Rotary DC Water Summit - April 15, 2011

Save - the - Date

The Rotary Club of Washington DC and the Rotary Club Paris Academies have announced the International Summit on Water in Developing Countries, scheduled for April 15, 2011, in Washington DC. The conference is a joint project of the Rotary Club of Washington, DC and the Rotary Club Paris Academies in conjunction with more than 120 Rotary Clubs in Rotary District 7620 (United States) and 1660 (France). More information: www.watersummit.org

SUMMIT TOPICS

>Assessing progress toward the Millennium Development Goals

>Current state of water development in developing countries

>Key issues and lessons learned -- where we go from here

>Imperatives for future programming and sustainability

>Role of community-designed, community-implemented solutions

>New international partnerships -- leveraging 1.2 million highly motivated policymakers, business leaders and resource champions, and other untapped resources

Please join if you can.

Water for the World Act / Write a letter during Thanksgiving weekend!

Dear friends of safe drinking water and sanitation,

During this time of year when we have so much to be thankful for, we ask for ten minutes of your time over the next few days to encourage the US Congress to support the Water for the World Act. This legislation which has already passed the Senate by unanimous consent will help those without safe drinking water and sanitation around the developing world.

Now, during the lame duck session, is the most important time to contact your member of the House of Representatives to ask him or her to pass the Water for the World Act.

This lifesaving legislation would go a long way toward ending the diseases caused by the lack of access to safe drinking water and sanitation which constitute the world's largest public health crisis. It would also give the United States an important leadership role in providing access to water, sanitation and hygiene for millions of the world's poorest people.

The ask is simple: customize the draft letter below with your personal story about how water is important to you and/or your organization, put the letter on your letterhead, and fax it to as many members of Congress as possible. *** For those of you in Arkansas, California, Indiana, Maryland, Nebraska, New Jersey, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington (state), please contact John Oldfield at joldfield (at) wateradvocates.org for additional details. ***

All House offices can be contacted through 202-225-3121, or through www.house.gov. We have found that faxing your letter to the office in Washington, DC is most effective at getting the message through.

Thank you all for your assistance with this important piece of legislation. The draft letter that we are asking you to customize and fax to Congress is below.

Happy Thanksgiving!
__

Dear [House Member]:

[insert quick personal intro/story about your or your organization’s interest/activity in safe drinking water and sanitation in developing countries]

After extensive discussions with policymakers of both parties, the Water for the World Act was passed in the Senate by unanimous consent. The House is now considering whether to bring a streamlined version of the legislation to the Floor. In sum, the Water for the World Act will almost double the effectiveness of the Water for the Poor Act of 2005 -- in terms of lives saved and illness prevented by the availability of clean drinking water and sanitation -- with no additional federal funds. By reformulating and modernizing the way US water aid is focused, the bill will meet the safe drinking water and sanitation needs of 50 million people over the next six years, enhance the capacity of USAID and the State Department to utilize water more effectively and sustainably in their development and diplomacy efforts, leverage an additional 25% in non-federal funds to reach more people, and ensure that our limited aid resources are directed toward the areas of greatest need and greatest impact, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

House passage of the Water for the World Act will complement what I and many other US civic and faith groups, foundations, corporations, and water nonprofits are doing to respond to this vital challenge. If you agree, please contact the House Foreign Affairs Committee to express your support for this bipartisan, level-funded authorization that will enable the United States to improve the health of millions of people -- chiefly women and children -- worldwide, and to stabilize regions threatened by water shortage and disease.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter.

[personal close]

Sincerely,

(your name)

WaterAid America needs a rockstar Development Director in NYC - any takers?

And another addition to the Blogging on Water jobs board. The water sector is growing growing growing. And must keep growing until universal coverage...

Must say WaterAid and WaterAid America are impressive outfits and aren't just 'doing water programs' or raising funds for their own work, but also are thought leaders and advocacy leaders in the sector.  And by the way, HERE is a link to the US State Department's Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act 2010 Report to Congress. More on that soon.

On to the business:

WaterAid America

Director of Development
New York, NY
http://www.wateraidamerica.org/

WaterAid transforms lives by improving access to safe water, hygiene and sanitation in the world’s poorest communities. Since its creation in 1981 in the UK, WaterAid has expanded its programs to 26 countries and has benefited almost 15 million people. WaterAid’s recently launched Global Strategy for 2009-2015 sets the ambitious aim of ensuring that by 2015 an additional 25 million people will have access to safe water, improved sanitation and hygiene as a direct result of its work; and that by influencing the policies and practices of government and service providers WaterAid will have reached a further 100 million people.

