Margaret Trudeau
What has always struck me about life in the developing world is that so much of the poverty can be linked to the lack of clean water, of sanitation, of food, and of education. While we can’t take it all on, a drop of water at a time can make a difference.
Dirty water is one of the greatest threats to the well-being of the poorest people living in the developing world. Nearly 1 billion people, a sixth of the world’s population, remain without access to safe drinking water and 2.6 billion people, about 40% of the world’s population, are without access to sanitation facilities.
In Africa, it is the women and children who have the hard lot, probably the hardest lots of any women and children on the planet. It is this group which bears the brunt of the human costs brought on by the lack of clean water, sanitation, and hygiene education.
The work of organizations like WaterCan is what can make a difference. When you contribute to WaterCan’s vision of “Clean Water for All”, you contribute to the sustainable development of our planet in terms of human rights, economics, politics, security, and the environment.
I do not believe our work is charity. It is justice. The need is so great and the water is the beginning.
Margaret Trudeau, Honorary President
Read more about Margaret's work with WaterCan
Banner photo credit: Peter Bregg
During the week of October 7-14, 2006 a group of intrepid travellers, including Margaret Trudeau and her daughter-in-law Sophie Grégoire, WaterCan’s Program Director George Yap, WaterCan’s Executive Director Gary Pluim, Hello! Magazine’s Peter Bregg and a documentary film crew from CTV visited WaterCan’s Ethiopian projects.
Over the course of the trip, lives were changed, life-long friends were made and a new perspective was gained about the water and sanitation crisis and what joint ventures like those between WaterCan and our overseas partners are doing to make a difference.
