Water Matters

The latest on our work and those supporting it



Helping Others Locally and Globally


Friday, May 6th, 2011by Peter

Spring 2011 is just beginning to take hold in many parts of the US, pushing cold and wet away, and bringing flowers and green grass.  With it, spring brings encouragement and hope of things new.  In the last week we’ve heard about two families that are bringing hope and encouragement, like spring, to more than […]

 

One Person’s Loss is Another’s Gain


Wednesday, May 4th, 2011by Peter

We got a great email a few weeks ago from Stephen Lasky, Vice President of Business Planning and Analysis at Sephora.  Stephen had undertaken a huge goal that would result in better health for himself and provide an inspiration to Sephora employees.  Being the ‘others’ minded person that Stephen is, he wanted to tie that […]

 

Sand dams and other miracles


Tuesday, May 3rd, 2011by

In some areas of Kenya – like where I live in Coast Province, finding clean water is almost impossible. With little rain and salty groundwater, people travel for miles with jerry cans to find fresh springs or river beds where they can dig for water. For us, the question is often not “Do we want […]

 

Addressing urban WASH issues in Informal Urban Settlements


Thursday, April 28th, 2011by

Yesterday I visited an Informal Urban Settlement in Mombasa, in an area called Likoni. Informal Urban Settlements, or slums, are areas characterised by poor housing and squalor, where the population lack official land tenure rights. Globally, more than 1 billion people live in slums, a figure that is rising all the time as people move […]

 

TWP link up with Hydraid and US Navy to get Bio Sand Filters to Uganda


Thursday, April 21st, 2011by

  Over the past few months there has been an interesting collaboration happening involving The Water Project, The US Navy and Hydraid (www.hydraid.com), all in the interest of aiding communities in Africa as they try to rise up from poverty and ill health. So what’s been going on? Well…..

 

Northwest Girlchoir Sings for Water with Beautiful Results


Tuesday, April 5th, 2011by Peter

For 38 years, the Northwest Girlchoir (http://www.northwestgirlchoir.org/) has championed extraordinary music education and performance opportunities for girls and young women.  This month, in honor of World Water Day 2011, the choral organization championed something else … clean water.  From concerts performed in two locations in the Seattle, Washington area, the choir’s Artistic Director, Sara Boos, […]

 

Are Water User Associations working?


Tuesday, March 29th, 2011by

I recently had a meeting with a local NGO here in Coast Province called Community Link International. They are a small and embryonic team, primarily made up of Margaret and Musyoka, with a couple of part time field staff. They’ve been registered as an NGO for about a year, but can collectively draw upon a […]

 

Just because I’m 8 years old doesn’t mean I can’t do this


Tuesday, March 22nd, 2011by Peter

Winn Murray is an 8 year old boy in Macon, Georgia who is changing lives … not only in Africa where his fund raising efforts will bring clean water, but right in his home town.  In fact, Winn’s simple but bold act of caring has inspired  7 more schools in Macon to get involved.  In […]

 

World Water Day – a time for reflection


Tuesday, March 22nd, 2011by

  Today is World Water Day (http://www.worldwaterday.org/), the annual global day of events that grew out of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. The focus changes every year, with the theme this year  titled ‘Water for Cities’. The last 20 years has seen a massive shift […]

 

What is this ‘sustainability’ thing, anyway?


Tuesday, March 15th, 2011by

  Ever wondered what sustainability means? People use it a lot in our line of work, usually when thinking about the IMPACT development work has. I thought I’d try and go for a definition today as I sit here thinking about how to get more of it! Interested? Have a read of this and tell […]