Pray That Khalid Has Water
Southminster has joined Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) Let Children Live campaign to pray and advocate for the children of Palestine- (Gaza and the West Bank).
We have received the name of a child to lift in prayer and advocacy. Our child is 9-year-old Khalid. We do not have his photo. We can only imagine the reality of his life. Please begin praying today that Khalid may live and that he may know peace.
The average American uses about 82 gallons (310 liters) of water per day for indoor and outdoor household use. Average daily consumption in Israel is around 247 liters a day, according to the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem. The United Nations says the minimum emergency level of water consumption per person is 15 liters a day for drinking, cooking, cleaning and washing. Bushra Khalidi, humanitarian policy lead for the aid agency Oxfam in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories, said average consumption in Gaza is now just 3 to 5 liters a day.
Thirsty Gazans scour the shattered Gazan landscape for any source of water. Most water and sanitation infrastructure has been destroyed. Most residents rely on wells tapped into a brackish aquifer now contaminated by sewage and toxic chemicals leaking through the rubble – fueling outbreaks of diarrhea and hepatitis. Pumps from the aquifer often rely on electricity from small generators – for which fuel is rarely available. After a total blockade, fuel is now allowed to enter Gaza, but the quantity is insufficient to meet the immense humanitarian needs. Queuing for water and carrying it takes hours each day for many Gazans. It is often the children who have this responsibility so the adults can concentrate on finding food.
In August, Oxfam said that preventable and treatable waterborne diseases were “ripping through Gaza,” with reported rates increasing by almost 150% over a three-month period.
In June UNICEF Spokesperson, James Elder quoted a friend in Gaza who said “We have learnt to live without so much. Without our homes; without safety; without loved ones…we have even learnt we can live without food for a week, or more…but we cannot survive days without water.”
Please pray that Khalid and those caring for him are able to find water fit to drink and water for cleaning. Please pray that Khalid is safe as he struggles to help his family find and carry water. Pray for his strength and his patience and his hope. Pray that he and his caregivers are protected from water born disease. Pray that Khalid may enjoy clean life-giving water each day.
