The Water Mission organization is a Christian engineering nonprofit that designs, builds, and implements safe Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) solutions for people in developing countries and disaster areas. Since 2001, Water Mission has used innovative technology and engineering expertise to provide access to safe water for more than four million people in 55 countries. Water Mission has 350 staff members working around the world in permanent country programs located in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean. In 1998, founders Molly and George Greene took a trip to Honduras, where they saw what the locals called the “River of Death” because no one had survived drinking its water, they then decided they had to act. Basically, they aim to provide clean water solutions to as many people as possible as quickly as possible, even if they are the ones who have to construct the clean water systems. They are quite religious, and state that they are doing God’s work, that He never intended for some people to have clean water and others not to. They also cite several Bible verses as their motivations for what they do. While they are very Christian forward, they do not push Christianity on any of the people that they help, nor do they discriminate against areas where Christianity is not present. They offer help to all who are in need with arms wide open.
Although I myself have no personal connection to the organization, it is not hard to be impressed with an organization with such a noble cause. There are so many civilizations around the world that do not have steady access to clean water, if at all. We are and have been for several years experiencing a global water crisis. Here are some shocking statistics that really convinced me just how important what Water Mission does is to the world. If you can believe it, 2.1 billion people around the world lack access to clean water, that’s one third of the entire world’s population. In Africa, women spend nearly 200 million hours per day walking for water, and worldwide one person dies every 37 seconds from a water-related illness. In the developing world, 50% of hospital beds are filled by people sickened by water-related illnesses. Alongside this, 4.4 billion people have inadequate access to adequate sanitation and hygiene such as proper toilets, sinks and soap. This is especially alarming now with COVID-19 plaguing our world. This massive chunk of people is at an extreme risk for infection, without access to running water and proper sanitation methods, these people have no way to keep their hands clean, which is something that has been stressed dozens of times to prevent the spread of COVID. On top of all of that, Charity Navigator has given Water Mission its top 4-star rating 13 years in a row, which less than 1% of the other charities they rate receive. They also received a perfect score for their financial health, accountability, and transparency. All of these factors made the Water Mission an extremely appealing candidate to donate to.
As previously mentioned, the Water Mission seeks to establish clean water sanitation and hygiene (WASH) solutions as quickly as they can for as many communities as they can. The way in which they provide clean water solutions can be summarized with 5 simple steps: first they develop a water source such as a river, spring, or a drilled well. Then they test and treat the water to ensure its safety. They use two methods to treat the water: the Living Water Treatment System (LWTS) and the Potable Water Chlorinator. The LWTS is a multi-stage filtration and chlorination system that takes any water that is not clear in color and cleans it up in both color and drinkability. The Potable Water Chlorinator is for water that is already clear but still contaminated. It acts as a chlorinator for the water to purify it so it can become suitable for drinking. After they test and treat the water, they store and protect the water. Next, they establish access points in order to distribute the water. Lastly, they provide power using solar-powered water pumps. Following this process, the community they are in will have readily accessible filtered, running water. Alongside their safe water systems, Water Mission also provides customized sanitation solutions to communities in need. Often times the communities that need their water solutions also need their sanitation solutions. Water Mission has a very simple process for their sanitation solutions as well: they start by assessing needs, ground condition, and land availability. Then they design a solution specific to that community to separate humans from waste and to treat the waste before reintroducing it to the environment. Members of the community provide the labor to build their most economical solution which is their patented Healthy Latrine, and the process is done. The Healthy Latrine is essentially an elaborate outhouse with a toilet inside so as to provide privacy and sanitation simultaneously. It is constructed mainly with locally sourced materials to save money. The pits they use to store waste from the Latrine last 15 years before rerouting to a new pit is required, which is a long time. Not only are Water Mission’s water and sanitation solutions quick and economical, they are also long-lasting.
Others should support the Water Mission for the same reasons that I was inspired to pitch this organization. While we may not personally feel the effects of the global water crisis, it is destroying lives worldwide. As I previously mentioned, every 37 seconds someone dies from a water-related illness, so in the time it took you to read this pitch, about 10 people have died. That is why others should be offering their support for Water Mission. Without them, many of these communities would still be struggling to survive every day without clean water. Not to mention that they are one of the most transparent and financially responsible organizations that we have looked at thus far, so you can be sure your donation will go towards achieving positive results. Overall, I believe Water Mission is a highly effective and necessary organization that we should all consider supporting.
Brian Scala
Brian Scala
References:
“Rating for Water Mission.” Charity Navigator, www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=10709.
Prüss-Ustün, A, et al. “Burden of Disease from Inadequate Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in Low- and Middle-Income Settings: a Retrospective Analysis of Data from 145 Countries.” Tropical Medicine & International Health : TM & IH., U.S. National Library of Medicine, Aug. 2014, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24779548.
Hutton, Guy. “Global Costs and Benefits of Drinking-Water Supply and Sanitation Interventions to Reach the MDG Target and Universal Coverage.” World Health Organization, WHO and The United Nations Children’s Fund, 2012, www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/publications/2012/globalcosts.pdf.
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and World Health Organization (WHO). “Progress on Drinking Water, Sanitation and Hygiene: 2017 Update and SDG Baselines.” UNICEF, 7 July 2017, www.unicef.org/publications/index_96611.html.
