Thank you to LibroFM and Penguin Random House Publishing Audio Group for a copy of Gary White and Matt Damon’s The Worth of Water.
The Worth of Water follows engineer Gary White and actor Matt Damon on their mission to make clean water accessible in the poorest parts of our world through their non-profit, Water.org.
The book alternates between White and Damon, each giving their own backgrounds and perspectives on the issue. I listened to the audio version, where White and Damon provided the narration for their respective chapters. White and Damon were both raised by activist parents, who instilled in them the need to try to understand cultures different than their own and to give back. White became involved in the water crisis while working towards his engineering degree and felt a strong pull towards developing solutions to help those in need. Damon became involved after his friend, Bono from U2, who is also involved in relief work, urged Damon to travel to see first-hand the desperate situation in other countries. Although the trip showed Damon a variety of issues, he focused on water after meeting a young girl who had to travel a long distance to gather daily water.
Damon and White both saw how access to water affects other aspects of life. If you have to spend so much time and energy to gather water, you don’t have that time and energy for other activities, such as school or employment. Lack of water leads to disease and affects development. When people make efforts to pay to have plumbing or clean water access, it can be outrageously or prohibitively expensive.
The Worth of Water gives many examples of how the concept of not having water is difficult for those of us who have it, to understand. One example that surprised me, was a true story of two American men who got lost on a hike. They were lost for a few days and ran out of water. One of the men became extremely distraught, certain that he would die of thirst and was so upset, that he convinced his friend to kill him, rather die of thirst. When the autopsy was performed, it revealed that he was dehydrated, but not in immediate danger of severe dehydration. His friend was found alive. Damon tells this story to illustrate how people who normally have access to water, don’t realize the boundaries of dehydration, certainly not to the point of danger. We rarely experience true thirst or dehydration. Even if we live somewhere that is in a draught and where we must conserve water, most of us living in places like the United States, do not truly appreciate how precious water can be.
The Worth of Water is a call to action. A call for people living in privileged countries to help those who live in developing areas. I found the section on micro-loans to be the most interesting, as it illustrated the way in which ordinary citizens can help. White and Damon clearly show the enormity of the water crisis, yet them keep optimistic that the situation can be fixed, but to fix it will necessitate the care and involvement of everyone, not just big organizations, governments, or those impacted, but everyone.