World Water Day is a chance for us to cheer about our community (you!) and most importantly the communities we serve in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Sudan and most recently Burkina Faso.

Water is something we all share. It’s a community resource. Making sure we all have access to the 1% of the earth’s water we can actually drink will always require that we work together.

So, this World Water Day, we want to take a moment to celebrate how community makes that happen.

Thank you. Your Voice Matters.

Over the past few years, thousands of you rallied your own local community to help provide clean, safe water to villages in Africa.

From car washes (like this one at Cashmere High in New Zealand), to bake sales, water walks, talent shows, and even teeter-tottering, you helped build a first step – access to clean, safe water.

And right now, tens of thousands of people are building on that foundation. Developing communities are using their new resource everyday – not just to survive, but to thrive and work toward an even better tomorrow – just like you do.

Without your voice, in your community, this wouldn’t be possible.  So to better celebrate World Water Day, why not take a moment to invite someone new to the story?

Head over to Facebook or Twitter and post an update about what we’re doing together.  Encourage your friends to “Like” or “Follow Us“.

Together we can make an even bigger impact.  (For fun, for every 100 new likes we get we’ll give away a water bottle to a random follower.)

People Change Everything.

We know that the greatest accomplishments and the most exciting new ideas made possible by our work won’t simply pour out from the tap of a new well. They’ll come from the hands and minds of the people who use it.

People change everything. Clean, safe water helps make that possible.

That’s why today is most importantly a chance to celebrate the amazing communities we are privileged to partner with in countries like Kenya.

One of the most recent success stories is unfolding in Mtito Andei, a small town on the road between Nairobi and Mombasa in Kenya

Here, TWP’s partner, The Africa Sand Dam Foundation, is working with the Kakai Self Help Group. The people of Kakai have organized themselves into a team comprised of 22 men and 18 women.  This leadership team plays an integral role in mobilizing the rest of the community as they work to construct a sand dam and shallow well.

Sand dams are an amazing type of water project.  And it’s why we’re really excited about our new partnership with ASDF.

A sand dam traps seasonal rain behind a small dam.  Over time it fills with sediment (sand) which traps water.  That water can be collected for drinking, but it also raises the surrounding water table making agriculture much more sustainable.

These projects help provide what is called “food security” – an assurance that what you plant you’ll be reasonably certain you can harvest.   Access to water and food security can go hand and hand, and the U.N. just happens to be focused on it this World Water Day.

Sand dam full of water, just after it was completed

What we love most about these projects though, is that it’s the communities who build them.  From gathering stone, to mixing concrete, building forms and putting it all together – there’s work for everyone.  Your support helps pay for supplies, engineers, well pumps and training.  But it’s the community that makes it happen.  In the end, the size of the dam and the incredible amount of water it stores is only eclipsed by the pride of ownership the community will have.

We hope you’ll watch as we work to fund another ten of these large scale sand dam projects this year.

Maybe you’ll even want to join in too.  Happy World Water Day!

There’s no question that the latest report from the folks tracking progress of this MDG contains a lot of good news.  Millions of people throughout the world have received “improved” (not necessarily clean or safe) access to water over the last decade.

Many good people have been working hard during that time to focus the world’s attention on what we know to be a foundational building block in improving people’s lives – access to clean, safe water.  We’re keenly aware that without goals like these and the attention they generate, the progress we see today would likely have been far less.

So, first let’s celebrate that.  A rising tide indeed floats a lot of boats.

At the same time though, let’s not get carried away in claiming “success” in meeting any goal just yet. There is far too much work left to do.

As the report spells out so clearly, in graph after graph and map after map, the rural poor living in many sub-Saharan African countries are still missing out on even the most modest progress toward basic access to water.  That’s not to say that some very good things have not been accomplished there too.  They have.  But the new data released this week makes clear what we have long suspected.

