Water, Water, Everywhere

Every 20 seconds a child dies of an illness related to water pollution, every year about 1.8 million of them under age five. These alarming figures emerge from a report by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP).  It indicates that everyday millions of tons of solid waste are dumped into bodies of water, polluting them and facilitating the spread of disease. About 90% of cases of diarrhea, which kill 2.2 million people each year, are caused by water not potable water and poor hygiene. Over 50% of cases of malnutrition are usually associated with diarrhea or intestinal infections. Over half of hospitals around the world are occupied by people infected with diseases linked to water pollution. Approximately 900 million people lack access to safe water and about 2.6 billion lack access to basic health. Southeast Asia (about 221 million) and Sub-Saharan Africa (330 million) have the highest rate of population deprived of basic health.  Below, a well built by a local Catholic diocese in Sudan serves multiple schools and mission stations.

Christmas Artwork Contest

HCA's annual Christmas Artwork Contest is one way children in the United States express their love and commitment to children in the missions. The contest is open to all Catholic school, parish religious education and home school students in kindergarten through eighth grade.