Water-you going to do for me?

OK, so this blog has been kind of mum for the past two weeks. Can you blame us? Post-holiday stresses, the cold, cold weather, and of course, the Presidential inauguration. Though we were nowhere near D.C. at noon today, watching the crowds on screen were enough to have some questions flying through our heads, namely, how much water is the town of D.C. going to use as over a million people flood in for the inauguration?

Yeah, yeah, it's a pretty trivial thing to ponder, since, HELLOOOO we just got a new president who, in every essence of his being, embodies not only America's past but provides a draft to what the future this country could be. But even Mr. President it keeping clean water in mind, as this part of his inaugural address would indicate (though we could have done without the Obama water bottles):

To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.

To the naked ears, four words in a 2,315 word speech don't seem like much, but compared to the amount of subjects that an incoming Presidents would feel compelled to address in a literally, career-changing oration is like picking the loner kid first for kickball; in other words, he could have chosen to mention 9/11, the Israel-Gaza situation or even God (which he never did, BTW), but instead, he stuck in a little blurb about good ol' H2O. One small step for mankind..

So, Mr. President, we hope that your initiatives on alternative resources and ties to Africa will work with you on creating policies that will help keep clean water around for all and for all time (or at least until it runs out).

Hello, Malawi!

Hello, all. Welcome to the official Well-Wisher Global blog! Whether you've joined the cause or have no clue what it's about, the first thing you should know is that THIS IS NOT FOR US. You can read our Vision in the previous post, but concisely put, we are for music and its potential for change. In our case, we will be channeling the power of melodies into CDs which will pass all profits towards the cause. This year, our focus is on MALAWI, a landlocked country in southeastern Africa that lacks one of the basic elements of human survival- clean water. 

Why Malawi? Well, for starters, more than a third of the country is in need of clean, drinkable water and about 80% are afflicted by diseases directly caused by contamination. Yes, HIV and AIDS are also huge issues in Malawi. While Well-Wisher isn't trying to ignore its magnitude, we are not doctors; we are a youth who practice and enjoy music. As they say, use what you have, and we believe our tunes will carry further in our purpose.

So without further ado, here is a brief introduction to the country that is Malawi. It's different to view Africa as a multifaceted continent, rather than the seemingly solid shade AIDS and poverty have colored it. But if we can start with one place, we are capable of reaching many.

The Republic of Malawi

according to the CIA World Factbook:

• Malawi is 118,480 sq km, slightly smaller than Pennsylvania. Water covers about 20%.
  
• Unlike the U.S., Malawi has ratified the Kyoto Protocol, an international agreement to set carbon emission caps to reduce global warming 
  
• The median age for both men and women is around 16 years.
  
• Nearly one million people currently live with AIDS in Malawi.
  
• Major diseases caused by polluted water: diarrhea (which leads to malnutrition), hep A, typhoid fever
  
• 79.9% are Christian.
  
• Next to English, the national language is Chichewa.
  
• Malawi became independent from the UK on July 6, 1964.
  
• There are still disputes with neighboring Tanzania on the borders of Lake Nyasa, the largest source of freshwater in the region. 
  

For more on Malawi and the water crisis:

• Lonely Planet: Malawi
• African Studies Center at UPenn- Malawi
• World Health Organization on Malawi
• RaisingMalawi.org - nonprofit created by Madonna
• The Daily Times - Malawi's daily newspaper
• Water For People - organization bringing attention to the international water crisis
• IRIN Africa: Malawi - from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

Please leave comments and any feedback on the site. Again, thanks for visiting and we hope to see more involvement in aiding the water crisis around the world. 

Vision

 In our modern world, we take potable water for granted, and we are blind to the plight of those who suffer without this essential resource. 37% of the Malawian population is in need of clean water. The women of Malawi endure a ten mile trek for water that is mostly unsuitable for human consumption. Over 80% of diseases are waterborne diseases; typhoid or cholera being the key contributors to one of the world’s highest infant mortality rates with statistics ranging from 110-175 deaths per 1,000 children. Entire villages suffer when their single communal water well inevitably becomes contaminated through a lack of modern resources. Clean water, let alone boutique bottled waters, is taken for granted in the U.S. Statistics show that 200 to 300 gallons of water are wasted every month by letting the cold water run while waiting for it to become hot during the simple act of a shower. This project not only sheds light on the situation beyond our borders but also on our everyday lives. It is important to be global citizens and be conscious of the myriad of privileges we have living in the U.S.; water is definitely a good place to start.