The relative ease of providing access to water in urban centers, affluent neighborhoods, or in rapidly developing economies belies a universal truth of low-hanging fruit.  The easy work will always get done first.

That’s not an indictment of what has been done or the decisions made to begin in these places.  Instead, it should serve as a good reminder that the work gets harder from here.   Progress will not continue at this pace unless we re-double (or better) our commitments.

A voice to the voiceless

From the beginning, we at The Water Project have recognized that organizations like ours have a unique opportunity to focus on the poorest of the poor.  This report simply reminds us that many of these voiceless communities, so often last in line for everything, are still little better off than they were.  The need is as great as ever.

According to the report, “The number of  people in rural areas using unimproved water sources is five times greater than in urban areas,” and “in sub-Saharan Africa…only 35 per cent of people in the poorest quintile [use an improved drinking water source]“.

It’s just one reason The Water Project has chosen to work out away for the center of town.  It’s why we seek out partners dedicated to these folks.  We believe our small, nimble and indigenous partners – often longstanding members of the communities they serve – are best qualified to lay the groundwork for the kinds of interventions needed to break the cycle of poverty.  Investments like a new water project fundamentally change the landscape in these communities and unlock human potential.   Water is the means, a beginning and not the end.  We’ll continue working toward these beginnings in poor rural communities in sub-Saharan Africa until these voices join their fellow citizens, rising from poverty under their own power.

As we do, we need to be honest.  Working at this scale, out among the poor, is hard.

We know it’s hard because it happens face to face, in the messy relationships of community.  We must account for a myriad of cultural challenges, non-existent infrastructure, broken promises, wrong motivations, and unexpected setbacks.  In fact, we expect to spend a good amount of time being disappointed.  It’s that tough.  But it’s the truth when you’re committed to people, not hardware.

Still, all the while, we eagerly anticipate success amidst these trials.  They are indeed that much sweeter for everyone involved.  When our partners have installed a new water pump with a community and not just for it, a much greater good becomes possible.  Voices get a little louder.

Resetting the bar

Access to clean and safe water is a lofty goal.  Indeed the standard we’re setting for our projects goes far beyond what is being celebrated today.  It’s something you’ll see us talking a lot about this year.

With your help, we’ll have the time, the resources and the passion to lend a hand even when these goals seems impossible.  We are more convinced than ever that the investments we make in people’s lives, by providing something as simple as a water well, will pay huge dividends to the people of the communities we serve, and ultimately to the world we share.

Today, with a bit more dirt under our fingernails, we’re ready to take what we’ve learned and double-down on the challenge.  We’re prepared to raise the flag of hard-slogging, back-breaking, disappointment-ridden work for the people who need it most.  After all, we never said this would be easy.

So, here’s to a new goal.  Let’s prepare to celebrate the day we close our doors for good…when no one needs our help anymore to find something to drink.

And until then… let’s get back to work.

Been thinking about doing something for the first time, or even a second or third time, to help bring clean water to those in need?  Boy, do we have a great date for you!  Grab a pen, your iPhone, your family calendar, or your church bulletin; and mark down Thursday, March 22nd.  This day is set aside each year as World Water Day (WWD), where people all over the world talk about water, and its vital importance.

WWD is no small thing!  The international observance of World Water Day is an initiative that grew out of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro.  Each year since 1993 people have been getting out there and making a splash in their world for clean water.

This year’s focus is Water and Food Security.  Did you know that 70% of the water used in the world is used for agriculture?  Growing food takes tons of water, literally!  In fact, it takes about 3963 gallons of water to produce just 2 pounds of beef!  So without adequate water, people can’t grow adequate food.  Having access to clean, reliable water sources is important not just for drinking, bathing, and other hygiene practices, but for growing food.

Join us this year, and do something to commemorate WWD this March 22nd.  Host a fundraising event like a walk for water, take the Water Challenge, run in a road-race and get sponsors, and give the gift of clean water to those who do not have it.  Follow us on Facebook and Twitter and re-post the news and project updates we post.  Check out our Get Involved page for more ideas about how you can make this year’s World Water day a wave of success!

