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Global Water Challenge and Water & Sanitation for the Urban Poor Announce Pinnacle Awards

WASHINGTON, March 20, 2014 /3BL Media/ – Global Water Challenge (GWC) and Water & Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP), two leading not-for-profit organizations working to bring universal access to clean drinking water and sanitation around the world, are announcing the launch of The Pinnacle Awards. These awards aim to recognize a city’s progress towards reaching all citizens with clean water and improved sanitation services. The two awards, the Pinnacle Award for Water and the Pinnacle Award for Sanitation, will be presented during WSUP’s Master Class in Water and Sanitation for Low Income Consumers in Kampala, Uganda in December 2014.

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#ToastToWater Gives You a Chance to Join in the Celebration

Last week, the #ToastToWater campaign made waves throughout social media networks and the water sector as people from around the world raised a toast to give thanks to water. RP Siegel, staff writer for 3BL Media, gives a run-down of the campaign and World Water Day events:

This year for the first time, there is an opportunity to do just that, using social media to participate in the Toast to Water campaign. This kickstarting engagement action has spurred thousands of people to send in selfies or short videos illustrating some way in which water is important to them or just raising a glass in a toast.

For example, Alexandra Cousteau, granddaughter of the famous ocean crusader Jacques Cousteau, can be seen making her toast to water, here. General Colin Powell also got in on the action. Many others, by those less famous, toast to water, for providing a home for their fish, for helping to brew their coffee, and for providing fresh produce. Twitter hashtag #toasttowater has dozens of photos and hundreds of tweets by people toasting to water. Check it out. You just might see someone you know.

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Water is Life

By Alexandra Cousteau, Founder and President, Blue Legacy International and Monica Ellis, CEO, Global Water Challenge

Since I was a child, my grandfather Jacques Cousteau taught me that for life to thrive, there must be clean, abundant water. Water supports all ecosystems, economies, and communities, from local watersheds to the seas. The quality of our water defines the quality of our lives.

But how often do we really think about that? In the western world, not much. We turn on the tap and out flows water. In other parts of the world, however, hundreds of millions of people must go to great lengths to obtain just a day’s supply of water. Without it, people struggle to do things we don’t think twice about: grow a community, start a business, even maintain proper hygiene. In Africa and other impoverished countries, water even keeps children from going to school.

It shouldn’t have to be this way. Not now, not ever.

Access to clean drinking water is a human right, recognized by the United Nations. But it doesn’t take an international charter to recognize a basic fact of life: without water, there is only suffering. This is especially true for women and girls in the developing world since the water crisis is directly tied to their destinies. Without access to basic necessities like water and a clean bathroom at school, many young girls drop out, and will never get the education they need to break the cycle of poverty and contribute to the economic development in their home countries.

Across the world, companies, governments and civil society are coming together to protect water.  The Coca-Cola Company and its partners are providing clean water access to over 2MM people in Africa alone through a program called the Replenish African Initiative or RAIN.  From rebuilding water infrastructure in Kinshasa to empowering women entrepreneurs to run water kiosks in Ghana, these public-private partnerships make clean water a daily reality for those who could only dream of it before.

In Ghana, RAIN support has brought a woman named Cornelia and her four children a safe drinking water supply instead of the nearby dirty river.  It has also brought her precious time since she no longer has to spend hours gathering water. Just like Somaliland’s Fadumo, who would spend almost an entire day collecting water with her daughters.  Today, she earns a living selling water at a kiosk built through a RAIN project in her country.  “Now, thanks to RAIN, that is all behind us. Alhamdulilah (Thank God),” Fadumo told us.

Coca-Cola isn’t alone in making a difference.  They share this critical work with other forward-thinking organizations in the public and private sector, across diverse geographic and political boundaries, who’ve demonstrated a sincere commitment to promoting access to clean, abundant water.

In honor of World Water Day, let us each take time to appreciate every cool, clean sip of water we enjoy, and work together to ensure that everyone has the access to this basic necessity – clean water.

About the Authors

Alexandra Cousteau is Founder and President of Blue Legacy International, a non-profit organization that infuses science, technology, and exploration into compelling stories to build public awareness of the interconnectivity between local watersheds and global water resources, and to inspire more sustainable actions. Alexandra Cousteau is dedicated to advocating the importance of water conservation and sustainable management to preserve a healthy planet for future generations. A World Economic Forum Young Global Leader, National Geographic "Emerging Explorer," filmmaker, and globally recognized advocate on water issues, Alexandra continues the legendary work of her renowned grandfather Jacques-Yves Cousteau and her father Philippe Cousteau, Sr.

Monica Ellis is the CEO of Global Water Challenge (GWC), an action-oriented coalition of leading corporations, NGOs and other organizations committed to achieving universal access to safe drinking water and sanitation (WASH).  GWC’s mission is to accelerate the delivery of safe water and sanitation throughout the world.  GWC has sponsored path-breaking WASH projects in Africa, Central and Latin America and India.  Active in the sustainability arena for over 20 years, Ms. Ellis has worked throughout the world on global natural resource issues. Her passion is helping communities in the developing world gain clean water, sanitation and ultimately, economic opportunity.