WaterAid America, one of the four self governing members (along with the UK, Australia and Sweden) of WaterAid International, was created six years ago. It is poised to dramatically increase and expand its annual income from $3.7 million to $15 million within the next five years. With this clear organizational vision and vital fundraising goals, WaterAid America seeks a dynamic Director of Development to lead the strategic growth and build a diversified and sustainable flow of funding from private and public sources.

This position provides an unmatched opportunity to develop and implement a fundraising strategy for a leading global not-for-profit organization with a strong track record in securing peoples’ rights to water and sanitation. The Director will design and execute a five-year fundraising plan in close consultation with the CEO. The plan will incorporate strategies to increase support from individuals, foundations, corporations, other organizations, and the US government; effectively position the CEO and Board Members to identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward major gifts, as well as expand WaterAid America’s public image and visibility among targeted constituencies; build and maintain a portfolio of prospects; and manage a small team of development staff.

The ideal candidate for this role will be a highly entrepreneurial professional with the development expertise to effectively inspire and secure major new donations. Requirements: track record of building a fundraising operation that resulted in marked revenue growth; ability to successfully leverage major gifts, ideally within a dynamic, fast-paced environment in which he or she actively expanded and engaged a non-traditional donor constituency base; and experience managing annual and planned giving campaigns, internet-based initiatives, and the submission of proposals to private and family foundations and USAID.

Full position profile at www.glfreeman.com.

Confidential applications to Freeman Philanthropic Services, LLC to my attention (tara ((at)) glfreeman.com).

Learn more about WaterAid America at www.wateraidamerica.org and read National Geographic's April 2010 feature article, Our Thirsty World, in which WaterAid's Ethiopia program is featured. http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2010/04/water-slaves/rosenberg-text/5

Please contact me with your confidential suggestions, referrals, and/or questions. I'm happy to provide more information or speak with you at your convenience. Many thanks for your consideration!

Thank you, Tara M. Reese

Executive Recruiter
Senior Consultant, Freeman Philanthropic Services, LLC
tara ((at)) glfreeman.com
http://www.glfreeman.com/

Toward universal coverage of water and sanitation - a proposal

A few early Monday morning thoughts:

Given 1: Most (70%) of the political, financial, and technical resources that have gone, are going, and will go to the global safe drinking water and sanitation (WASH) sector come from a combination of public sector finance in developing countries and loans from global and regional development banks. In most cases this balance is heavily weighted toward developing countries’ own budgets. Only 10-12% of WASH resources come from the international donor community.

Given 2: That is a good thing.

Given 3: The international donor community, including bilaterals, private foundations, corporate philanthropies, civic and faith groups, and well-meaning citizens from all over the world, has a choice. It can position its limited resources as a cherry on top of what developing countries are doing: “Hey – let’s poke some holes in the ground – everyone likes water!” Or it can position its resources as a catalyst, a driver, a primer, standing on the shoulders of what developing countries are already doing: “Hey – let’s build on what the government of X (fill in the blank with a developing country of your choosing) is already doing, and let’s figure out a way to complement that commitment rather than muddy up the water with tactical, short-term projects.”

Given 4: I recommend the ‘catalyst’ approach.

So now that I have given away the punch line, how does the world get there? How can the international donor community best catalyze, best complement, best ‘stay out of the way’ in many instances? How can we instead offer political and financial support to the work prioritized, underway and supported by developing country governments while encouraging them to do more?

To be able to more highly prioritize water, sanitation, public health, and other basic development challenges in budgets, political leaders in developing countries need two things:

- they need to hear about these challenges from their people, and
- they need to understand how they can solve these challenges.

If served up, that combo platter will lower the risk that a senior political leader (Head of State, Head of Government, Finance Minister, Governor, Mayor) takes when she makes political and budgetary commitments to these challenges, but might not see the rewards of such investments within her electoral cycle.

The international donor community can help deliver those messages in a number of ways by continuing to prioritize safe water and sanitation in its development assistance and philanthropy.

But the most important way to deliver the messages to politicians in each country of the importance and the solvability of this challenge is to equip indigenous organizations in each of those countries to do just that. Strong advocacy and lobbying organizations are needed in each developing country to lower the risk for political leaders.

