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The  fourth reflection of the Seven Weeks for Water 2024 series of the WCC Ecumenical Water Network is written by Rev. Dr Anupama Hial.  In this reflection, she recalls her struggles in the past as a Dalit woman in India to get access to clean water.  She challenges churches to be a catalyst for fulfilling the promise of Isaiah to provide free water to all who are thirsty, especially to the Dalit women. 

The third reflection of the Seven Weeks for Water 2024 series of the WCC Ecumenical Water Network is written by Very Rev. Dr Augustinos Bairactaris. In this reflection, he underscores that the water justice issue is a theological task for all, and that the health of the water is vital to human civilization, and for the stability of the world’s climate and biodiversity. He urges all Christians to pray, fast, and act together for a sustainable environment and planet, especially during Lent.

The first reflection of the Seven Weeks for Water 2024 series of the WCC Ecumenical Water Network is written by Dr Munib Younan,* bishop emeritus of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land and former president of the Lutheran World Federation. In this reflection, the author, as a Palestinian, in line with this year's theme of "leveraging water for peace,” reflects on Isaiah's promise of free water for the thirsty in the context of the ongoing Israeli war in Gaza that has worsened the water situation in Gaza to catastrophic levels.

Originally published in 2016, the seventh reflection of the WCC's Ecumenical Water Network Lenten campaign 2023 "Seven Weeks for Water" is from The Rt Rev. Dr Munib Younan, from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land.

Salaam and grace to you from Jerusalem, the Holy City. As an Arab Christian, I am thankful for the opportunity to write a reflection for this year’s “Seven Weeks for Water”. Of course, this part of the world always has been dealing with water issues because of its dry climate and few water resources. Today, however, the Palestinian people face an even greater water challenge. It is a crisis that grows worse year after year.

Originally published in 2020, the fifth reflection of the seven weeks for water 2023 of the WCC’s Ecumenical Water Network is by Rev. Dr. Donald Bruce Yeates, a minister of Saint Andrews Presbyterian Church of Suva, Fiji and a consultant chaplain at The University of the South Pacific. Bruce has been active in the Pacific since 1975 as an academic in social work, community development and social policy having served at the University of Papua New Guinea and The University of the South Pacific. In the following  reflection he underlines the importance of human right to water and the onslaught of privatisation in the backdrop of  world’s most famous bottled water which comes from his home country, the “Fiji waters”.

Die dritte der sieben Reflexionen der Fastenkampagne: Sieben Wochen für Wasser 2023 des Ökumenischen Wassernetzwerks (EWN) des Weltrats der Kirchen (ÖRK) wurde ursprünglich 2017 verfasst und stammt von Dr. Agnes Abuom, ehemalige Vorsitzende des ÖRK-Zentralausschusses .

Dr. Abuom ist die erste Frau und erste Afrikanerin, die diese bedeutende Position einnimmt. Sie ist auch geschäftsführende Direktorin der Organisation TAABCO Research and Development Consultants (Forschungs- und Entwicklungsberatung) mit Sitz in Nairobi, Kenia. In ihrer Reflexion am Vorabend des Internationalen Frauentages erklärt sie als afrikanische Frau die Zusammenhänge zwischen Armut, Wasserknappheit und deren Auswirkung auf Frauen. Sie ist auch sehr kontextbezogen, da Kenia heutzutage unter einer großen Dürre leidet, welche die Situation der Frauen verschlechtert. Letztere sind in ihren Familien vorwiegend für die Wasserbeschaffung zuständig.

Rédigé à l'origine en 2017, le troisième des sept reflets de la Campagne de carême : Sept semaines pour l'eau 2023 du Réseau œcuménique de l'eau (REE) du Conseil mondial des Églises (COE) est du Dr Agnes Abuom, ancienne modératrice du comité central du COE.

