Water for Life

Beleaguered NGO officials often mention in weary tones that whatever problem they’re tackling claims as many lives over time as a disaster does all at once. The lack of fresh water is one of those problems. On NPR’s Day to Day yesterday, a representative of the NGO Water for Life dramatized the situation this way: If you crashed 20 jumbo jets full of children into a mountainside each day, that would be how many children die daily from diseases resulting from a lack of fresh water. Now I don’t have a soft spot for children, but the majority of Americans seem to, so I figure it’s good marketing. If you’re itching for a good cause, this qualifies (I hear they help adults, too).