I am not suggesting a global WASH advocacy campaign, regardless of how important those are and the gains many (WSSCC, EWP, FAN, ONE, Avaaz) are making. I am not even suggesting a regional advocacy campaign, although there are a number of those and they are also making gains. I am suggesting one nitty gritty, indigenous, in-the-trenches advocacy campaign in each developing country supported financially and technically by savvy international donors.

What do I mean by “in-the-trenches”? I mean that no one outside of that particular country (Guatemala, India, Sierra Leone, etc.) will hear of these groups or their messages. The only persons that need to hear from these indigenous groups are those who need to - their own political leaders at different levels.

What do I mean by “indigenous”? The leaders, operation, approach, and the legislative asks will be customized country by country, province by province, municipality by municipality. The asks will be for more funds, for better and more open governance, fewer un- or under-funded federal mandates, for more sustainable programming, for water and sanitation to be included as constitutional rights, for more wastewater treatment plants to be built, to provide rural communities with safe water, and so on – all to be determined locally.

A lot of this is underway currently, but no one says the current state of affairs is sufficient either quantitatively or qualitatively.

This is not revolutionary. This sort of approach has been pursued in many countries on behalf of many development challenges. It is an incremental approach, building on the broad shoulders of many other individuals and organizations. It still might fail (in fact can almost be assured to fail in many instances), but this is the approach most likely to sustainably move the needle from 1b people without safe water and 2.6b without sanitation and hygiene down to zero. It is the approach most likely to get the mortality toll from fatal waterborne diarrheal disease down to zero. It is the most difficult sort of development assistance work out there, but if we in the international donor community are serious about two things – scale, and decentralized ownership leading to true sustainability – we have to take indigenous advocacy seriously. It’s a painstaking, laborious “short cut” to the end game. It is also one of the most effective ways to increase the quantity, quality, and complementarity of WASH funding coming from the international donor community.

Reminder - March 3: Capitol Hill Briefing on a New Water & Universities Initiative

Reminder: Capitol Hill Briefing on a New Water & Universities Initiative


Wednesday, March 3, 2010
2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m
Room SVC 203/202
U.S. Capitol Visitors Center
E Capitol St NE & 1st St NE
Washington, DC

Join the CSIS Global Water Futures Project, Water Advocates, and prominent university and college leaders working on international water, sanitation, and hygiene (“WASH”) issues for a congressional briefing on a new University-WASH initiative. Presentations will feature the variety of ways in which U.S. colleges and universities are already addressing the global WASH crisis and will highlight how their role can be enhanced, especially through a new informal collaboration among U.S. institutions of higher education. The presentations and briefing are open to Members of Congress, congressional staff, and interested members of the public.

PLEASE ALLOW 20-30 MINUTES TO PASS THROUGH SECURITY.

If you have not already, please RSVP by 2:00pm today to universities.wash.rsvp@gmail.com.

Please direct all questions to Katryn Bowe at kbowe (at) csis.org or (202) 775-3156.

Millennium Water Alliance is hiring - please broadcast

The Millennium Water Alliance, an interesting consortium in the water and sanitation sector, is hiring in its Washington DC office.  Read more about their programs in Africa and Central America here, and consider who might be best for this position:

Head of Advocacy and Communication

The Millennium Water Alliance, MWA, is a permanent coalition of international NGOs with experience in rural and peri-urban water supply, hygiene education and promotion of sanitation. Our vision is that everyone has access to safe water, basic sanitation and good hygiene practices. Our collective focus is to achieve the following goals by 2012:

• Increase awareness and resources for sustainable WASH interventions
• Build strong permanent partnership models to enhance our impact
• Elevate global visibility in WASH sector
• Expand capacity, improve quality and efficiency at all levels; improve effectiveness of operations through learning

In the world’s poorest countries, over 800 million people lack access to safe drinking water, and approximately 2.5 billion people do not have adequate sanitation. More than 3 million people, mostly children, die each year from preventable waterborne illnesses. These sobering facts inspired a group of sector experts to form the MWA in 2002 as a 501(c) 3 organization. Full members of the MWA include: CARE, Catholic Relief Services, Food for the Hungry, Lifewater International, Living Water International, Water for People, Water.org, and World Vision International. In addition MWA has five affiliate members: Africare, Emmanuel International, Global Water, Water Missions International, and Eagle of Hope.

