On Saturday, October 18th, at the Washington State Convention Center, over 600 guests gathered for a silent auction and benefit dinner to support the work of Water 1st International’s projects in four of the world’s poorest countries. $452,000 was raised to benefit people in need of clean water in Bangladesh, Honduras, Ethiopia and India.
Although ordinary handwashing might seem hardly worthy of it’s own day, at Water 1st we are very excited that today UNICEF is recognizing the importance of this life-saving act.
In the countries where we work, hand-washing could save thousands of lives each day. In the United States, we teach our kids to wash their hands before eating and after using the toilet. Our partner organizations talk about the same things with the beneficiaries of our water projects. And, in every single one of our projects, water systems are designed to make water more convenient so that people have time to collect more water for their families. The ability to collect more water means that people have enough safe water for hand-washing, bathing, cooking and drinking.
When I read this article on CNN.com yesterday, I knew immediately where the photo was taken - Kamrangir Char slum on the outskirts of Dhaka, Bangladesh.
I’ve been traveling there for almost a decade now. Water 1st has supported water projects in Kamrangir Char benefitting thousands of people. Every time we visit, the slum is larger. In Kamrangir Char, you also see people, children and adults, hired as day laborers to carry buckets of sand from river barges. The sand is used to fill in wetlands, creating more land, on which wealthier land owners can build make-shift housing, that they rent to poor day laborers.
I think one of the final statements of the article is true: ” . . . in the absence of a real assault on the root causes of poverty, children should have the right to work.”
I’ve seen the battery recycling in Kamrangir Char. I’ve seen the children covered in black dust. It’s a sickening sight, and I want to scream everytime I see it. In a world that values equity and decency, how can we let this happen!
We can end poverty, and in doing so, end the conditions that force this children to work when they should be playing and dreaming of becoming cricket stars. Ending poverty is a huge undertaking, and you have to start somewhere . I believe that water, sanitation and hygiene education projects we are supporting are a real assault on poverty for the people of Kamrangir Char slum and around the world.
According to a new study published by the World Health Organization, global deaths from diarrhea of children aged less than 5 years were estimated at 1.9 million. Over 70% of these deaths are concentrated in just 15 countries, including India, Bangladesh and Ethiopia, three out of the four countries where Water 1st works.
For the full report, click here.
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FLOW,” a new documentary film about the global water crisis and privatization of the world’s freshwater supplies, is making its way through film festivals and theaters and newspaper movie reviews. The filmmakers have selected Water 1st as one of their “Take Action” partners, encouraging filmgoers to become involved in our work.
The film premiered in January at the Sundance Film Festival, and opened in theaters across the United States last week. “Water is the sleeping giant issue of the 21st Century and we all need to wake up about it. FLOW opens our eyes about the greatest threat of our time - the global water crisis. It is a compelling and passionate film. Its engaging narrative will grip the viewer,” said Sundance Film Festival founder and actor Robert Redford.
FLOW will be in Seattle (Water 1st’s hometown) on November 7th. Water 1st staff will be on hand to talk about our work and how people here can become more involved in helping bring sustainable water supplies to poor people worldwide.
Click here to find when FLOW is coming to a theater near you.
Over 400 Seattle area residents gathered on Saturday to walk for water in solidarity with the 1 billion people who make a daily trek for water.
This was easily my favorite Water 1st event ever. It was moving to see everyone making such a sincere a effort to carry the water. There was a group of about seven women (Tizita & Fekadu’s Team) who carried the entire 5 gallons in one container. They passed it to each other and each team member carried it as far as she could.
I saw one young girl with a small container of water on her back fall to her knees at the end of the 5k walk route with a big ‘phew.’ Her mom, Jill Jago, said she was really determined to carry her half-gallon container the whole way.
A group of students from the Edmonds School district were also there as a team. Their parents are originally from Mexico, and they said their mothers used to carry water when they lived there. They were participating in honor of them.
At Water 1st, we truly believe in the power of the grassroots. We believe it is important for us as individuals to join together in addressing this issue. When people here are aware of the millions of preventable childhood deaths annually and the billions of hours spent daily by women and young girls carrying water, they are motivated to take action, like the CARRY 5 participants did here on Saturday. Thank you to everyone who participated in this event!
Musician Feliciano dos Santos in Mozambique has been awarded the 2008 Goldman Environmental Prize because of his work campaigning for water and sanitation through music.
More than 300 guests braved the Seattle weather on Friday night and gathered for the 3rd annual Water 1st – Beer 2nd fun(d)raiser at Hale’s Palladium on Friday, April 18th, where they enjoyed live music, food, and dancing in support of the work of Water 1st International. The winner of the Hawaiian vacation was also announced. Congratulations and aloha to Ty Cramer!
Over $30,000 was raised to support water, sanitation and hygiene education projects in Ethiopia, Honduras, India and Bangladesh. Thank you to all who supported this event, especially Hale’s Brewery and the event committee and volunteers!
The work of Water 1st International in Ethiopia was featured on the front page of the Seattle Post Intelligencer today, March 22 - World Water Day.
The article was written by Sarah Stuteville, a Seattle reporter for The Common Language Project, a Seattle-based media nonprofit, who chronicled the Water 1st 2008 Water Tour to Ethiopia. She describes how communities in Ethiopia are receiving clean drinking water thanks to the support of Water 1st.