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Happy World Water Day!

Dear Global Water Challenge supporters,

This week, Global Water Challenge has been busy gearing up for World Water Day, a day designated by the U.N. General Assembly to celebrate water on March 22nd each year. As a part of our celebrations, we wanted to share with our followers some of the outstanding work and accomplishments that our members and water sector friends have recently achieved in the lead up to World Water Day.

GWC member Dow named its DOW FILMTEC™ ECO Reverse Osmosis elements as one of three “breakthroughs to world challenges.” This revolutionary technology has the ability to deliver 40 percent better water purification using 30 percent less energy – resulting in an innovative solution that has the potential to impact millions of lives. Currently, Dow Water & Process Solutions technologies generate 15 million gallons of water a minute, placing the company in a unique position to help solve global water challenges. Learn more about this exciting technology here.

Global Water Challenge teamed up with GWC member, The Coca-Cola Company, and World Wildlife Fund to launch the Toast to Water campaign. In order to raise awareness for global water challenges, the campaign encourages people to take a picture and upload it to their favorite social media site with #ToastToWater. The toasts are compiled at www.toasttowater.com , where users have the opportunity to view their toast side-by-side with others from around the world. The campaign highlights the Replenish Africa Initiative, the flagship community water access program of The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation, and inspires people to consider all aspects of water in daily life. Learn more and participate in the world’s largest toast to water here.

Keurig Green Mountain announced commitments to water stewardship in its recent 2013 Sustainability Report, including a goal to provide clean water access to one million people by 2020. Keurig Green Mountain is kicking off its support with an $11 million commitment to support leading nonprofit organizations working to promote water security.  The four water organizations that this funding will support include GWC member charity: water, Global Water Initiative, Raise-the-River and American Rivers. Read more here.

GWC is proud to support these strong initiatives. As always, do not hesitate to be in touch – we love to hear your thoughts. Cheers to water!

Warmest regards,

Monica

CEO

Global Water Challenge

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Top 10 WASH Sustainability Tools of 2013

The following is a cross-post from Brian Banks at SustainableWASH.org:

2013 has been a great year for SustainableWASH.org. We have seen the number of endorsers for the WASH Sustainability Charter swell to over 130, and we have seen the sector make great use of the Self-Assessment tool launched early in the year, with 17 organizations having completed the full assessment. To endorse the WASH Sustainability Charter or use the self-assessment tool, please visit this page.

For those of you that haven’t yet used the self-assessment tool, beyond providing you with scores on different areas of sustainability, you will receive a personalized recommendation of resources that can help you where your organization has the greatest opportunity for growth. These resources are also available to search or browse. Throughout 2013, these resources have been viewed hundreds of times by users across over 150 countries. Today, we are sharing the most popular resources (by number of views).

If you are interested in learning more about tools in the water sector, we invite you to join the upcoming WASH Sustainability Webinar Series events on tools for ensuring WASH Sustainability on March 4th and 18th. To learn more and to register, click here.

Without further ado, here is a countdown of the top WASH Sustainability Tools of 2013:

Top WASH Sustainability Resources for 2013

10) Assessing hygiene improvement: guidelines for household and community levels The guidelines are intended to assist program managers to develop and evaluate hygiene improvement interventions at the community and household levels. They describe 66 indicators and propose 360 model survey questions for measuring hygiene improvement comprehensively at the household and community levels and at institutions such as schools and health facilities. They help in planning and conducting the following evaluation tasks: - Perform a situational analysis and needs assessment - Develop a performance monitoring plan - Establish a baseline of and assess the current hygiene practices - Measure differences in access and hygiene behaviors between different population groups - Evaluate the impact of hygiene improvement programs

9) SARAR techniques: Tools for Community Participation, a manual for training trainers in participatory techniques Focuses on an approach to participatory training called SARAR, which stands for: self esteem; associative strengths; resourcefulness; action planning; and responsibility. The SARAR approach to community participation in development projects is designed to ensure that sect oral improvements correspond to people's priorities and benefit from people's willingness to use them effectively and maintain them in good order

8) CLUES (Community-Led Urban Environmental Sanitation) The planning approach builds on a framework which balances the needs of people with those of the environment to support human dignity and a healthy life. CLUES is a multi-sector and multi-actor approach accounting for water supply, sanitation, solid waste management and storm drainage. It emphasizes the participation of all stakeholders from an early stage in the planning process. CLUES promotes a shift away from centralized conventional sewerage (but doesn't exclude it) towards offering a range of technology solutions for people living in poor and unplanned urban areas. The CLUES approach has three distinct elements: • seven planning steps, • three cross-cutting tasks relevant throughout the entire planning process, and • the enabling environment which is required for sustainable interventions.