Position Summary

Under the direction of the President and in coordination with relevant colleagues throughout MWA the Head of Advocacy and Communication (a new position) will i) provide strategic direction in planning, implementing through appropriate networking and evaluating MWA’s advocacy and campaigning in the USA. Will ii) support local staff in MWA countries of operation in their advocacy efforts, this will include analysis and linkages of US policy efficacy in country. It will also include advocacy training and policy analysis as needed. S/he will iii) use evidence gathered in the field to design appropriate messages and position papers to influence policy, inform major stake holders and/or general public. In addition s/he will be responsible for developing and managing the overall communications program, designing messaging and tailoring the MWA documentation for different audiences. S /he will also play a role in representing MWA’s work and public policy positions to external audiences; in providing documentation, developing talking points and presentations for MWA representation at high level functions; and in adapting and disseminating these messages for various written and online communications, media, and fundraising purposes.

Duties & Responsibilities:

Advocacy - 60%

• In coordination with the President and MWA Board, identify key issues and themes to guide MWA’s advocacy and policy analysis in order to further MWA’s advocacy agenda both in the US context and in the countries of programming
• Undertake research and analysis on key policy issues; track developments in the US policy environment to support this, including ongoing assessment of Congressional actions, actions by the Administration, and related legislative and implementation processes designed to achieve USAID reform, particularly in relation to US water policies
• Work with the Head of the in-country Secretariat and the President to develop advocacy positions on key issues relating to MWA’s program activities in Central America and Africa and other areas of implementation as they are established
• Work with and support country programs and local staff as appropriate in building advocacy relationships and contribute to country programs’ understanding of U.S. policies and processes. This will include advocacy training and policy analysis as needed. Using evidence gathered in the field to design appropriate messages and position papers to influence policy, inform major stake holders and/or general public.
• Support local staff in the development of advocacy strategies in targeted countries
• Write and produce advocacy outputs, such as reports, briefings, fact sheets and position papers
• Build effective relations with relevant US stakeholders, such as NGOs, think tanks, educational and research organizations
• Serve as a principal point of contact between MWA and other US advocates for water and sanitation, including the private sector, other NGOs, and the US government

Communications – 30%

• Work closely with web-developers of maintain and update MWA website
• Structure MWA’s communications program and documentation of MWA work. This will include tailoring the MWA messages for appropriate audiences.
• Work closely with the Head of the Secretariat to collect, consolidate, develop and disseminate success stories, human interest stories and lessons learned from MWA programming. This will include collaborating with MWA colleagues to identify, pitch and place story ideas.
• Proactively develop and maintain positive relationships with targeted local, regional and national news media via regular communications, press releases and other materials to increase U.S. awareness of the water and sanitation issue and to position MWA as a resource for the media.
• Provide advice and assistance to MWA colleagues and Board members in the development and implementation of key messages and communications strategies.
• Analyze and evaluate the outcomes of the communications program and develop strategies for enhancing the effectiveness of media interactions as required.

General

• Represent MWA’s interests in selected national and international forums, as requested
• Commission and supervise research undertaken by consultants and interns
• Undertake other duties as assigned

Qualifications and demonstrated abilities

• Commitment to MWA’s vision, values and approach
• Masters degree [or equivalent qualification] in one of the following areas: water, sanitation, hygiene education, community development, economics, social sciences or other relevant areas
• Experience in advocacy work in the field of international development required
• Previous experience with water, sanitation and hygiene preferred. At the minimum experience in the international development field, including global health and/or environmental issues
• A strong working knowledge of US political, legislative, and NGO culture, institutions, and processes and the capacity, maturity and poise to represent WAA with high-level constituencies
• Outstanding communication and interpersonal skills, including excellent writing ability
• Media handling and public speaking skills
• Spanish desirable but not required
• Ability to develop, implement and create status reports.
• Proven ability to write and communicate effectively in ways appropriate for targeted audiences (local, regional and national media, potential advocacy partners, potential funders, etc.)
• Proven ability to think creatively and develop innovative outreach vehicles designed to increase awareness and visibility of the issue
• Demonstrated ability to work independently, multi-task, set priorities, and meet deadlines
• Ability and desire to work in a small organization with a consensus-oriented environment with different work styles.
• Ability and desire to supervise, train, support and motivate volunteers and interns if needed.
• Self-starter, high-energy, creative, and ability to be effective in a constantly changing environment.

Writing samples will be required.

