PETITION CLOSED

  • The time period for signing this petition has ended.
Give Clean Water To 100 Million People Right Now!
  1. Signatures
    505 out of 1,000
    Petitioning
    1. The U.S. House of Representatives
  2. Created By
    Change.org
About this Petition Petition Letter Petition Updates

On September 20, the Senate unanimously passed the Water for the World Act, which would enable the United States to help provide sustainable access to lifesaving water and sanitation services for 100 million people worldwide.

The House of Representatives needs to vote on this before it leaves for fall recess, so right now your emails could determine the fate of this bill—whether it falls into legislative oblivion or reaches the President's desk.

Inadequate access to safe water and sanitation services, coupled with poor hygiene practices, sickens or kills thousands of people every day, and leads to impoverishment and diminished opportunities for thousands more. Today, almost 1 billion people around the world lack clean water access and 2.5 billion don't have sanitation. Diarrhea is one of the world's top killers.

Access to safe water and sanitation is at the heart of achieving many of the U.N. Millennium Development Goals, including reducing child mortality, ending extreme hunger, attaining universal primary education and empowering women.

Please sign up in calling on your representatives to see that this important bill is passed!

Recent Signatures

Support the immediate House passage of the Water for the World Act

Greetings,

I am writing to ask you to support the Senator Paul Simon Water for the World Act, which recently passed by unanimous consent in the Senate. This important legislation will enable the United States to help provide sustainable access to lifesaving water and sanitation services for 100 million people worldwide.

With nearly 1 billion people throughout the world lacking access to safe drinking water and 2.5 billion lacking access to adequate sanitation, the act will be a tremendous step forward in addressing the global water and sanitation crisis. The Senate's passage of this bipartisan bill provides a rare opportunity for the House to act in the certainty that it will go to the President.

Water, sanitation and hygiene are foundational building blocks for development. These three essentials improve health and quality of life, advance education, reduce poverty and malnutrition, and drive economic growth. This is particularly true for women and girls who often walk miles to collect water for their household or stop attending school for lack of a decent toilet.

In our interdependent world, everyone's health and welfare is strengthened when people of all countries have access to basic services that promote good health, economic independence and improved well-being. Economic growth spurred by access to clean water and adequate sanitation further helps promote independence from foreign aid for countries around the world.

The Water for the World Act aims to improve the impact and efficiency of U.S. foreign assistance through a focus on targeting the poor, country ownership, accountability, capacity building and strengthening partnerships. The Water for the World Act strengthens the capacity of the U.S. government to fully implement the Water for the Poor Act, which passed in 2005 with extensive, bipartisan support.

With 80 co-sponsors in the House and having passed by unanimous consent in the Senate, the Water for the World Act enjoys strong bipartisan support. The legislation also has earned widespread support throughout the development community. I respectfully request that you contact your party leadership to ask them to bring the Senate-passed version of the bill to the House floor for a vote before the fall recess.

[Your name]

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