I brush my teeth twice everyday. Firstly, I fill a glass with transparent, clean and cold water and let it rest on the washbasin. Secondly, I grab my toothbrush, spread the bristles with plenty of toothpaste and place the head under the tap spout. With my left hand I turn the handle anticlockwise and, mesmerised, observe how the silky stream of water runs for two seconds. Immediately after, I turn the tap off, take the brush to my teeth and enjoy the cleaning process. When I am done, I rinse my mouth using the 150 ml of water contained in the glass.
I always follow the same steps; especially the two-second rule – I would get really upset at myself if I left the water running for longer than that. You might think I am going nuts but all I am doing is trying to be coherent. It has not been an easy path. Bad habits take some time to change and, believe me, I am still sometimes tempted by the idea of having a bath instead of a short shower.
Today we celebrate World Water Day. According to the UN, it is a day “to make a difference for the members of the global population who suffer from water related issues”. I could not agree more! I used to be very flaky when it came to saving water. My westernised brain used to think, “independently of how much more water I spend in the UK, the water available in a remote village in Southern Africa is not going to increase so, why should I care?” I have grown up in a context where water scarcity was never an issue and access to drinking water was taken for granted.
Then, in 2013, I took part in International Citizen Service (ICS) with Progressio. I volunteered in Mozonte, a remote rural village in Northern Nicaragua for 10 weeks. In Mozonte, water (and that lack of it) became a constant. The intermittent trickle of water from any tap was cursed. “Do not dare to drink tap water - you will get ill. Do not even try to wash you teeth. Always use purified water”, insisted Progressio staff. Suddenly, the possibility of drinking safe, clean water from a tap had vanished.
I lived with a host family during a part my placement. The water shortages, the cold bucket showers or the absent of flushing toilets seemed normal to the members of my family, so I tried to adapt to the new situation as soon as possible. I absolutely loved living with Efrain, Bilma, Mercedes and the rest of my family. I got use to carrying a purified bottle of water at all times and, by week 4, was even able to ignore the flies on my face and the nauseating smell when using the latrines. Then, when it all seemed alright, it happened.
Bilma, my host mum, prepared our typical lunch which consisted in gallopinto (rice and beans), cheese and some fresh salad. It was a very hot day and I had done some manual labour in the morning, so I was very thirsty. Bilma knew that I had been working hard so she kindly prepared a fresh mango juice using the fruits she had just picked from the tree growing in the backyard. I will never forget the amazing taste of that beverage, one of the tastiest juices I have ever had. Unfortunately, it sent me to hospital for a week. Unaware of the fragility of my stomach, Bilma had mixed the pulp with some tap water.
After a course of antibiotics, all the parasites were gone and I was able to resume my work as a volunteer. After coming back from the hospital, Bilma said she was sorry and told me that she could not afford purified water. Her family were not the only ones. Bilma told me that most families in Mozonte drink untreated water. Some grow up used to it but the majority get ill at different points in their lives and a high number of babies die before the age of one due to waterborne diseases.
The experience changed me forever. Everything involving the use of water keeps reminding me how easy it is for us in the UK and how unfair and inhumane it is for those who live in developing countries. Through my experience as an ICS volunteer, I became much more aware of the importance of water and the struggle most people go through to get some drops of what I believe to be a basic human right. Celebrate World Water Day to raise awareness of this massive issue, so that everyone has the right to access clean and safe drinking water now! And you? How do you brush your teeth?