This is a full-time permanent position located in Washington, DC. Salary range is commensurate with experience. Some international travel will be required.

MWA is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Affirmative Action employer that is committed to diversity in the workplace.

Please send résumé and cover letter to: hr@mwawater.org

WASH for Lent

For those of you who are interested in what various faith-based groups are doing and can do for global safe drinking water and sanitation during Lent (and beyond), here is a resource that will help with prayer, study, and ACTION:

WASH for Lent

More about the site here.

Among other things, the site includes a partial list of faith-based groups working in the sector here.

If you have questions/suggestions, please join their blog, post your updates, and contact the authors of the site. 

Development Grants Program deadline extended to February 19

Quick follow up to my previous post regarding the Development Grants Program:

Check amendment 3 to the RFA on grants.gov. The new deadline is this Friday, Feb. 19.

Here is the original post for convenience:

Good news for the water, sanitation and hygiene sector: this year's USAID Development Grants Program includes $18m for water available to nonprofits around the globe. Applications due by February 12, 2010. Please forward broadly across the WASH sector.

Here is the full pdf of the RFA for the program.
More information:

Dear DGP Colleagues:

I am pleased to inform you that the Request for Applications (RFA) for the 2009 Developments Grants Program (DGP) was released on http://www.grants.gov/ on December 22, 2009.

You can find the RFA in two places:

1) On the PVC website at http://www.usaid.gov/ Keyword DGP, and
2) On http://www.grants.gov/ at www07.grants.gov/search/search.do?oppId=50806&mode=VIEW and click Full Announcement at the top.

You may find it useful to mark your calendars with the following important dates from the RFA:

February 12, 2010 - Deadline for receipt of Concept Papers (Step 1)

March 19, 2010 - Applicants notified of decisions by USAID Missions. Invitations to selected Applicants to submit Full Applications (Step 2)

April 30, 2010 - Submission deadline for Full Applications

June 11, 2010 - Applicants notified whether they are recommended for awards

Additional information about the DGP program can be found at the following link: http://www.dgpconnect.net/.

Market-driven solutions for water and sanitation - Letters of Interest

Does your organization use market-based approaches to help solve the global safe drinking water and sanitation challenge? Are you based in the U.S. (501c3) but operating internationally? If so, please review the Laird Norton Family Foundation's recently-issued open call for Letters of Interest.

From their website:

Objective
The objective of this open call is to identify strong organizations working in innovative ways to address water and sanitation challenges in the developing world. We will consider funding programs that 1) use market-based approaches to address water and sanitation challenges, particularly those developing replicable or transferable solutions; or, 2) engage in efforts that advance your organization's field of work or build your organization's internal capacity to offer water and sanitation solutions in new or innovative ways.

Let me know how it goes...

Sanitation jobs at the Gates Foundation - woot woot!

The Gates Foundation has made the big commitment to sanitation we have all been hoping for and are staffing up to prove it:

http://www.gatesfoundation.org/jobs/Pages/job-search.aspx

Search for sanitation and you'll find:

Director, Water, Sanitation & Hygiene

The Director of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene will provide strategic leadership of the WS&H initiative, with a specific focus on non-piped sanitation. The Director will continue to build on the existing strategy and will be responsible for overseeing grant making and grant management, advocacy, people management and reporting of the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene portfolio. The Director of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene will participate in the Global Development Leadership Team and contribute to the entire Global Development team through management and cultural leadership and a willingness to share knowledge as appropriate.

Senior Program Officer - Demand-Led Sanitation

The Senior Program Officer (SPO) will play a pivotal leadership role in the WS&H initiative, taking primary responsibility for developing, executing and managing a portfolio of high-impact grants with the goal of replicating at very large scale a sustainable approach to rural sanitation. This approach triggers demand to end open defecation and improve unsafe latrines, trains local entrepreneurs to offer affordable sanitation products and services, and improves the enabling environment supporting these activities. Reporting to the Deputy Director leading the WS&H initiative, the SPO will also contribute to developing the WS&H strategy, enhancing external and internal relationships, improving team effectiveness, and supervising Program Officers and other staff.

And others... let's get some great sanitation people up to Seattle.

The Skoll Awards for Social Entrepreneurship - Water is a Priority

Once again, global water scarcity remains a priority for the Skoll Awards for 2010. Remember Gary White won recently from Water.org so Skoll is serious about water.

