• Handout 1, Water Drops Sheet
• Color pencils or markers

• Copy Handout 1 for all participants, plus an extra.
• Optional: If the group is large, plan to have participants work in small groups of four or five; make a copy of the handout for each small group.

This activity illustrates the scarcity of clean water.

Distribute handouts. Say:

The drops on this sheet represent all the water on the Earth. How much of these 100 drops do you think are fresh, clean water we could safely drink?

Let participants guess (or, invite the groups to confer). Distribute pencils or markers and ask them to mark their guess by coloring in the number of drops.

Ask participants to share their guesses by holding up their water drops sheets. Tell them the correct answer is one drop. On your own sheet, color in one drop and show it to the group. Say:

This one drop is all we have for drinking. The rest of Earth's water is salt water or dirty water that is unsafe to drink.

Engage the group to react:

• What do you think about how much clean, safe drinking water is available to drink?
• Can we afford to waste water?
• Why is it important that we keep all water clean and free of pollution?

Conclude by saying that clean sanitation in every part of the world is important for clean water everywhere.