7) ISO Water Standards The International Standard Organization presents three key standards for managing water utilities, and assessing water services (processes, activities, means and resources) necessary for abstracting, treating, distributing or supplying drinking water and for collecting, treating and disposing of wastewater as well as for providing the associated services and evaluating the service being delivered. The three standards are: - ISO 24510: activities relating to drinking water and wastewater services – Guidelines for the assessment and for the improvement of the service to users - ISO 24511: activities relating to drinking water and wastewater services – Guidelines for the management of wastewater utilities and for the assessment of wastewater services - ISO 24512: activities relating to drinking water and wastewater services – Guidelines for the management of drinking water utilities and for the assessment of drinking water services.

6) Operation and maintenance of rural water supply and sanitation systems: A training package for managers and planners This training package provides activities for planners and managers interested who are challenged by the effective implementation of WASH Operation and Maintenance services in developing countries. It highlights the importance of community participation, gender balance, emphasizing the efficient use of local human resources for sustainability.

5) USAID hygiene improvement framework (HIF) This framework is used as a model to sustainably combat diarrhea by USAID and their partners. Aspects of the HIF have been incorporated into existing health, nutrition, HIV/AIDS and child survival programs to increase the likelihood of sustainable work throughout other development sectors.

4) Developing Financing Strategies in Water Supply and Sanitation This paper provides information about financing strategies in water supply and sanitation (WSS) that are realistic and meet established development objectives. It addresses the preparation, development and implementation of a financing strategy in WSS in developing and transition countries. In specific, the paper: - offers a definition of a financing strategy for WSS - lays out the stages for preparing, developing and implementing a financing strategy in WSS - breaks down the challenges in each step

3) Sustainable sanitation and water management toolbox This integrative toolbox is used for capacity development at the local level. It provides a collection of tools and approaches to improve water resources management sanitation, targeting decision makers and practitioners. It can also be used by international agencies for education and training. It offers material covering: clarifying the sustainable sanitation concept, understanding existing local water management systems, planning and process tools, implementation tools, and train the trainers modules.

2) Handbook on Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) methodology The CLTS methodology is a popular tool used to motivate change for improved sanitation in the rural context. CLTS recognizes the importance of behavioral change in improved sanitation through community mobilization. Through facilitation techniques, communities conduct their own appraisal and analysis for open defecation and take their own action to become open defecation free. CLTS recognizes that providing toilets does not guarantee or result in improved and sustainable sanitation and hygiene. By focusing on behavioral change and awareness building, CLTS invests in community mobilization rather than hardware installation and triggers change within communities through mutual support, local solutions and innovation.

1) PHAST - step by step guide: a participatory approach for the control of diarrheal diseases Through the promotion of participatory technique, this guide presents a seven-step approach to help people feel more confident about their ability to take action and make improvements to their communities. In the first five steps, community groups are guided on the development of a plan to prevent diarrheal diseases by improving water supply, hygiene behaviors and sanitation. The last two steps involve monitoring and evaluation.

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By Harold Lockwood - During the recent World Water Week in Stockholm, the Directorate General for International Cooperation (DGIS) of the Netherlands Foreign Ministry and IRC International Water an...

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USAID Releases Water Strategy, WHO and UNICEF Update JMP

Memorial Day Weekend officially began the summer travel season in the United States. As millions of children pack into cars, buses and planes they ask “are we there yet?” On the flip side, approximately one billion children in developing countries also ask “are we there yet” while collecting water or seeking a clean and safe place to go to the bathroom. What is the United States’ response to the global need for sustainable access to water and sanitation?

Two recent reports shape the response, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) launched the first Water and Development Strategy 2013-2018 and the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF’s Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) released the Progress on Sanitation and Drinking-Water 2013 update. The JMP 2013 Update provides a snapshot of the areas around the world with the greatest water and sanitation needs and the USAID strategy outlines a roadmap to reach some of these areas.

2013 Update Snapshot: Although significant progress has been achieved on providing access to water and sanitation, especially in Asia and in urban areas, the JMP 2013 Update shows that there is still more work to be done. Of the 768 million people without access to improved drinking water, 83% live in rural areas, and as the first map shows, the countries with the lowest rates of access are located in Sub-Saharan Africa. Of the 2.5 billion who lack access to sanitation, 71% live in rural areas; and as the second map shows, the majority of countries with the lowest proportion of population with access to sanitation are also in Sub-Saharan Africa.

One billion of the 2.5 billion people without access to sanitation practice open defecation. In Sub-Saharan Africa, open defecation rates are increasing. This is problematic for water and food security. Evidence shows that open defecation is linked to stunting and malnutrition because increased prevalence of feces and germs in food and water sources adversely affects the body’s ability to absorb vital nutrients. Solving open defecation is a big step towards achieving food security and improving global health.

The USAID Water Strategy Roadmap: The strategy recognizes the importance of water in meeting development priorities of improved health and increased food security. In order to achieve the overarching goal to save lives and advance development, the strategy focuses on two strategic objectives:

The Water for Health objective would provide at least 10 million additional people with sustainable access to improved water sources, 6 million additional people with a safe and sustainable sanitation, and hygiene behaviors, such as hand washing, will be adopted.

The Water for Food objective seeks to improve water use productivity in rain fed areas and irrigated agricultural systems so that more people can receive higher incomes from higher food yields.