February 17, 2010 is the next deadline, so please think about nominating water and sanitation entrepreneurs who need a little help to get them and their organizations to the next level.

Details:

The Skoll Awards for Social Entrepreneurship support social entrepreneurs whose work has the potential for large-scale influence on critical challenges of our time: tolerance and human rights, health, economic and social equity, peace and security, institutional responsibility, and environmental sustainability. These issues are at the heart of the foundation’s vision of empowering people to create a peaceful, prosperous, sustainable world. Within these issues, we are particularly interested in applications from social entrepreneurs working in five critical sub-issue areas that threaten the survival of humanity – climate change, nuclear proliferation, pandemics, conflict in the Middle East and water scarcity.

Skoll social entrepreneurs are innovators who have tested and proved their approach, are poised to replicate or scale up their work to create equilibrium change and engage others with a message that resonates with individuals whose resources are crucial to advancing these solutions. The Skoll Awards are designed for leaders who contribute value to a peer network committed to continuous learning. By telling their stories, they join in the foundation’s ongoing celebration of the power of social entrepreneurs.

The Skoll Awards provide later-stage, or mezzanine, funding, subject to payment limitations described below under Budget Guidance. In most cases, the grant is provided for core support to help organizations expand their programs and capacity to deliver long-term, sustainable equilibrium change. The Skoll Awards are not intended for new or early-stage programs or initiatives. Programs submitted for consideration should have a track record of no less than three years. In addition to core support, the Skoll Foundation supports the participation of Award recipients in the annual Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship.

Deadline for Applying:

Applications are accepted and reviewed on a year-round basis, with successful applicants receiving initial funding installments shortly after decisions are made. Regular deadlines (listed below and updated regularly) assist us in managing the internal review process for these applications, a process that takes a minimum of six months to be completed. Awards will be presented publicly at a ceremony at the Skoll World Forum, which occurs at the end of every March in Oxford, England.

Happy Universal Children's Day!

On Universal Children's Day - November 20 - the Global Water Challenge's Tanvi Nagpal has released an exposé on water, children, and health:

Clean Start: Focusing on School Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene: A Reflection From GWC

My summary: water, sanitation and hygiene in schools is one of the world's most pressing global public health challenges, and likely its most solvable. Get involved.

Key points from Tanvi's summary:

THE ISSUE: Half the schools in the world that open their doors every day have no clean water or latrines.

THE IMPACT ON CHILDREN'S HEALTH: When there is no water in the school, children cannot wash their hands and disease travels rapidly through crowded classrooms. One-third of children worldwide get intestinal parasites form dirty water and unclean hands.

THE IMPACT ON CHILDREN'S WELL-BEING: Clean water and sanitation are as essential to learning as good books and solid teachers. Without these necessities, children have trouble paying attention in school, and many fall ill and have to miss class. In the long term, educational achievement is one of the most important determinants of health, life expectancy, economic productivity, and the wellbeing of future generations.

THE SOLUTIONS: If the schools lacks access to water, rainwater harvesting and shallow wells can be good, low-cost options. If the school has access to dirty water, then water filters and chlorine tablets are often best. Basic hygiene education (particularly about handwashing) and soap helps reduce the spread of disease.

WHAT YOU CAN DO: Spread the word to your friends using GWC's tools.

You're on it.

Nominate a Water Person of the Year! (By next Monday)

From our friends at OneWorld:

Nominate YOUR People of the Year

Nominations for OneWorld's People of 2009 Awards are closing Monday, Nov. 23. Our annual award honors those making a difference in people's lives anywhere and everywhere on the planet. Finalists get exposure through OneWorld's global publications and networks. Our readers get a serious dose of inspiration. You can nominate someone you know, or someone you just know about. It can be a person, a group of people, an organization, a corporation... you get the point. Who should OneWorld's readers hear about this year? We need to hear from you!

Past nominees have included the heralded and the unheralded -- from social entrepreneur Martin Fisher and AIDS caregiver Pamela Adoyo to the mayor of a town in Portugal and the women of Zimbabwe.

It only takes two minutes. Click here to post your nomination on our blog, and tell us where we can learn more about your nominee. Here's that direct link: http://is.gd/4TI7n

Jeffrey Allen
Managing Editor, OneWorld.net, United States

World Humanitarian Day

Happy World Humanitarian Day!

