Changes

When trying to bring out any form of social change it is important to recognise the presence of religious organisations and faith communities and, if possible, to enter into working partnerships with them.

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Because the faiths are the largest organised sector of civil society worldwide so, whatever social change you wish to achieve, they could be important partners for success.

Bear in mind:

- They produce more newspapers than the whole of the European Union.

Most importantly they are trusted as a source (often the leading source) of wisdom, information and authority in communities in many parts of the world. Thus religious leaders are important role models for promoting (or resisting) new ideas and changes in behaviour. Crucially they can identify a spiritual need for change which can help resist the obvious material gratification of, for instance, unrestrained use of resources. They can also be highly politically influential in some countries.

- Using their ‘people power’, motivated by a sense of spiritual obligation or fulfilment, faith groups can bring about real, pragmatic changes and sustain action and projects using surprisingly little resources.

From the earliest traditions and texts all religions use water as a vital spiritual symbol, valuing it in many ways. In some faith traditions this has also led to ritual use and taboos around the use of water, sanitation and hygiene. In working in partnership with faith groups to improve water supplies and sanitation it is vital to understand the cultural context their religion places around these issues

Water is central to many religions. In every major faith, there are creation stories that feature water as an essential element of the start of life on earth but also as a problematic one. Water issues are a large part of a broader holistic framework of a spiritual commitment to care for nature. This is not simply 'health and hygiene' but also a general understanding of careful use of resources and how things inter-relate.

The act of recognising the belief system and the religious behaviours around water within a community can have a massive impact on the success of water projects in religious communities. We need to engage those religious leaders that understand their community’s relationship with water and have the power to influence.

In the Abrahamic traditions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) water is both life-giving and life-taking. It is both an instrument of divine power (in some traditions the Noah Flood was sent as punishment of sinful humanity) and it is a symbol of rebellion. In the Book of Psalms, water is depicted as an unruly force associated with chaos and needing to have its boundaries set. It is also seen as a symbol of life giving gifts from God. For example, when Moses strikes the rock as the Israelites leave Egypt in flight from slavery and water gushes forth to stop them dying of thirst in the desert.

Hygiene too is sacred. The earliest examples of enforced hygiene are probably the codes written down in the 2nd millennium BC for washing your hands after touching anything that is polluting. These laws, to be found in the Laws of Mani or in the laws of the Old Testament, were designed to make unforgettable and unavoidable, the ritual of hand washing as both a sacred responsibility and a necessary health protection measure. In Islam this is manifest in the ritual washing before the five prayer times each day – wudu as it is known – and therefore in the need to provide running water and proper drainage in the mosques. In Japan, when you enter a Shinto shrine, you wash your hands and mouth and so running water and proper drainage are a central part of the shrine complex.

Water playing a significant part in faith is nothing new. What is new is that this wisdom and experience has been reactivated by the major secular organisations working with water. Together in partnership, the potential for reaching millions if not billions of people through faith-based networks is now a real possibility. It could change the way ambitious targets such as the Millennium Development Goals or their successors could be achieved.

Water, sanitation, children and faith were the focus when religious leaders, theologians, educators, environment/development specialists, water sanitation experts and innovators met for the first ever workshop on Faith and Water in Salisbury’s Sarum College in 2009. The immediate goal was to produce a useful guide to help faiths and secular groups work together to protect water resources and the environment, to preserve hygiene and promote the safe management of water and waste, specifically in the context of schools. In the longer term the meeting was intended to forge strong partnerships and reinforce the faiths’ ability to help communities improve their water facilities for many years to come, and encourage international secular agencies to see them as natural partners. As a result, water has become an integral part of the long-term commitments to tackle environmental issues made by the faith groups in attendance at this event.