USAID invests approximately $500 million annually for water-related projects. Going forward, USAID will be more selective in funding high priority countries, with a focus on Sub-Saharan Africa. Funding will be directed to those countries where more people lack access to safe water and sanitation and where more children below five years of age are susceptible to diarrhea. The 2013 JMP Update helps with prioritization by showing countries with low access.

As USAID water programs work to improve health and food security, the strategy will focus on the following key issues:

gender equality and female empowerment;

monitoring and evaluation to build sustainability from the start;

integrated water resource management;

science and technology;

resilience; and,

innovative financing models.

This approach calls for evidence-based action, host-country ownership, collaboration and improved transparency and accountability to the American taxpayer, communities, USAID and implementing organizations.

So the question remains: are we there yet? According to the JMP 2013 Update, the answer is “not yet.” The USAID Water Strategy lays out a strong framework that sets us on a path to answer “much closer” to the question of achieving universal access to water and sanitation that is sustainable by the time the JMP 2018 Update is released. It is a call to action. If you follow the math, 780 million people still lack clean water, and 2.6 billion sanitation. The USAID Strategy itself targets to reach 10 million and 6 million people with water and sanitation respectively but a key component in amplifying this progress is partnerships. The USAID Strategy emphasizes partnerships with new and existing actors to leverage expertise and resources to close the gap. The strategy presents a clear vision for the next five years, but it, along with the success of making marked improvement in achieving universal access, hinges upon increased and enhanced collaboration with non-governmental organizations, civil society, the private sector, local and national governments and international donors. Working together, we can get there.

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WaterAid, Coke Launch Safe Drinking Water Program in Burkina Faso, Ethiopia

New York, NY, United States — International water and sanitation non-profit WaterAid and the Coca-Cola Africa Foundation announced on April 29 that they were teaming up on projects to bring safe potable water to three locations in Burkina Faso and Ethiopia.

“We are delighted to partner with The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation to bring lifesaving safe water and sanitation to people who are too often ignored,” David Winder, CEO of WaterAid America, said in a news release.

“Through collaboration and collective action, we know that this partnership will help make definitive strides towards achieving our goal of a world in which everyone has access to these essential services, and contribute to reducing the number of children who die from preventable diseases.”

The two organizations will work with the local utility in a suburb of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso’s capital city, to update the current system by installing new pipelines and water points.  The improved access to safe water is expected to reduce the incidence of waterborne diseases there.

The project is also expected to reduce the amount of time and the distance women and children must travel to fetching water supplies.

The other two projects will be carried out in rural communities in southern Ethiopia. The Dita and Kemba districts in the country’s Gamo-Gofa zone have high rates of waterborne diseases due to seasonal water shortages, lack of surface water and soil degradation. The zone’s water supply coverage is only about 5 percent.

“Through our Replenish Africa Initiative (RAIN), we are committed to helping provide sustained safe water access to 2 million people in Africa by 2015,” said Coca-Cola Africa Foundation President William Asiko.

“The partnership with WaterAid supports our RAIN goal and enables us to assist in supporting communities where we have yet to engage. We appreciate the opportunity to be part of WaterAid’s efforts, which we anticipate will create long-lasting improvements.”

Greg Koch, Director of Global Water Stewardship for Coca-Cola, added: “A key element of our strategy is helping communities gain access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene and we do that in partnership with them, local governments, civil society, and implementation partners. Only so much can be achieved unilaterally. Partnerships, such as ours with WaterAid, make greater results possible.”

The above news item is courtesy of OOSKAnews, a weekly compilation of water news from the developing world. Their coverage includes local, regional and global water government and  policy developments; finance and funding; water industry news; food security; energy security; and risk. For more water stories and information, visit ooskanews.com where a free trial copy of publications can be requested.  To subscribe, email sales@ooskanews.com.

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The State of WASH: Reflections on 2012 and Expectations for 2013 and Beyond

GWC knows that access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene is the cornerstone for stability, community development and one day --prosperity.  Over 780 million people lack access to improved sources of drinking water and 2.5 billion lack improved sanitation, but across the world, progress is being made to bring access to these basic services. 

The Current State of WASH

In 2012, the World Health Organization and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation reported that the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target of halving the proportion of the population without sustainable access to safe drinking water has been met, five years ahead of the 2015 deadline. Over 2 billion people gained access to improved water sources from 1990 to 2010, and the proportion of the global population still using unimproved sources is estimated at 11%. Of these beneficiaries, 1.2 billion are located in urban areas. While confirmed data is not yet available, the JMP projected that by the end of 2012, 92% of the global population would have access to improved water sources.

In 2012, UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that to date, 1.8 billion people have gained access to improved sanitation since 1990. In 2010, an estimated 2.5 billion people were still without improved sanitation. While sub-Saharan Africa lagged behind other regions in terms of making progress in sanitation, several countries have improved sanitation for over 20 percent of their populations since 1995, including Angola, Rwanda, Cape Verde, Gambia, Botswana, and Malawi.