From the United Nations media advisory:

Established by the General Assembly of the United Nations, 19 August 2009 is the first World Humanitarian Day. The designation of the Day is a way to increase public understanding of humanitarian assistance activities worldwide. The Day also aims to honour humanitarian workers who have lost their lives or been injured in the course of their work.

Why 19 August? - Six years ago, on 19 August 2003, the United Nations office in Iraq was bombed and 22 people lost their lives. Among them was Sergio Vieira de Mello, at that time the UN’s High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General to Iraq. While there have been many other fatal incidents involving humanitarian personnel the General Assembly decided to use the anniversary of this incident as World Humanitarian Day.

So a quick shout out to some of our favorite humanitarians:

Clarissa Brocklehurst of UNICEF's Water and Environmental Sanitation program.

Chris Williams of UN Habitat.

Jamie Bartram, formerly of the World Health Organization, now at the University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health.

Lots more where these came from, but let's start here and get the festivities rolling.

WASH in Schools - UNICEF at World Water Week

It's a busy time for global water and sanitation challenges at the World Water Week in Stockholm.

Of note: UNICEF is using its time there to promote part of its approach to the challenge, which they call WASH in Schools - Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Education in Schools.

If you are at all unsure about the impact that safe drinking water and single gender sanitation can have on schools, please watch a brief video that UNICEF has produced here.

And more on UNICEF's website:

http://www.unicef.org/wash/index_50832.html

And more from Water Advocates here.

I have been saying for a long time that the only thing that can compete with safe drinking water and sanitation on the hierarchy of development needs is girls' education. UNICEF's work with WASH in Schools pulls it all together nicely.

Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy - Awards Nomination

Paul Newman launched the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy several years ago.

They have just announced the nomination period for their Excellence Awards in Corporate Philanthropy. From CECP:

There are three corporate award categories:

Chairman’s Award: company with 2008 revenues equal to or greater than US$20bn.
President’s Award: company with 2008 revenues between US$5bn and US$20bn.
Founder’s Award: company with 2008 revenues less than US$5bn.

Additionally, there is a Director’s Nonprofit Award, given annually to a nonprofit for its partnership with a corporation. The winning nonprofit receives a $25,000 check from CECP’s directors.

The Waterblogger would really like to see a water-related corporate/nonprofit partnership win this time around. There are a lot of examples, some of which are featured in CECP's own recent newsletter:

http://corporatephilanthropy.org/resources-lp/best-practices/the-corporate-philanthropist.html

The programs are evaluated by an independent selection committee according to the following criteria: CEO Leadership, Innovation, Partnership, and Measurement.

More information about the nominating process here.

UPI and Global Water

An upcoming event I want to make you aware of:

Our Water

Water-related illness: Problems and Solutions

September 23, 11am - 2pm

Washington, DC

Hosted by United Press International, Our Water is the first in a series of topic-related forums that aim to bring together experts and decision makers, as well as traditional and citizen journalists to discuss some of the most pertinent issues facing our world today. Our Water will include a speakers' panel consisting of experts and organizations that are actively working to solve the pressing problems resulting from a lack of access to clean water around the world. This distinguished panel will provide vital information on economic and political aspects of the problems surrounding preventable water-related illnesses, as well as tangible solutions to this critical matter.

Why Water?

After oxygen, water is the most essential resource for the human body. Over half of the human body is composed of water, nearly 70% of the world is covered in water, and yet less than one percent of the freshwater on the planet is readily available for consumption. Without access to sustainable, clean water resources, people are forced to drink contaminated, unsanitary water. In more than 150 countries, including Pakistan, Indonesia, Iraq, and areas of sub-Saharan Africa, West Africa, South Asia, Central America and Europe, among others, between 2 and 5 million people across the globe die each year without access to clean water.

Panelists include PSI's Sally Cowal, Water Advocates' John Sauer, George Mason University's Abul Hussam, charity: water's Becky Straw, and CSIS' Katherine Bliss.

See the current list of panelists.

For more details, download UPI's Our Water press packet here or contact: lgilroy@upi.com

Matt Damon, Gary White, and Water.org

Matt Damon, H2O Africa co-founder, and Gary White, WaterPartners executive director and co-founder, have joined forces to co-found a new organization – Water.org – a non-profit focused on bringing access to safe water and sanitation to the developing world. Water.org will leverage grassroots awareness-building expertise and nearly two decades of demonstrated innovation and success in the sector to help the nearly 890 million people without safe water and the more than 2.5 billion people without safe sanitation.