And invite a friend!  May as well ‘make it a date’!

Tess with children in Rwanda; see the woman carrying water in the background?

In the late autumn of 2011 we started meeting via Webex each month with students from colleges and universities all over the country.  Our goal?  To connect them to other like-minded peers and leaders who are interested in being a part of the solution to the economic water crisis that keeps millions without access to clean, reliable water sources.

In December we began recording the calls; I tell you, this is so fun!   So why bother doing the recording?  So we can share news from the field, and begin to catalog conversations that others (like you) can listen to and learn from, at your leisure!

Jack, the voice from the field

For our December call we had an interview with Jack Owen, our Program Manager, where we heard about a pilot project we are beginning in Kenya with a Field Partner, Pamoja Trust.   Working in informal urban settlements around Mombasa, the pilot project will establish two water kiosks, provide hygiene and sanitation training, and is expected to serve between 2500-3000 people.  Listen to our chat with Jack by clicking this link, and hear more details about this project, and stories of changed lives.

What’s next in our line up of recorded topics?  Keep your eyes open for topics such as ‘Time is Money Water!’ (to be recorded during our Jan. 25th call),  ’Technology Spotlight’, and others.  Have ideas for discussion topics?  Write to us!  We’d like to hear from you.

“Catch you on the radio”, as they say!

Kat Graham and Peter Chasse at "The Ripple Effect" in Los Angeles.

This past Saturday, December 10th, Kat Graham and Ian Somerhalder hosted “The Ripple Effect” in Los Angeles to benefit The Water Project. It was a beautiful evening, complete with a red carpet welcome, live and silent auctions, and presentations by the hosts and our founder, Peter Chasse.

Over 200 people turned out to show their support, including a number of Kat and Ian’s friends from the CW Network. Ms. Graham, who previously sponsored a water well through donations to her fundraising page on myWaterProject, worked with Jane Owen PR to organize every detail of the evening. She arranged sponsors, solicited gifts for the auction, and made sure everyone had an amazing time.

According to GiveBackHollywood.com, “Celebrities that attended to support the cause include Emmy Rossum, Nina Dobrev, Michael Trevino, Jenna Ushkowitz, Arielle Kebbel, Krysten Ritter, Camille Winbush, Christa B. Allen, Deborah S. Craig, Matt Lanter, Tiffany Hines, Judi Shekoni, Perez Hilton, Tamra Barney, Eddie Judge, Bianca Lawson, James Kyson Lee, and Marisa Quinn. Matthew Koma, best known for his hit “Novocaine Lips” on the Abduction soundtrack, entertained the celebrity audience.”

Throughout the evening, guests tweeted support of The Water Project and helped introduce our work to thousands of new people. We’re still tallying all the donations that have been made as a result, but we can say that many new wells and water projects will be built in 2012 thanks to Kat Graham’s Ripple Effect event. We couldn’t be more thankful!

We’ve posted a few shots from the event…more to come.

See who dropped by…

4 Bicentennial Square - Concord, NH

Beginning on June 6th, 2011 – The Water Project, Inc is relocating our headquarters from Charlotte, NC to Concord, NH.  It’s a big move and we couldn’t be happier!

We’re incredibly excited about this new opportunity to expand our operations, add some office space and welcome new folks to our team!

Our new headquarters in downtown Concord, NH will become a great place for our growing team to collaborate and get creative about solving this water crisis.  (It happens to be above a coffee shop, which will certainly help too!)

Why We’re Moving

From the beginning, our belief has been that partnerships and cooperation are the only way to solve the water crisis facing nearly one billion people around the world.

In the spirit of partnership, The Water Project, Inc. is excited to welcome Global Benefit, a non-profit organization in Concord, NH, to our work.  Global Benefit has, for the past ten years, worked to alleviate poverty in its many forms.  Their recent focus on access to clean, safe water as a means to reduce poverty is a passion we obviously share.