For the first time, in 2012 an analysis was carried out of the proportion of people who use both improved water sources and improved sanitation facilities and those who use neither; most using an improved drinking water source also use improved sanitation. Using data from 59 countries, it was found that 5 out of 6 users of improved sanitation also use improved water sources.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that there are an estimated 3-5 million cholera cases and 100,000-200,000 deaths due to cholera each year. Heavy rain in 2012 accelerated the spread of cholera in west Africa. Sierra Leone faced its worst cholera outbreak in 15 years. Guinea faced serious outbreaks in nine of the country’s 33 districts; the capital, Conakry, was the hardest hit. By August, areas around the Niger River had already seen 3,000 cholera cases, 3 times the number registered throughout the entire country in 2011. At the end of 2012, 635,980 cases (up to 112,000 estimated for 2012 alone) and 7,912 deaths had been reported in Haiti since the country’s cholera epidemic began in 2010.

The first Sanitation and Water for All (SWA) partnership meeting took place in South Africa. This SWA Partnership works to change the way the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector does business so that every country leads and is accountable to its own citizens for its own service provision, within a global framework. At this meeting, partners committed to stepping up their individual contributions to the Partnership, to engage more partners, and to improve collaboration.

In March, the UN Special Rapporteur on the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation released a compendium of good practices that provides discussion and analysis of existing practices, with the aim of inspiring policy and decision-makers, practitioners, activists and civil society in general to engage with the rights to water and sanitation. The United Kingdom, which until June had not recognized the human right to sanitation, announced their support to include commitments of both the right to safe drinking water and to sanitation as a human right in the Rio+20 outcome document.

In 2012, 146 events across the world celebrated the 5th anniversary of Global Handwashing Day.

The Future of WASH

The sector is turning more swiftly to sustainable service delivery – this trend will continue to accelerate. For example, companies such as The Coca-Cola Company and Diageo PLC have made significant investments in distributed water models. The two industry giants have partnered with WaterHealth International (WHI) to drive the expansion of WHI’s innovative water service delivery model across Africa.

Across the sector, organizations are turning their focus and commitments to providing access to water and sanitation forever.

In one example, Water For People has championed their “Everyone, Forever” commitment to provide “every family, every school, and every health clinic in the areas they work with access to improved water and sanitation”. Their focus is on “building local knowledge and institutional systems that support water and sanitation services Forever.”

On World Water Day, WaterAid released “everyone, everywhere” – its vision for WASH post-2015 that calls for including a goal on universal access to basic water and sanitation services as a fundamental human right; specifying a target date of 2030 for achieving universal access to safe WASH globally in households, schools and health facilities; and ensuring that WASH targets and indicators focus explicitly on reducing inequalities by targeting poor and disadvantaged people as a priority and on improving the sustainability of services to secure lasting benefits.

Financing models continue to expand and new donors continue to emerge with a range of innovative methods to affect the WASH sector:

Drinking water and sanitation represents approximately 10 percent of the Millennium Challenge Corporation’s (MCC) $7.9 billion in investments.

The Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) has included water and sanitation as one of six ‘impact investing’ funds.

The Stone Family Foundation, whose main focus has been on WASH since 2010, launched the Stone Prize for innovation and entrepreneurship in water in order to further support its goal to find and support lasting and effective ways to promote WASH.

The AusAID Civil Society WASH Fund is a $97 million competitive grants program that will run from July 2012 until February 2017 and will support civil society organizations (CSOs) to deliver WASH programs in Africa, Asia and the Pacific.

On World Water Day, IRC and Akvo launched the Akvopedia WASH Finance Portal designed to help WASH teams achieve sustainable financing throughout the entire life-cycle of WASH services.

There has and will continue to be an enhanced focus on business models, particularly for sanitation. Two examples include:

Sanergy: The long term objective is to build and scale viable sanitation infrastructure in the slums of Nairobi. The model involves four parts: (1) building a network of low-cost sanitation centers in slums, (2) distributing them through franchising to local entrepreneurs, (3) collecting the waste produced, and (4) processing it into electricity and fertilizer. At each step, this model creates jobs and opportunity while simultaneously addressing serious social needs.

Waste Enterprisers: This business aims to reinvent fecal sludge as fuel, not only providing a safe and sustainable sanitation solution, but reducing industrial consumption of dirty fossil fuels.

There has been and will continue to be enhanced investments in partnerships to address WASH coverage and services in a comprehensive, unified, and effective manner. Two examples include:

The UN Global Compact’s CEO Water Mandate, a unique public-private initiative, assists companies in the development, implementation, and disclosure of water sustainability policies and practices. Under the CEO Water Mandate, the Water Action Hub, an online platform, assists stakeholders to efficiently identify potential collaborators and engages with them to improve water management in regions of critical strategic interest.  

The U.S. Water Partnership, a joint effort of both public and private sectors, was launched in March to mobilize U.S. expertise and resources to address water challenges around the globe.

What’s Your Take?

In a GWC Blog first, we have enabled the comments section. We’d love to hear from you about your take on the State of WASH.

