Waré in Ethiopia collects water for her family.
28 September
Intention
Today we pray that all people may have access to safe water for drinking, washing, growing their crops and keeping their animals alive.
Canticle of the Sun
“We praise you, Lord, for Sister Water,
so useful, humble, precious and pure.”
Reflection
Imagine waking up at 5am and setting off on foot for a minimum of five hours to find water. Longer if the nearest water sources have dried up.
This is the reality for women like Waré, a young mother from southern Ethiopia, where there has been severe drought over the last four years. “It was very traumatizing, because even when I was pregnant, I had to go and fetch water. Sometimes I felt so weak I could fall down.”
CAFOD worked with Waré and her community to build an underground water storage tank, able to support 300 families through a normal dry season and even in longer droughts. Instead of walking for ten hours to get there and back, the tank will mean that to get water, Waré needs to walk only 10 minutes from home.
Let us hold in our prayers today all those who are facing droughts, or who do not have safe water in their communities. Together with them, let us build a better world.
Prayer
Creator God,
from your gift of water flows all life,
yet we have polluted your clear springs,
and unleashed droughts and floods.
Let us drink deeply from your living water, Lord,
and lead us to follow the example of St Francis,
as we seek to build a better world
and sing a song of praise for all creation.
St Francis, pray for us.
Action
Find out more about Waré, how you can support more people like her and how to prepare for Family Fast Day in your parish.