We can do more together.

Going forward, The Water Project will take the lead in developing the strong water programs Global Benefit has built so far.  Our newly combined efforts will remain focused on providing clean, safe water to those suffering needlessly without it.

New Hampshire will also make a great new home.  With its proximity to Boston and New England’s technology corridor, The Water Project will be able to draw from a rich pool of volunteers uniquely suited to help us build some of the web-based tools we need to better connect our supporters while we keep growing. We’re also enthusiastic about working with area colleges and universities as we develop a new internship program.

Finally, without a doubt, New Hampshire is a great place for our team to live and raise a family, even as we keep our administrative costs low.  It’s a win all around.

Growing the Team

Tess Crick - Outreach and Fundraising

As part of the transition, we recently welcomed Tess Crick, formerly of Global Benefit, as our new Outreach and Fundraising Coordinator.  In her new full-time role, Tess oversees our combined advocacy and fundraising efforts in schools, churches, colleges, and small groups around the world.   Tess’s background is uniquely suited to manage the hundreds of teams that join us each year.  And her passion to reach out to the poor by providing clean water is an inspiration.

Over the coming weeks Mark Warren, Global Benefit’s Executive Director, will be introducing The Water Project to their supporters, sharing the vision and potential that surrounds this next exciting chapter for our organizations.  We’re more than hopeful about the next stage in our shared growth as we welcome them to our team.  Together, we’re going to make a huge impact in the lives of many people.

As we settle in to Concord, The Water Project will add additional administrative support to our team as we look forward to welcoming additional senior staff early in 2012.

About The Transition

Our new home...

We expect the moving process to begin on June 6th and be completed around June 15th.

During this time we will remain open, but response times may be a bit delayed.  Most notably, gifts by check and any mail orders will be delayed up to two weeks or more.  Please plan accordingly.

Our phone numbers and email addresses will remain the same

Our new street address:

The Water Project, Inc.
4 Bicentennial Square
Third Floor, Suite 3
Concord, NH  03301

Our new mailing address:

The Water Project, Inc.
PO Box 3353
Concord, NH 03302-3353

We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this new chapter in our shared story!  And thanks for helping us get here.

4000 temporary staff using 4000 motorbikes are in the process of reaching out to 90% of households in a bid to get up to 4 million people using the Life Straw Family water filter by mid June 2011. Each health worker is tasked with delivering 10 filters per day, spending maximum 1 hour in each home talking about the filter and demonstrating its usage. This is an incredible undertaking, and on the face of it it looks as though this is a game changer. If people really do use these filters then health stats should go through the roof, and people’s lives will genuinely change for the better. In areas where people are reliant on rivers and streams, previously non viable sources will suddenly be usable and healthy.

For our partner in Kakamega, Bridge Water Project, this is also massive news. Whereas in the past we have always focused on borehole solutions, the presence of this technology could mean that rainwater catchment projects and spring protection projects become more justifiable. In the past our main concern has been contamination at source and along the ‘water chain’ to consumption. These filters change the game as they filter at the point of use, in the home. With this in mind I was keen to get the team some training with the Life Straw guys.

Here on the right is General Manager Wycliffe Makongo with Alison Hill of Life Straw, discussing the filter and it’s uses. It proved to be a healthy session, and we left with a commitment from both sides to continue talking and to consider ways of collaborating in the future.

It all sounded great – an ambitious project, by a for profit company with a humanitarian slant. But the ambition and the scale made my eyes water. I know through painful experience that behaviour change is a tough nut to crack. It takes time and a lot of effort to facilitate hygiene behaviour change in a sustainable manner. One hour in each household? That is nothing! Can it really be a sufficient input for a program like this? I wanted to talk to people outside the PR campaign. So I hired a little 100cc Yamaha and headed out to the hills of Western Kenya – a chance to combine  work with a jaunt around one of my favourite parts of Kenya.