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The Business of Sanitation Outcome Report

“The Business of Sanitation” learning event brought together a wide range of participants for an engaging conversation about business approaches to sanitation. This event addressed the need to organize sanitation systems, looked at new business ventures in the sanitation sector, and identified potential avenues for growth and development.

Click here to read the full outcome report.

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GWC’s Women for Water Supports Get Water! App: Get it today!

On World Water Day (March 22, 2013), Decode Global launched Get Water!, an iPhone/iPad game that aims to truly make an impact on the lives of girls and women. The game follows the story of Maya, a young girl in the slums of India who is pulled from school to collect water for her family. 

Women for Water, a campaign of Global Water Challenge, has collaborated with Decode Global to promote the game. Decode Global also made Women for Water an impact partner by contributing part of the funds they raised through their Indiegogo campaign to WASH programs supported by Women for Water. Women for Water is looking forward to continuing ongoing collaboration with Decode Global and their games that make an impact.

To check out and download Get Water! visit the iTunes App Store or https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/get-water!/id577013736?mt=8.

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WASH Sustainability Forum Discusses Successes, Pitfalls in Collaborations

Washington, DC, United States — Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) experts from around the world met last week at World Bank headquarters in Washington, DC, to discuss how to improve sustainability of international WASH programs.

Presentations highlighted WASH government activities in Bangladesh, Honduras, Albania, Guinea and Uganda. Examples of successful collaboration were also presented by Coca-Cola, Water For People and the UK Department for International Development (DFID).

Greg Koch, director of Global Water Stewardship in the Environment & Water Resources Department at Coca-Cola, noted that water is the biggest part of the company’s supply chain, and it is under growing stress.

Droughts, infrastructure issues, pricing, climate change and regulatory limits are playing a role in limiting the resource, Koch said.

He described several challenges that can arise in partnerships working on WASH projects, including donors without involvement in project outcomes, a disconnect between headquarters-run operations and on-the-ground realities and lack of an exit strategy.

He suggested partners take an equal share of the risks, have local ownership for execution with clear reporting, and design for both a clear ending point and a sustainable project.

Leonard Tedd, senior infrastructure adviser on the WASH Team at DFID, discussed risks of poor coordination, which included inefficiencies like duplication, different expectations from the community and fragmented technical assistance.

He suggested making sure there is clear accountability, clarity in ownership, good sector coordination, and understanding of the political economy of service delivery, particularly decentralization.

“We all have shared objectives. There is a need to work through country systems to deliver a sustainable impact on the ground, and this forum amplifies the call to action,” WASH Advocates quoted him as saying.

Jae So, Manager of the World Bank's Water and Sanitation Program said the bank was “thrilled to host the Sustainability Forum with our civil society partners, as we all strive to ensure that water and sanitation interventions have a positive impact for generations to come. At the World Bank Group, our government clients increasingly look to us for knowledge and expertise to help develop approaches that work over the long term."

The forum is meant to kick-off activities surrounding World Water Day on March 22.

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World Water Day 2013

World Water Day is held every March 22. Recognized by the United Nations and the global community, World Water Day reminds us that much of the world still faces a global water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) crisis, and that it is our urgent obligation to act.

This year’s theme as designated by the UN General Assembly is: International Year of Water Cooperation.

As a testament to this theme, efforts to coordinate events for World Water Day 2013 are taking place across the globe. This year, we are especially excited about events happening around the United States, including: performances, walks for water, social media, forums, learning events, Advocacy Day, and Water Symposia! For more details on each event, see below.

  Let’s all help to make every day World Water Day!

Read More

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PAHO/WHO calls for international funding of new Haiti cholera plan

Haitian government reveals $2.2 billion blueprint for water and sanitation investments to eliminate cholera transmission over the next 10 years

“Today, the Haitian government is giving us the opportunity to do what needs to be done,” said PAHO Director Carissa F. Etienne in welcoming the plan, which was announced by Haitian officials today in Port-au-Prince. “For the plan to be implemented, Haiti’s friends in the international community must align their efforts and harmonize around this plan and provide the necessary financial resources.”

The new National Plan for the Elimination of Cholera in Haiti provides a blueprint for increased investments in water and sanitation infrastructure, water-quality monitoring systems and water and sanitation management. It also includes health measures for prevention, surveillance, and case management; interventions for community-based behavior change; and vaccination for targeted groups against cholera.

The plan calls for US$485.9 million in investments during the next two years.

In revealing the new plan, Haitian Minister of Public Health and Population Florence Guillaume said it reflected “an integrated effort of the entire international community” and called for continued support from Haiti’s partners to help mobilize the resources needed for its implementation.

Dr. Jon Andrus, PAHO DD, Ing. Jacquers Rousseau, Minister of TPTC, Nigel Fisher, UN Representative, Dr Florence Duperval Guillaume, Minister of Health and Polpulation, John Vertefeuille, CDC Haiti and Dr. Marie Guirlaine Raymond Charite, Directrice Générale du MSSP

Cholera has sickened nearly 650,000 people in Haiti and claimed more than 8,000 lives since October 2010. The disease’s spread has slowed since the start of the epidemic, when over 18,000 new cases on average were reported each week (2010). But Haiti continues to record new cases, on average more than 1,500 per week so far this year.

