Our Basic Needs - A Snapshot Of The World

The world's population is estimated to be about 7 billion people. [1] Here's a snapshot of the world today, based on our basic needs:

1. FOOD:
• About 1 billion people are undernourished. [2]
• About 1.3 billion tonnes of food is lost or wasted each year. [3]
• About 1.4 billion people are overweight, of whom 500 million are obese. [4]
2. WATER:
• About 700 million people still use unsafe drinking water sources [5]
• About 2.5 billion people lack improved sanitation facilities. [6]
• About 1.1 billion people still defecate in the open. [7]
3. SHELTER:
• About 1 billion people live in slums. [8]
• About 1.3 billion people don't have electricity. [9]
4. HEALTHCARE:
• About 1/3 of the world's population (about 2 billion people) don't have access to essential medicines. [10]
5. EDUCATION:
• About 700 million adults are illiterate. [11]

We need to simplify our lives and focus only on meeting our basic needs. We need to ensure that the basic needs of all people on earth are met.

Round tables [12] need to be established with experts from the relevant fields, in order to resolve these issues, dealing with the most desperate (emergency) situations first.

In everything we do, we should seek to benefit others instead of ourselves.

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References:

1. World Population. www.wikipedia.org. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
2. Global hunger declining, but still unacceptably high. www.fao.org. Food And Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. Economic and Social Development Department. Sept 2010. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
3. Cutting food waste to feed the world. www.fao.org. Food And Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. May 11, 2011. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
4. Obesity and overweight. www.who.int. World Health Organization (WHO). Media centre. Fact sheet No. 311. Reviewed May 2014. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
5. United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). www.unicef.org. Water, Sanitation and Hygiene. 2013. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
6. United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). www.unicef.org. Water, Sanitation and Hygiene. 2013. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
7. Deputy UN chief calls for urgent action to tackle global sanitation crisis. www.un.org. UN News Centre. Mar 21, 2013. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
8. The Challenge of Slums - Global Report on Human Settlements 2003. www.unhabitat.org. PDF Report, Foreword. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
9. World Energy Outlook 2012. www.iea.org. International Energy Agency (IEA). Nov 12, 2012. PDF Report, page 7. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
10. The World's Medicines Situation 2011: Access To Essential Medicines As Part of The Right To Health. World Health Organization. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
11. Teaching and Learning: Achieving Quality For All. www.unesco.org. Education For All (EFA) Global Monitoring Report 2013/4. PDF Report, page 5. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
12. Round Tables Are Required. www.carterkagume.blogspot.ca. Aug 29, 2013. Retrieved Aug 28, 2014.

Copyright © 2014, Carter Kagume. All Rights Reserved.

We Have To Provide Safe Water To The Entire World

Our internal qualities have to change from selfishness to bestowal and we have to seek to benefit others instead of ourselves.

The entire world is one family and we have to start treating each other as one family. As such, we have to start solving our critical problems by working together, collaborating and cooperating.

In the spirit of mutual concern and responsibility and in the quality of bestowal/love of others/altruism, we have to provide safe water and sanitation services to the entire world.

According to a 2012 report from the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), over 700 million people around the world still use unsafe drinking water sources and 2.5 billion people (36% of the world's population) lack improved sanitation facilities [1].

Coupled with poor hygiene, this has serious consequences: thousands of children die or get sick everyday, productivity is affected due to illnesses, health systems are overwhelmed, women spend large parts of their day fetching water etc.

Round tables need to be established to address these issues. We have to deal with these problems immediately and we have to solve them permanently.

Participants of the round tables could include representatives from all over the world, experts, professionals and/or leaders from:  governments, not-for-profit organizations, the water supply and sanitation industries, healthcare and hygiene, logistics, technology and other relevant fields.

Once the round tables have been established, all the problem-solving discussions and deliberations should be transparent and broadcast live on television and/or the internet, giving everyone around the world a chance to comment and/or vote on relevant issues. Once the course of action has been decided, the solution can be implemented.

May The One True God, The Infinite God, The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob guide us, may He lead us and may He show us the way. God is with us and to Him we shall all return.

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1.  "Water, Sanitation and Hygiene: 2012 Annual Report," United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) (May 2013), http://www.unicef.org/wash/

Copyright © 2013, Carter Kagume. All Rights Reserved.