Le Dr Abuom est la première femme et la première Africaine à occuper cette fonction importante. Elle est également la Directrice exécutive de la société de conseil TAABCO Research and Development Consultants, basée à Nairobi (Kenya). À la veille de la Journée internationale des femmes, en tant que femme africaine, elle explore les liens entre la pauvreté, la rareté de l'eau et l'impact de cette rareté sur les femmes. Une réflexion qui prend tout son sens aujourd'hui, puisque le Kenya est actuellement touché par une grande sécheresse qui aggrave la situation des femmes. En effet, ce sont elles qui, la plupart du temps, doivent approvisionner leur famille en eau.

Originally written in 2017, The third of the seven reflections of the Lenten Campaign: Seven Weeks for Water 2023 of the Word Council of Churches’ (WCC) Ecumenical Water Network (EWN) is by Dr Agnes Abuom, former moderator of the WCC’s central committee. 

Dr Abuom was the first woman and first African to hold this important position. She is also the Executive Director of TAABCO Research and Development Consultants, based in Nairobi, Kenya. In her reflection, being an African woman on the eve of International Women’s Day, she explores the linkages between poverty, water scarcity and its impact on women.  It is also contextual in that today Kenya is reeling under a serious drought which is deteriorating the situation for women as they are mostly responsible for fetching water for their families.

Die 1. Reflexion der Sieben Wochen im Zeichen des Wassers 2023 des Ökumenischen Wassernetzwerks (ÖWN) schrieb Michele Roberts*. In der folgenden Reflexion, die sich auf mehrere Fälle von grossen Wasserverschmutzungen in verschiedenen Städten der USA stützt, kommt sie zum Schluss, dass der mangelnde Zugang zu sauberem Wasser in den USA das Ergebnis von systembedingtem Rassismus ist.

La première réflexion dans le cadre des Semaines pour l'eau 2023 du Réseau œcuménique de l'eau du COE est écrite par Michele Roberts.* Se basant sur des exemples de contamination à grande échelle de l'eau dans plusieurs villes des États-Unis, Michele Roberts arrive à la conclusion que le manque d'accès à l'eau potable aux États-Unis est le résultat d'un racisme systémique.

La autora de la primera reflexión de las Siete Semanas para el Agua 2023 de la Red Ecuménica del Agua del CMI es Michele Roberts.* En la siguiente reflexión, basada en varios casos de contaminación del agua a gran escala en muchas ciudades de EE.UU., establece la correlación entre la falta de acceso al agua potable en EE.UU. y el racismo sistémico.

Originally published in 2021, the 1st reflection of the Seven Weeks for Water 2023 series of the WCC Ecumenical Water Network is written by Michele Roberts*, from the Environmental Justice Health Alliance. In this reflection, the author, based on several instances of large scale water contamination in many cities in the USA, comes to a conclusion that lack of access to clean water in USA is a result of systemic racism.

The sixth reflection of the Seven Weeks for Water 2022 of the WCC’s Ecumenical Water Network is written by Dinesh Suna.* In the following reflection ,  he gives a historical background of the WCC's water justice ministry and reaffirms that water is a gift of God, a common good and human right. Taking the inspiration from Isaiah, he calls the churches to become blue communities and say no to privatisation of water and to bottled water.

The second reflection of the Seven Weeks for Water 2022 of the WCC’s Ecumenical Water Network is written by Nicole Ashwood (Nicqi).* In the following reflection , which was  written around the International Women’s Day, she reflects how the women in the story of Exodus were deprived of water and how Moses came up to their defense  and provided them and their flock with water. Then she  highlights how developed countries in Europe, including Switzerland fares in getting access to clean water and how it affects the health, wellbeing and dignity of the people, particularly, women, everywhere.

The seventh and last reflection of the Seven Weeks for Water 2021 of the WCC’s Ecumenical Water Network is written by Andrew Schwartz.* In the following reflection during Holy Week, he is using a small town in the USA as a case study to emphasise how local communities can take small initiatives to “resurrect” the contaminated or “dead” groundwater to form life giving waters.   Leaving us on a positive note, he ends by saying, “if Holy Week teaches us anything it’s that death is not final.”