Even prior to the 2010 earthquake, Haiti had the lowest rates of water and sanitation coverage of any country in the Americas. Only 63% of residents had access to improved water sources in 2008, and only 17% had access to improved sanitation. These conditions led to the rapid spread of cholera throughout the country.

The US$485.9 million in proposed investments for the next two years (2013-2015) includes US$81 million for rehabilitation, expansion, and maintenance of drinking water systems, and measures for water quality and emergency preparedness; US$60 million for wastewater and excreta disposal; and US$74 million for capacity building for the National Water and Sanitation Department (DINEPA).

The new plan, developed by DINEPA and the Ministry of Public Health and Population, grew out of a “Call to Action for a Cholera-Free Hispaniola” launched in January 2012 by the presidents of Haiti and the Dominican Republic with support from PAHO/WHO, UNICEF and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In June 2012, PAHO/WHO, UNICEF and CDC joined with other organizations to create the Regional Coalition on Water and Sanitation to Eliminate Cholera Transmission in the Island of Hispaniola, to provide technical expertise and resource mobilization for cholera elimination. The cholera call to action received another boost last December, when United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced US$23.5 million in U.N. funds to support these efforts.

In welcoming the new elimination plan today, PAHO Director Etienne pledged US$500,000 in funds from PAHO/WHO to install water and sanitation connections in primary health care facilities, strengthen care for cholera patients, and promote oral rehydration at the community level. 

“We will work with coalition partners to implement this plan, and I call on the entire international community to play your part in protecting and promoting the health and well-being of our Haitian brothers and sisters,” said Etienne in a taped message for the plan’s launch.

PAHO Deputy Director Jon K. Andrus said the new cholera plan is one of several “good news stories in Haiti,” including the introduction of the pentavalent vaccine into the national immunization schedule and progress toward universal immunization coverage. He said the success of the cholera elimination plan would have “a spin-off effect on national economic development, tourism, agricultural production, and overall productivity arising from improvements in the health of the population in general.”

PAHO serves as the secretariat of the Regional Coalition on Water and Sanitation to Eliminate Cholera Transmission in the Island of Hispaniola, whose 18 members include the CDC, UNICEF, the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the World Bank, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the International Federation of Red Cross and, WASH Advocates, and others.

Since the beginning of the cholera epidemic, PAHO has provided technical cooperation worth an estimated US$1.5 million and has received and spent some US$25.3 million from other sources to support cholera-related efforts in Haiti. In addition to the US$500,000 announced today, PAHO is allocating US$2.3 million annually from its regular budget to support cholera elimination through technical cooperation in water and sanitation, alert and response, health systems improvements, and health and hygiene promotion.

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Thai Prime Minister Pledges to Seek Long-Term Water Management Solutions Amid Drought

The above news item is courtesy of OOSKAnews, a weekly compilation of water news from the developing world. Their coverage includes local, regional and global water government and  policy developments; finance and funding; water industry news; food security; energy security; and risk. For more water stories and information, visit ooskanews.com where a free trial copy of publications can be requested.  To subscribe, email sales@ooskanews.com.    

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PRESS RELEASE: U.S. Water Partnership Salutes Winners of U.S. Water Prize

U.S. WATER PARTNERSHIP SALUTES WINNERS OF U.S. WATER PRIZE 

The three winners will be honored on Earth Day, Monday, April 22, 2013, in Grosvenor Auditorium at National Geographic headquarters in Washington D.C.  “Our 3 winners reflect America's spirit of diversity, creativity, and collaboration,” explains Dick Champion, chair of the U.S. Water Alliance.  “These are the best in public, private, and nongovernmental sectors.  It’s fitting that we honor them at National Geographic, itself known for public education of natural resources.  We intend to elevate, celebrate and educate the public about these good stewards for the blue planet’s most precious resource.”  More than 300 Water leaders from the federal, state, and municipal level are anticipated to participate in the distinguished ceremony. 

The nominations were reviewed by an independent panel of judges including some of the most respected names in the water and environmental sector:  Rich Anderson, Senior Advisor for the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ Water Council; Veronica Blette, Chief of the WaterSense Branch, EPA Office of Wastewater Management; Monica Ellis, CEO of the Global Environment & Technology Foundation (GETF); Jody Freeman, Archibald Cox Professor of Law at Harvard Law School and founding director of its Environmental Law and Policy Program; and Jim Ziglar, Senior Counsel at Van Ness Feldman Law Firm and former Assistant Secretary of Interior and Commissioner of the IRS.   

“On behalf of the U.S. Water Partnership, we salute this tremendous group of organizations and individuals. MillerCoors, Freshwater Trust, the “Save the Rain” program and the President’s Awards recipient Aaron Salzberg embody the creativity and leadership that is needed to address our world's growing water challenges,” said Monica Ellis, CEO of the Global Environment & Technology Foundation who served as a jury member for the Prize.

