in one word: 'dignity.'

This Mother's Day, transform the life of another Mother when you honor your mom. Visit Water.org and honor your mom or another beloved woman who has touched your life. This small action will provide health, hope, and opportunity for millions.

"Your love, support, and commitment to making the world a better place has shaped the person I am and the women my girls will become." Join Matt Damon and honor your mother in the Water.org Mother's Day Campaign.

 

Comments

[pedernales]

10:26 PM on 05/13/2012

Obviously, we all had mothers. I've got to say it. What we and the precious plant, minera,l and animal kingdoms - in which we are imbedded and adorned - need most of all on this Mother's Day is many, many less mothers.

[Attorneyonair SF]

10:09 PM on 05/13/2012

Please support foreign mothers in America
http://www.change.org/petitions/give-more-rights-to-h4-visa-holders

[shanefox]

06:02 PM on 05/13/2012

For wharever it's worth, potable water is one element of the oncoming F.E.W.Wars.

Food
Energy
Water

With over seven billion mouths to feed and this number will rise exponentially without any positive action limiting population growth. (See "On population" by Thomas Malthus.)

OK, now let's hear it from the baby-mongers...

What's this got to do with Mother's Day?

Take Biology 101, or review your notes.

Just a thought...

[ThinkinPerson]

05:51 PM on 05/13/2012

1000 Hummingbirds Thank you!

[Boredmonkey]

05:39 PM on 05/13/2012

Just to remind people—Republicans started a WAR on women this year, and my Mama is a WOMAN. Oh, my sister, and her four daughters are, too. Who are you voting for this year?

[sofarfrome]

04:45 PM on 05/13/2012

So we continue to attack cultural differences. In reality, is mother's day anything other than a Halmark holiday? I love my wife and mother of my child for what she brought to my life. We have equal lives. We share all tasks. Why should I attack what another society/culture does? The mother in that "other" culture fetches water, the husband fights a war to protect the family. One can argue one task is more difficult/important than the other but no matter, each contributes to the success and livelyhood of the family. We have become a society of "me". That might be our biggest problem.

[genrel1248]

03:46 PM on 05/13/2012

Now, THAT"S alot of diapers.

[heartlander64]

12:47 PM on 05/13/2012

The Mothers of Plaza de Mayo demonstrated every day in '77 in front of the presidential
palace for justice for their missing male family members and brought down the dictator?
I, therefore, salute you sisters of the universe who have nurtured the children of this
species on this blue planet that nurtures us all.

[Claudia King]

12:43 PM on 05/13/2012

To the poster who wants the women to have access to birth control I say what has this to do with the right to clean water for all human beings? It is not the number of children these women have had that has caused their lack of water. The cause is social and economic oppression by so called first world nations and often, within their own nations, a social/cultural/institutional structure that creates and perpetuates haves and have nots. Additionally, the people of poor nations are losing access to affordable water as their leaders make deals with devils who siphon off water for corporate uses (can you say Coke and Pepsi?) and begin to charge the poor unpayable amounts for the remaining clean water. There is no shortage of the world's ability to provide food/water, housing, education, employment and health care; there is only a lack of political will. Read Francis Moore Lappe and many others: Mothers and fathers give birth to fewer children/birth rates decline when more of their children can be expected to live to adulthood. It is simply indisputable fact that when standards of living go up, birth rates go down. So join efforts of those who are working to see that basic human rights, such as access to clean water, are available to all rather than blame the victims of ignorance, greed and oppression.

[sillyfrog]

09:04 PM on 05/13/2012

At the first of your post I thought you would be getting pretty ugly. You so didn't get ugly you got beautiful.

[Stella Yook]

10:46 PM on 05/13/2012

I couldn't agree more. Thanks for clearing that up! It has been in my head:-)

[datenutloaf]

10:47 AM on 05/13/2012

Why not honor mom's dad's , children , veterans, good people ALL the time?

[Terris-Linenbach]

10:43 AM on 05/13/2012

It's unfortunate that the women have no access to birth control

[Treehuggindirtworshiper]

09:15 AM on 05/13/2012

I find it quite interesting that so many of the posts to this thread are negative and demeaning. It's Mothers Day. Didn't your mother ever tell you if you can't say something nice don't say anything? Go away trolls. Almost every person in the US has access to clean water. I admire anyone with a public voice who uses that voice to make the world a better place.

[txdem1968]

09:45 AM on 05/13/2012

fanned

[datenutloaf]

10:30 AM on 05/13/2012

....and have you bettered the world by your comment?

[Claudia King]

12:46 PM on 05/13/2012

Yes, unlike your post, that poster HAS bettered the world by speaking out when ignorant and venal statements are spewed to further pollute the earth.

[sillyfrog]

09:06 PM on 05/13/2012

Yes. Your comment?

[GOPisrightforareason]

07:25 AM on 05/13/2012

Thank God all mothers were pro-life at least once.

[datenutloaf]

10:48 AM on 05/13/2012

..............

[Kara Kramer]

11:06 AM on 05/13/2012

All mothers are pro-life, and most abortions are chosen by mothers, for pro-life reasons.

[Audra Norris]

04:09 AM on 05/13/2012

First the people being put in this situation by corrupt governments need to stand up for themselves and their children. A mom simply doing what they need to survive, I have respect. But a woman who is willing to die so her daughters and her grand daughters do not have to carry on this way is what being a mamma is all about! I will give my money to that cause any day, but never to these corrupt governments, like these " I'll put on a concert or telethon, and fork over millions to a government that with use the money for evil" celebrities. Stupid,and they wonder why nothing has changed!

[gemini1547]

11:45 AM on 05/15/2012

You go girl! You are exactly right!!!

[gemini1547]

02:48 AM on 05/13/2012

Instead of them (Hollywood) telling us to contribute to these causes maybe they should donate more of their money (millions more each) to help these campaign's. It really irks me to have people who can do and buy whatever they want whenever they want telling us to donate to these causes. If most of us made millions each year instead of thousands or hundreds of dollars there might not be as much distress in the world.

[michaelwg]

03:32 AM on 05/13/2012

So Matt Damon co-founding water.org and being vocal, and yes spending his own money isn't enough? You realize he can even more easily say F it, buy a yacht and go cruise around while sipping on Mai Thais?
I think your attitude is misplaced. There are plenty of rich people who do do jack for others, and you get cranky with 1 who spends a large amount of his time trying to make a difference on a global scale? hmmm.

[gemini1547]

11:37 AM on 05/15/2012

No, I take offense with "celebrities who expect everyone to follow their opinions and anyone else is a racist, women hater,etc. They are entitled to their opinion but, so is everybody else. It is called the First Ammendment and since he voiced his thoughts, so did I! Their are alot of plain folk and celebrities that do great work and no one ever knows about it because they don't feel that they have to pat themselves on the back. Matt appears to not be one of them. He may or may not have a yacht but he does live a privileged life because of this country. He has traveled to places the majority of this country would never ever be able to afford to go.