We were intrigued to hear of the H2O Challenge going on at Marquette this semester and supported by Campus Ministry. The concept is simple: participants promise to drink only water for two weeks and donate the money that they would have spent on pop or lattes (or other beverages) to the drilling of clean wells in impoverished areas. We encourage students to participate in this program. Drinking only water for two weeks is not a significant sacrifice, and the money saved can do a lot of good.

One billion people lack access to clean water, and 25,000 of them die daily due to illnesses related to an unhygienic water supply. There are a number of particularly scary diseases, like cholera, caused by drinking tainted water. Lack of clean water can also lead to trachoma, a bacterial infection that can lead to blindness. Another serious condition is Guinea worm disease, a debilitating and painful infection caused by a large roundworm found in contaminated water. The worm penetrates the stomach, makes its way to the skin and, after growing to a length of 3 feet, emerges from the body through a painful blister.

We can't imagine having to worry about such horrifying diseases on a daily basis. In addition to dealing with the threat of these illnesses, women and children in many parts of the world have to walk hours a day to haul dirty, disease-ridden water to their homes from lakes and rivers. This is a burden that leads to truncated lives for many in the third world.

According to the H2O Project, the cost of building a well is around $6,000. When this cost is divided by the number of people who will drink from it, the cost per person ends up being just $10. For a mere $10, one person can be freed of the worry of sickness and the burden of hauling water for life. By taking the H2O Challenge and skipping the daily pop, the morning coffee and yes, the weekend booze, it would be easy to save enough money to provide clean water for several people for the remainder of their lives. Take a moment to think about how much you drink during the week. The evidence of Marquette's extreme consumption is everywhere. The lines at the Brew between classes stretch across the coffee shop. Homeless people manage to get by just by collecting our beer cans after the weekends.

Ten dollars is really nothing to us. It's less than two or three drinks at Starbucks. It's less than a pizza. It's less than a cab ride to the bar. But it is worth so much more than that to those who really need it.

Giving up all beverages besides water is really a very slight change to the daily routine. In fact, it is a healthy move to increase water consumption. Yet what would be a small sacrifice for us could make a profound impact on the lives of many others.

Let's step up and meet the H2O Challenge, Marquette. We can really make a difference.