The real Ice Bucket Challenge

The current Ice Bucket Challenge craze is an example of how people can unite to make a difference for good. From celebrities to just everybody, from presidents to the street vendor, everyone is united in their quest to raise awareness for the Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). ALS is a chronic, progressive, almost always fatal neurological disease. It affects the muscles and invariable leads to death.

That people are willing to pour a bucket of ice cold water over themselves to raise awareness is a simple but a great and effective way of getting the message across. People have big fun doing it and that explains why it has gone viral. People are creative and it shows every day.

Every day in the Niger – Delta area of Nigeria, there are people who are looking at this phenomenon and wondering why people are wasting valuable water for any reason at all. Take the example of the Iduwini community in the Niger Delta. This is a community surrounded by water but there is not a drop to drink. Why? It is because the water is polluted with crude oil. The water they drink looks like some coca cola light in colour. When one looks at the water, one can see living animals like tadpoles and more swimming in the drinking water. It is not surprising to know that many in the community suffer from various incurable diseases and live expectancy is barely up to 40 years.

So while having fun with water and raising awareness for ALS, spare a thought for those people too. They are not asking you to stop the fun. They just hope they would one day be able to drink some of that clean water too!