The star of the twominute animated film for #WorldWaterDay 2023 is the hummingbird. In the ancient tale, the hummingbird is faced with a great fire and, rather than stand and stare, decides to act trying to put the fire out one drop at a time. The other animals laugh, but she replies, “I’m doing what I can.”

The short film tells the story of the global water and sanitation crisis as if the world were a community of just 100 people.

In that scenario, 25 people would have to collect unsafe water from a stream or pond, often far away, or queue for hours and pay a high price to a vendor. 22 people would either have no choice but to go to the toilet in the streets, bushes or fields, or to use unhygienic and dysfunctional latrines.

Half the local wetlands would have disappeared in recent decades and nearby agriculture and industry would use up 80 per cent of all the available water.

In the face of this global water and sanitation crisis, the hummingbird’s message is to do something, however small. And when more and more of us are like the hummingbird, our individual actions amount to something much bigger, helping to accelerate change.

Check out the short film to see what #WaterAction you could take.
https://www.unwater.org/bethechange/