This is a land of maize and sugar cane, of small  shambas (homesteads), red earth and mud walled  huts. It is a part of Kenya that for me, personifies  more than any other the ‘image of Africa’ that comes  to mind whenever I am back home in Europe. It is a  beautiful place.

It wasn’t long before I had my first contact with the  Life Straw program. Just on his way out of a house I  came across Richard, one of the 4000 temporary staff  distributing the filters. I stopped, we talked. In his opinion this was a great project, with a lot of potential. The distribution was hard work, but he was glad of the money. “And do people react well to the training?’ I asked. ” Mostly. The important thing is to give them the full hours training. I know that if they have an  hour, they’ll understand how to use the Life Straw Family. The problem is with us, the workers. I always stay for the hour – if the family wants me to – but some of my colleagues try to work as fast as possible, it is a challenge”.

So, Richard shed a little light, just a little, on the reality of the implementation. How refreshing to get an honest perspective, away from the PR machine back in Kakamega. I took a photo, we shook hands, and off I went. Hmm, I wondered, what else might I stumble across on my ride through the green hills of Western?

I had a policy – stop when you  come across anyone, and talk to them. It was simple and effective. As anyone who has spent time in Kenya will tell you, people here like nothing more than a chat. So it wasn’t long before I came across Mr Ifedha, wheezing as he pushed his bike up the hill. “Hi! have you heard anything about this Life Straw thing?” I asked. “Hmm” came the reply. “Well I have heard of something, but it is not round here. Look, we use the river it is so close”.  In a nutshell Mr Ifedha summed up the challenge. 

Changing ingrained behaviour relating to water and sanitation is a real challenge. It is not enough to  say “Here you go, a filter”. Anyway, I thanked Mr  Ifedha and moved on. With a $30m investment, these guys must know what they are doing, I mused, picking my way down a steep section of road running down to the river Mr Ifedha had pointed out. And of course they will be here for 10 years, so I guess they can iron out any issues they have along the way. And then there are the regional support centres that will look after repairs…. I’m glad I came out here to hear the local views (and see them!), but as ever nothing here is clear cut. And maybe there is a genuine role here for our  partner Bridge Water Project. If we can build the LIfe  Straw training materials into our own (much more  thorough) community education program, then  Bridge Water can really contribute to the success of  this intervention. Maybe I’ll get one more opinion on  the way home, I said to myself, as an old man hoved  into view, herding his cattle to the river (anyone see  the WASH issue here? Same river Mr Ifedha  cited…answers on a postcard!).

“Hello” I shouted, mindful of his age. He smiled a toothy smile, and we talked using a mixture of his poor English and my horrendous Kiswahili. Over there, he pointed, “Our neighbours on the hill, they have them. But not us. Will they be coming here soon?” he asked. “I think so” I replied, “Ngoja tu”, “wait a little”. He smiled, and off he went, oblivious to the nature of the project happening in his homeland, and more concerned with watering his cattle at the river. Again, I thought, are they really rolling out this program with such little community engagement?

This project is ambitious in the extreme, and to an extent Vestergaard Frandsen should be congratulated. It will certainly have a big impact on the  lives of many people in  Western Kenya. The danger  though, is to think that  because this is a ‘for profit’  initiative normal  development rules need not apply. I’m talking about the crucial role of  community participation, the need for dedicated and passionate project  staff, the importance of ‘demand’ being expressed by the community  itself, or the need to reach out to other stakeholders (such as us!).  Development organisations have changed a lot over the years to try  and incorporate some of these ideas and to become more  accountable  to the communities they serve. Perhaps, as the  world starts to look at  ’humanitarian entrepreneurship’ as a potential  development model,  there should be an appreciation of the knowledge  base the ‘traditional’  development community has to offer. I hope for all  the world that this project works, partly because of the many people I personally know and love who will benefit. My gut feeling is that it will have challenges along the way, but then what kind of development work doesn’t?

