Message from the Executive Director

19,800 People with Safe Water—Thank you!

Water 1st recently visited the Kamrangir Char slum of Dhaka, Bangladesh. In 2007, a cluster of 27 households within this sprawling slum installed a well and three latrines with funding from Water 1st.

When we arrived, we were greeted with a shower of flower petals, and the local health promoter painted our feet a ceremonial red. A nervous 10-year-old girl, dressed in a beautiful orange and gold sari, waited for her brothers to connect a cassette tape player to the car battery. When they were finally successful, she danced a traditional Bangladeshi dance for us. A community elder then played an old accordion, singing a song of thanks. The soulfulness of his singing brought tears to our eyes as we realized they were celebrating the installation of water taps and toilets, facilities so basic and necessary for a healthy life that we take them for granted.

Thanks to your support of Water 1st and our four locally based partner organizations, celebrations like the one in Dhaka happened in communities all over the world. In San Gabriel, Honduras, women who had never seen water flowing from a tap filled their glasses and washed clothes without having to walk hours to the nearest water hole. In India, Hindu blessings were given as pipes for a well were lowered into the ground in nine villages. In Ilamu Muja, Ethiopia, villagers cupped their hands and splashed water on their faces.

Because of your generosity, and hundreds of others like you who care about the poorest people around the world, Water 1st International raised $867,000 in 2007—an 80 percent increase over 2006. We added 13,100 individuals to our list of people who now have safe water, sanitation facilities, and health education. This is nearly double the number of beneficiaries in 2006. We work hard to ensure that our solutions are smart, sustainable, and efficient. We provide water and sanitation services at an average cost of just $60 per beneficiary, services designed to last a lifetime. Our total number of beneficiaries is now 19,800.

Our goal for 2008 is to raise $1 million and increase the number of water projects we support so we can reach our goal of 60,000 total beneficiaries by the end of 2010. We will continue to work with the poorest of the poor in Ethiopia, Honduras, India, and Bangladesh until those regions have safe water and sanitation.

We invite you to continue your support of people in need of clean water. Consider making a donation, adopting a village water point with a group of friends or co-workers, getting your child’s school involved, attending an event, or starting an event in your city. You’ll find creative fundraising and outreach ideas in this newsletter or on our website at www.water1st.org. Join us. Get involved.

On behalf of the people we serve, thank you for being part of this exciting, life-changing work.

Marla Smith–Nilson
Executive Director, Water 1st International