On March 22, 2016, Distressed Children & Infants International (DCI) and Rights and Sight for Children (RSC) celebrated World Water Day 2016 at Kallyanpur Porabari Slum, Dhaka, Bangladesh and also in remote villages like Patuakhali, Nilphamari. Each year on March 22nd the international community celebrates World Water Day, a day set aside by the United Nations to raise awareness of water-related issues. The theme of WWD 2016 is “Water and Jobs”.
Dr. Nina Hoque, Director of DCI, opened the festivities in Dhaka with a colorful rally. An awareness seminar followed the rally with numerous honored guests including Dr. Nowroz Jahan, Associate Professor at the National Institute of Kidney Diseases & Urology, Dr. Md. Al-Amin Mridha, Associate Professor at Shaheed Suharawardy Medical College, and Ms. Salma Qadir, CEO of RSC. Dr. Hoque gave a speech on “Safe Water Supply & Sanitation” which was followed by a presentation by Dr. Tasnim Mirza, a physician with DCI, on the importance of World Water Day. After the formal presentations, Dr. Md. Al-Amin Mridha treated patients from the Kallyanpur Porabari Slum.
In her speech, Dr. Hoque emphasized that “WATER is LIFE. There is No life without Water. The stakes are high.” She pointed out that currently 693 million people, about 1 in 10, lack access to safe water and about 1 in 3, or 2.4 billion people, do not have access to a toilet. “Water is one of those vital things, like air, that we take for granted until it’s in short supply. That’s why World Water Day was established. World Water Day is an opportunity to learn more about water related issues, take action to make a difference and be inspired to tell others.” Dr. Hoque summed up by saying, “Water will play a central role in creating the future we want.”
Dr. Hoque concluded the celebration by expressing DCI’s gratitude to all the participants.