Collaboration is key. Between everyone. The good thing is that The Water Project, through our partners, is committed to communicating and sharing, and will endeavour to assist any organisation that is trying to contribute to the global water and sanitation challenge.

As for my ride through Western, I enjoyed it immensely, and although my research was anecdotal and brief, I feel I know a little more about the reality of this project than I did beforehand. I can’t wait to go back and see how they’re getting on!

Thanks for reading – any questions just use the comments section, or send me an email – jack@thewaterproject.org

The desks and chairs have made such a difference.  We’ve happily said goodbye to our old sagging folding tables and broken chairs.  And our new filing system (lots more drawers!) makes things so much more efficient around here.

We couldn’t be happier or more comfortable.  Thanks!!!

Datum is a designer and manufacturer of durable, American-made storage systems, office equipment and furniture.  Family owned and operated since 1968, Datum offers the industry’s most extensive warranty.

The Water Project has joined a coalition of water organizations who are coordinating our response to the crisis unfolding in Haiti.

We’re proud to be partnered with Living Water International (LWI) who is ready and able to provide immediate assistance to the people of Haiti.  They are on the ground now!

How to Help

Click Here to Donate Now »

100% of funds raised will go directly to the relief effort.

Stay Connected

We will post updates on Twitter, Facebook and here on our site as we receive them.

More about the coordinated response

LWI is mobilizing to help communities in Haiti restore clean water after the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere was rocked by a catastrophic earthquake yesterday.

The massive 7.3 magnitude earthquake was the strongest to hit the country in 200 years and was felt as far away as Cuba. It brought down buildings including the presidential palace, hotels, a hospital, and the UN headquarters in Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital. Tens of thousands are feared dead.

LWI teams are already on the ground in the midst of unimaginable devastation to do what they can, but the problems for affected communities are only beginning. The most urgent need during the coming days and weeks will be water. Homes can take months to re-build, electricity can take weeks to restore, but people can’t last long without water.

Earthquakes destroy water systems. Pipelines break, electrical distribution systems fail, and hand-dug wells–—already questionable water sources–—are rendered useless or become contaminated with cholera, typhoid, and other waterborne diseases.

“In Haiti, clean water is a terrible problem even at the best of times,” said LWI Executive Director Gary Evans. “After a quake like this, it’s a crisis of epic proportions.”

The earthquake was centered about 10 miles west of Port-au-Prince. The quake was felt in the Dominican Republic, which shares a border with Haiti on the island of Hispaniola. Some panicked residents in the capital of Santo Domingo fled from their homes.

“This isn’t the first time we’ve been part of disaster relief in Haiti,” says Evans, referring to LWI’s response to the devastating hurricane season of September 2008, when four major storms including Hurricane Ike slammed the country. “But this could be the worst we’ve seen.”

LWI is leading a coalition of water organizations that are partnering to multiply their effect on Haitian communities. Partners include Global Benefit, Mercy Water (working with Nspire Software), Wishing Well, Hydrate Hope Project (through I AM CHANGE),The Water Project, and Safewater Nexus.

About LWI

LWI has been working in Haiti since July of 2004, repairing hundreds of community wells that had been incapacitated by overuse, vandalism, or natural disaster. New wells are now being drilled in areas that have never had clean water.

Operations are underway in the Cap Haitien area in the northeast part of the country and in Leogane, located near the capital of Port-au-Prince; In recent years, LWI teams have been in the right place at the right time, and have been able to help communities rebuild in the wake of Hurricane Ike and other natural disasters.

How to Help

Click Here to Donate Now »

100% of funds raised will go directly to the relief effort.

Stay Connected

We will post updates on Twitter, Facebook and here on our site as we receive them.

http://lisapepin.vox.com/library/post/water-water-everywhere.html