Skoll Global Threats Fund - Hiring a Manager, Water Scarcity

VERY interesting job opportunity:

Manager - Water Scarcity

Jeff Skoll launched the Skoll Global Threats Fund in 2009 to tackle the world’s most pressing issues. With Dr. Larry Brilliant as President, the Skoll Global Threats Fund has a mandate to drive large-scale global change on the most critical issues facing mankind. The new organization will identify and support innovative high-impact initiatives to combat climate change, water scarcity, pandemics, nuclear proliferation and Middle East conflict. The Skoll Global Threats Fund has headquarters in San Francisco, California.

Position Description

The Manager - Water Scarcity will be the content specialist for the Skoll Global Threats Fund on water scarcity, one of the Fund's five "global threats." She/he will help shape and manage the Fund's strategy, networks, grantmaking, and policy approaches to water issues. She/he will also be interested in how the challenges and opportunities of water scarcity diverge and converge with the other global threats that the fund has identified and how we, as a society, can more effectively tackle the complex common challenges they present. She/he will share our belief that emerging and existing global threats share common challenges in areas like risk management, risk communications, policy making on issues of low probability/high consequence, leadership and governance. This position will work closely with the Chief Scientist, the VP for Alliances/Partnership, the Director of Policy and Communications, and the Director, Global Health Threats. This is a full-time, exempt position.

Primary Duties & Responsibilities

• Serve as the Fund's primary content specialist on water.

• Build and maintain a world-class network of relationships with key players in the water arena (NGOs, philanthropic, government, private sector).

• Follow and assess key developments in water scarcity issues globally and the current science breakthroughs.

• Follow and assess legislative and regulatory developments in the water sphere, both at the US level and internationally.

• Provide input to the Fund's strategic planning process and shape the water scarcity components of the Fund's high-level goals.

• Research grantmaking opportunities in the water scarcity sphere; conduct due diligence and make grant recommendations; manage grant relationships; assess impact.

• Work with a cross-functional team to explore project development ideas for the Fund.

• Represent the Fund at water meetings.

• Contribute to internal and key constituent communications on water scarcity.

• Help shape and manage Fund-supported public campaigns around water.

• Coordinate Foundation founder, CEO and board interactions having to do with water issues.

• Help drive organizational efficiencies, impact and overall improvements.

Knowledge, skills, and assets

• 5+ years working on water issues.

• Ability to translate from strategic imperatives to tactical realities.

• Strong personal networks in the water arena.

• Understanding of policy environment around water issues and literacy on key water scarcity issues.

• Experience in making, managing and measuring grants is preferred.

• Excellent interpersonal skills; desire and ability to work in a collaborative team environment

• Excellent verbal and written communications skills. Comfortable expressing opinions in a setting that encourages a vibrant exchange of ideas.

• Self-starter with the desire and proven ability to work in a start-up organization with an intense, results-oriented environment.

• A strongly developed sense of integrity, humility and discretion.

• Available for international travel.

Education and Experience

An advanced degree in a relevant subject is required. At least five years of progressively responsible experience in a government, multilateral agency, corporate, or social sector environment. Experience managing strategic and operational relationships with external partners.

Compensation

A competitive compensation package will be commensurate with background.

Applicants

Send a cover letter and resume to: mskarenrea (at) gmail (dot) com. Please specify Manager, Water Scarcity in the message subject line. We will contact qualified applicants. In your cover letter please tell us how your specific experiences and accomplishments address our needs and mission.

World Toilet Summit 2010 - coming to the USA!

Invitation to all Members and Friends of the World Toilet Organization:

Come to the World Toilet Summit 2010 in Philadelphia!

The World Toilet Summit 2010
Date: October 30 – November 3
Location: Pennsylvania Convention Center, 1101 Arch Street, Philadelphia 19107 Registration details: http://aspe.org/2010ConventionAndEPE

Ten years ago, the World Toilet Organization (WTO) began to bring key stakeholders in development together at the first World Toilet Summit (WTS). This annual international conference was the first of its kind, created to advance the dialogue about sanitation and to break the taboo of talking about toilets. The aim of WTS is to nurture collaboration between government bodies, researchers, aid organizations and industry towards sanitation solutions for the 2.5 billion people without reasonable access to safe toilets.

This year, World Toilet Summit celebrates its 10th anniversary with an American debut.

Through partners at the International Code Council (ICC), WTO has been invited to bring WTS to the American Society of Plumbing Engineers (ASPE) Convention and Engineered Plumbing Exposition to be held October 30 – November 3 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The ASPE Convention and Engineered Plumbing Exposition is the world’s largest gathering of plumbing industry products, equipment, and services for plumbing engineers, designers, and contractors—four football fields of exhibits—under one roof. With more than 600 manufacturers, suppliers, and consultants exhibiting and an expected attendance of over 6000 plumbing professionals, this will be WTO’s greatest opportunity yet to introduce the conventional retail sanitation market to the emerging market for toilets in the developing world.

