By Madelyn Lipszyc

In North America, it is hard to imagine life without running water, plumbing, and sanitation, but it is a reality for many all over the rest of the world. What can we do? Our donations, voices, and emphasis on the issue can bring help to those who need it the most.

Famous people have the power to influence and share knowledge with a vast array of citizens about their cause célèbre. Matt Damon has used his fame for a good cause, founding the film project Running the Sahara (2008), and co-founding its charitable counterpart H2O Africa Foundation.

Running the Sahara is a documentary film aimed at widespread public awareness about the lack of clean sustainable water throughout Africa. Three ultra marathon runners run where no person has before in an unprecedented trek across the Sahara desert. They discover all about the hardships and culture of the residents of the Sahara. It is narrated and produced by Matt Damon, and directed by Bruce Moll. It is available for download on iTunes and on www.runningthesahara.com.

The H2O Africa Foundation, now dissolved, was the charitable component of Running the Sahara that sought to raise money and awareness to help solve the unclean water crisis in developing countries. It recently merged with, and is being carried forth by, www.water.org. According to the website www.H2OAfrica.org, "In 2008, Water.org brought clean water and sanitation to more than 142,000 people in Ethiopia, Kenya, India, Bangladesh, and Honduras."

Water.org continues to help people in dire need of safe water and is run by Matt Damon and Gary White. The organization helps people by applying "principles of microfinance to the water and sanitation sector. By making small loans to individuals and communities in developing countries who do not have access to traditional credit markets, WaterCredit empowers people to address their own water needs. The repaid loans go back into a revolving fund, and are then re-loaned to the next individual or community" according to water.org.

Matt Damon was inspired by this cause because he learned that a child dies every 15 seconds from a dirty-water related disease. Right now, 2.6 billion people are without basic sanitation, and most live on less than a dollar or two per day US. These countries are struggling with an intensified AIDS epidemic, tuberculosis, and are in dire need of health care. Getting clean drinking water is the first step to achieving reform. Only once a community has clean safe drinking water can they pursue other necessities like healthcare and education.

There are a number of benefits of great importance that water can bring to a community. According to the website www.sustainablecities.org.uk, "water is a valuable asset that brings economic, quality of life, and health benefits when it is managed well. It has natural beauty, supports attractive and valuable habitats, and provides many opportunities for enjoyment, relaxation, and recreation." Some other benefits include supporting valuable natural habitats, access to natural resources, reducing urban heat island effects and more.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Urban Heat Island Effects are a phenomenon of the urban city. As it becomes more developed, vegetation is lost, and air quality is sacrificed. The buildings cause the environment less moisture and evaporate less water. "The annual mean air temperature of a city with 1 million people or more can be 1.8-5.4°F (1-3°C) warmer than its surroundings. In the evening, the difference can be as high as 22°F (12°C). Heat islands can affect communities by increasing summertime peak energy demand, air conditioning costs, air pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions, heat-related illness and mortality, and water quality." Check out www.epa.gov/hiri/ for more information about Urban Heat Island Effects.

Some other benefits water brings according to sustainablecities.org.uk, include reducing the risk of flooding for vulnerable communities because with proper irrigation, rainwater can be directed to crops instead of building up in improper areas. Other benefits include reducing exposure to pollution and disease, and providing clean sustainable water for hydration in hot, unclean, unsafe environments, or deserts.

"Matt Damon is encouraging people to sign a petition asking senators to help co-sponsor the Durbin-Corker Water for the World Act of 2009. Over 100 million people would benefit from the passage of the legislation, which would increase access to clean water and sanitation by 2015. Damon is seeking an additional 15 cosponsors to move the act forward" according to Michael D'estries of www.ecorazzi.com. You can go to this site to sign his petition: One.org.

Recently, Damon visited Zambia where he met with various citizens and found that women were more responsible for water collecting. He also found that it takes walking about three and a half miles each day to get the water. Many countries in Africa and around the world are suffering unnecessary disease and hardships because of the lack of clean water. Many villages live with no running water, irrigation, nearby wells, and the water that is naturally occurring is devastated with waste and pollution. That same water cannot be used for cleaning or drinking but it often is.

It is hard to imagine so much suffering is going on overseas. What we can do is continue to financially support organizations like www.water.org and http://thewaterproject.org/. Also visit www.h2oafrica.org/Projects.html for more information. We can eliminate harmful plastic water bottles from our environment and make use of the clean safe tap water we have. Why not use all that extra money not spent on plastic bottles and donate it to a good cause? Not everyone has access to clean drinking water and we need to do whatever we can to spread the word and help out.