The U.S. Water Prize, first launched in 2011, is organized and administered by the U.S. Water Alliance.  Through the prize, the national non-profit underscores the value of water and the need for one water integration, innovation, and collaboration among environmental, business, utility, and community leaders.  Sharing these goals, several corporate sponsors are joining together including, to-date: CH2M HILL, Veolia North America, ARCADIS, CDM Smith, and MWH-Global.

DESCRIPTION OF AWARDEES

Onondaga County, New York

Onondaga County received the U.S. Water Prize for its Save the Rain program, a combined sewer overflow (CSO) abatement/water quality program focused on balancing the use of conventional wastewater/stormwater treatment technologies, with advanced, innovative green infrastructure best management practices. 

Rather than advance a costly project ($100 million estimated), County Executive, Joanie Mahoney joined with USEPA and New York State to petition the federal courts to change course and establish a new, more affordable and sustainable CSO abatement program.  As a result, the Save the Rain program was born in November of 2009.  Federal Justice Frederick Scullin approved a CSO abatement program that allowed the County to change course and advance a program that balanced the use of wet weather storage as well as a requirement to use green infrastructure. It was the first settlement of its kind in the nation to endorse and require green infrastructure as a stormwater management solution. 

The Freshwater Trust

The Freshwater Trust is a non-profit, located in Oregon, but working throughout the United States for the last seven years to advance a program that restores rivers and streams.  They have created an innovative framework for water quality trading and the project management tools necessary to implement it.  Their model and their approach is succeeding quickly and on a larger scale than seen in the past, while at the same time producing new revenue streams to farmers and ranchers.

The program works by calculating and quantifying the ecosystem services nature provides.  It then turns them into credits that can be traded and purchased by wastewater treatment facilities and power plants to achieve regulatory compliance on impaired streams and rivers. Their work is done in partnership with water agencies, irrigators, regulators, and farmers and gets away from traditional, costly “built” solutions such as cooling towers for temperature control, or narrowly focused restoration projects on limited acreage.  Their approach permits entities to meet their regulatory compliance requirements while creating verified environmental benefits – a “win-win.”

MillerCoors

Beer begins and ends with water. By conducting a “water blueprint” of their total business operations, MillerCoors discovered that more than 90 percent of water use occurs in the agriculture supply chain. This caused the company to focus significant energy and resources in this sector, and as a result they are leading the way in developing and scaling water-efficient farming practices, as part of a comprehensive water strategy.

To understand risks and identify areas for improvement, MillerCoors teamed up with The Nature Conservancy in Idaho’s Silver Creek Valley, a region where much of the beer industry’s barley is sourced. Together, they launched a precision irrigation project to use less water in barley farming without reducing yields. Through the partnership they also developed a Showcase Barley Farm to help demonstrate water conservation practices as a model for other farmers. The water conservation practices piloted at the Showcase Barley Farm are modernizing best practices on barley farms and have applications across the agriculture industry. 

President’s Award

In addition to the three U.S. Water Prize winners, the Alliance is also honoring Aaron Salzberg, Special Coordinator for Water Resources in the Bureau of Oceans, Environment, and Science Affairs at the U.S. State Department.  The President's Award recognizes Dr. Salzberg for his public service as a U.S. water diplomat, providing environmental and humanitarian assistance to those in need and advancing global water security, at home and abroad.

For more information regarding the U.S. Water Prize, contact Kristyn Abhold at 202.533.1821, or email kabhold@uswa.us. 

For more information regarding the U.S. Water Partnership, contact Nathan Engle at 703.379.2713, or email nathan.engle@uswaterpartnership.org. 

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The U.S. Water Alliance (formerly Clean Water America Alliance) was formed in 2008 as a 501c3 nonprofit educational organization whose goal is to unite people and policies for “one water” sustainability.  A broad cross-section of interests has come together through the Alliance to advance holistic, watershed-based solutions to water quality and quantity challenges.  www.USWaterAlliance.org

The Global Environment & Technology Foundation (GETF), established in 1988, is a leading 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based near Washington, DC with a mission to promote sustainable development through partnerships and targeted action. GETF seeks to shape a brighter future for communities and the environment by developing innovative strategic plans, creating high-impact partnerships, introducing new technologies and managing programs that have a lasting and positive impact on the world. GETF serves as the Secretariat for both the U.S. Water Partnership (www.uswaterpartnership.org) and Global Water Challenge (www.globalwaterchallenge.org), which is a coalition of leading organizations committed to universal access to water and sanitation.  

The U.S. Water Partnership is a U.S.-based public-private partnership (PPP) established to unite American expertise, knowledge, and resources, and to mobilize those assets to address water challenges around the globe, especially in the developing world. It is currently supported by more than 50 members including 18 U.S. government agencies, NGOs, academic institutions and the private sector.

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Women for Water Partnership Joins GWC

Global Water Challenge is happy to welcome Women for Water Partnership as a partner. For more information, please click here for more information or visit their website.