Brian,
ReplyDeleteGreat job on your blog post! I could really sense your enthusiasm for the work this organization is doing and it made me more excited to learn more. To start, I like how you connected the work of the organization to the current situation in the world. I remember listening to the news a couple of weeks ago and hearing about how tough the situation in many African countries will be due to lack of running water, medical personnel, and medical equipment like ventilators. Many countries in Africa have fewer than 10 ventilators! I think clean and running water is something we take for granted. Tap water is basically free in America. Yet, as you stated 2.1 billion people lack access to clean water. I think most people would agree with me in saying that is unacceptable. I think part of the problem with our response to water scarcity is that we are physically far away from the problem. However, I also think that part of the problem is how we obtain information. With newer mediums of discourse and technology, we are constantly bombarded with headlines aimed at capturing our attention. Our attention spans have decreased to the point where our attention span is less than that of a goldfish (our average attention span is about 8 seconds compared to 9 for a gold fish). On top of this, we are also being bombarded with misinformation. I think it would be important for organizations, especially ones like this that are trying to provide people with something so basic and necessary as clean water, to think about how they can reach people when it seems like there are millions of new problems everyday that we have to worry about. I also think these types of organizations are extremely important because they address the root of the problem. We can spend billions of dollars on treating water-related illnesses, but the problem isn't going to go away if the water remains contaminated. I really liked your post and this organization.
-Andrew Werner
Great pitch, Brian!
ReplyDeleteI really appreciate the amount of work that you put into this pitch. The issue of water access is so complicated, but WASH seems to make it so easy. The origin story of this organization is humbling, as they were just on a trip when they saw an issue and decided they could do something about it. I don't believe it is necessary for you to have a personal connection to an organization in order for us to consider it, and you did a great job providing the statistics of the organization to give us an understanding of the reason you wanted to support it.
I also appreciate that they do not just provide safe drinking water to people that don't have access, but they also help with sanitation. That is essential, and often forgotten. The five steps that they use to provide drinking water makes me feel better donating to them as there are no tricks. They have detailed plans and they don't take advantage of our donations.
I read an article from the UN, that said, in the world, there are over 2 billion people that do not have access to safely managed water, and over 4 billion people do not have access to safe sanitation. Organizations like this are needed to change that. (https://www.unwater.org/water-facts/water-sanitation-and-hygiene)
Hey Brian! Thank you for doing your charity pitch on the most basic human right that is frequently overlooked. The Water Mission organization not only provides sources of clean water and sanitation but takes a burden off of gender roles. Without clean water, families suffer from malnutrition and hunger. This responsibility of feeding a family falls on the women and girls of the family. The installation of safe water systems eliminates the need for women having to walk such extreme distances for water and reduces the hardships on the family structure. On the United Nations website under “Clean Water and Sanitation”, it’s reported that women and girls are responsible for water collection in 80 percent of households without access to water on-premises(https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/water-and-sanitation/). The issue between women and clean water is based on the belief that women are responsible for cooking, sanitation, and hygiene. Therefore, it can be said that the lack of a water source suppresses women further into stereotypical gender roles instead of investing their time in education or work. Global Citizens provides an article that also touches base on the connection with the lack of access to clean water sources and the roles of women. The article highlights the public health impact on women due to unsanitary conditions exacerbated by the lack of clean water. It states that open defecation in these areas causes infections amongst the women of the community primarily(https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/wash4women-campaign-explainer/). Therefore, the work of the Water Mission organization creates a bigger impact than we might initially think. It goes to show that water is life and everyone should have a right to it.
ReplyDeleteHi Brian,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your charity pitch as it was thought-provoking and informative. I liked how even without a personal connection, you built an emotional connection with the mission of this organization by expressing your enthusiasm and how impressed you were with their works. The fact that every 37 seconds someone dies from a water-related illness really took me by shock, and it put into perspective how important the global water crisis is and how it isn't mentioned as much as other issues, such as food insecurity, yet it is just as dangerous and important. I have personally seen the difference access to clean water can make on individuals when there was a tube well constructed in a village near my grandparents' home and the way the community almost instantly thrived with life was so motivating and inspiring to observe. The fact that Water Mission provides water for consumption and sanitation shows that the organization is well aware of all purposes of which people need clean water, as sanitation is often forgotten. In addition, this semester, our class discussed a lot about how we prefer supporting organizations that dig to the root of the problem, and not just treat the consequences of it. Treating water-related illnesses is important, but it will never make as big of an impact as providing enough clean water in the first place. After all, prevention is always better than cure. Therefore, I highly believe we should support this organization, especially in times like these where not only food is scarce, but sources to clean water may be as well. This organization also shows that it has a complete strategy and is well informed on the global water crisis, and thus is demonstrating that it is trustworthy and well organized.
Thanks for your great pitch, Brian.
ReplyDeleteIn your pitch, not only did you introduce us to Water Mission's goal and past achievements, but you also introduced us to their specific program, the Living Water Treatment Program. When I previously donated to the big charities like UNICEF, I usually only cared about where my donation goes, not how the program specifically works. I am glad to hear that this organization focuses mostly on prevention, not after-measures, of the issues that developing African countries face; not only that, they seem to aim building up the self-sufficient capacity within the local communities, rather than making them fully dependent on charities' support—that UNICEF is sometimes criticized of, I am also really glad that although they are very Christian-heavy organization, they don't seem to force their religion on those helped by WASH (although there would be indirect impact). It is glad to see that such western charity is not taking typical savior complex when dealing with the communities.