Matt Damon, a long-time advocate for safe water issues, explains the importance of launching Water.org. “Every 15 seconds, a child in the developing world dies from water-related disease. After visiting project sites in Africa and Asia with Gary, I’ve seen the problem and the impact of safe water.” Damon said, “As a clear leader in the sector at delivering innovative and sustainable solutions for those in need, WaterPartners was the natural choice with whom to work to truly affect lasting change.”

Gary White sees a bright future for Water.org and the people it serves. “For more than 20 years I’ve been working to realize the vision of global access to safe water, and with the help of our donors, staff, partner organizations, and the H2OAfrica team, I’m confident we can accelerate our impact,” said White, the Executive Director of the new organization. White, who recently received the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship, said Water.org will set the stage for even broader impact in the sector. “It will open the door to advocacy work, and bring the water issue to new heights in the public’s consciousness.”

The merger of H2O Africa and WaterPartners will improve efficiencies, leverage expertise, and increase the overall social return on donations. Water.org will be an integrated advocacy and fundraising destination for safe water and sanitation issues. Through its partners worldwide, it will champion innovative business models, local partner development, project selection and oversight, program management, and post-development monitoring and evaluation. Later this year, the organization will launch an entirely new online experience that will bring unprecedented transparency and connectedness between donors and those in need.

Water is Medicine: Capitol Hill Briefing July 29, 2009

Invitation - Water is Medicine - Capitol Hill Briefing - July 29

On Wednesday July 29, 2009, the bipartisan Congressional Water Caucus and Water Advocates are hosting a Capitol Hill Briefing in Washington DC on the vital linkages between safe drinking water, sanitation and global public health challenges:

Water is Medicine: Safe Water, Sanitation and Global Public Health Challenges

Speakers will discuss the gravity of the current global safe drinking water and sanitation challenge, and its critical impact on global public health, including the 25+ diseases due to unsafe water and inadequate sanitation. Speakers will also review what is currently being done around the world to help meet the need for safe water, improved sanitation and better health, and offer examples and case studies of what the U.S. government and others in the international donor community are doing to help meet and exceed the Millennium Development Goals for water, sanitation and health. The costs associated with this challenge will be addressed, as will the impact of inaction on health and economic development.

What: Capitol Hill Briefing, "Water is Medicine: Safe Water, Sanitation and Global Public Health Challenges"

Who: Speakers will include noted public health experts and leaders from prominent international aid agencies

• Dr. Christine Moe, Director, Center for Global Safe Water, Emory University
• Ms. Jae So, Manager, Water and Sanitation Program
• UNICEF (invited)
  

When: Wednesday, July 29, 2009, 2pm - 3pm

Where: Capitol Visitor Center, South Meeting Room

Please circulate this invitation widely, and RSVP to Water Advocates at wateradvocatesrsvp@gmail.com.

Millennum Water Alliance - Job posting

JOB OPPORTUNITY at Millennium Water Alliance – Senior Contract/Grant Officer

We wish to recruit a Senior Contract/Grant Officer to serve as a contact person and principal advisor to the MWA staff for compliance issues related to public and private sector funding.

Position is offered on a contractual consultancy basis and will be part time; approximately 200-250 hours a year. Office space is to be provided by the applicant. Please indicate compensation expectations.

Key responsibilities include:
1. Advise management and oversee compliance for various types of financial assistance awards, cooperative agreements, grants, sub grants, memorandums of understanding, etc.
2. Advise and recommend regarding, and coordinate and/or negotiate, new awards, amendments or modifications with various donor agencies, including compliance reviews.
3. Advise and recommend input and technical support during concept paper and proposal development and submission processes.
4. Advise, develop and implement various policies, procedures and systems to help comply with governmental policies, procedures, regulations and statutes, including micro-credit loan programs.
5. Draft appropriate legal agreements for awards, etc.
6. Advise and coordinate with other personnel within the organization to ensure adherence to donor requirements.
7. Develop and maintain relationships with various donor personnel so as to be as effective as possible and to keep apprised of policy and regulatory changes.
8. Oversee management of legal files.
9. Mentor and/or provide compliance training to staff.

Five years direct experience with contract/grants agreements and compliance with USAID preferably with an international NGO.

Please provide resume or CV, three references and indicate compensation rates.

Contact: Alvin Tans, Treasurer, Alvin.Tans@mwawater.org, 803-547-6541