Situated conveniently between New York City and Washington, DC, WTS in Philadelphia is expected to draw more United Nations representation and US federal government participation than any WTS to date.

We look forward to bringing the global advocacy for sanitation of WTS to North America for the first time, and extend a warm invitation to WTO member organizations, SuSanA partners, sanitation professionals, aid workers, advocates for toilets and interested individuals for what we hope will be a paradigm shift towards advancing sanitation globally. WTO kindly welcomes its friends and supporters to either set up an exhibition booth, or to contribute to the sanitation dialogue and exchange of ideas through summit attendance.

For more information, please visit WTO at www.worldtoilet.org, or contact Monali Shaw at +65 6352-8921 or by email at monali (at) worldtoilet.org.

Guinness Donates Water Project to Community

And here are a few of my favorite things: Guinness and safe water, in ONE blog post. Not actually all that surprising considering Diageo's Water of Life corporate social responsibility push for safe water in Africa.

Quick article re Guinness in Nigeria:

Nigeria: Guinness Donates Water Project to Community

28 May 2010
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As part of its corporate social responsibility in Nigeria, Guinness Nigeria Plc, has commissioned a water scheme at Iperu-Remo in Ikenne-Remo Local Government of Ogun State.

The donation of the facilities is to give the people in the community access to good water. The water project will also extend to one million Nigerians in various communities by the year 2011 according to Mr. Jamie Anderson, Commercial Director of Guinness. The project in Iperu-Remo is a complete mini waterworks of boreholes, overhead storage tank, water treatment plant, reticulation network and a standby power source.

While unveiling the project, Mr. Jamie Anderson, Commercial Director of Guinness, said that the provision of portable water is a key component of Guinness corporate citizenship agenda.

Anderson,who was represented at the commissioning by Mr Mike Onuoha, Head of Public Policy, said that the water project is in line with the United Nations Millennium Development Goal to halve by 2015 the number of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and sanitation.

He disclosed that as a good corporate citizen, its parent company, Diageo is dedicated to providing clean water to one million people in Africa every year.

He however explained that the challenge is more than meeting the target date saying that "it is about building excitement and motivation, it is about showing leadership and strength and it is about making a real and positive impact to our communities".

Anderson recalled that Guinness has so far provided water to over 900,000 Nigerians under its Water of Life programme adding that the Iperu Remo project will benefit about 50,000 people in the community.

India's Tata group unveils two new variants of low-cost water purifiers

This could be interesting - continuous improvement of household water treatment technologies:

India's Tata group unveils two new variants of low-cost water purifiers

Excerpts from the article:

...Tata Group has just unveiled two new variants of its already existing low cost water purifiers - which does not use electricity or running water to operate - in a bid to supply clean drinking water for greater number of people, especially at the lower end of the economic bracket, at almost minimal cost.

Brand named Swach, which in Hindi means pure, the new water purifiers are priced at Rupees 749 (USD $16.6) and 499 and is to be available soon across the country.

Manufactured by Tata Chemicals, the water purifier uses nano-technology combined with natural ingredients, it delivers safe drinking water at a benchmark price of Re.1 a day for a family of five.

The older version of the water purifier, is priced under Indian Rupees 1,000 (USD $ 20)..

Swach, which is less than one metre tall, uses ash from rice milling to filter out bacteria, and also uses tiny silver particles to kill harmful germs that can lead to diseases like diarrhoea, cholera and typhoid.

Power shortage is a perennial problem across India, with the rural and villages facing outages for several hours each day.

The health consequences of poor water quality are enormous for developing countries like India, with millions of people affected.

“The product is a perfect confluence of technology and versatility and would make safe drinking water now accessible to far greater number of people across the country,” according to R. Mukundan, Tata Chemicals Managing Director.

“In December 2009 we launched Tata Swach as the first step towards providing clean and affordable drinking water to the common man. We had also resolved to offer variants at lower price-points and make this remarkable innovation available to a wider section of the society.

“We hope with the entry of this product, many more households will get access to safe drinking water,” the Hindu newspaper quoted him as saying.

Swach is selling around 20,000-25,000 units in (the states of) Maharashtra and Karnataka already, and with the product launched in the north (India) we are expecting to do better.

“We aim to sell over one million units of Swach water purifiers in the current fiscal (that ends in March 2011).We are also looking at expanding our manufacturing capacity by adding a production line probably at Haldia in West Bengal,” Mukundan added.

Water For People - Hiring in Africa

Our friends at Water For People do some of the best work in the global WASH business. And they are hiring - please take a look at this position in Africa and circulate widely as possible. I'd like to get them the best possible candidate.
__

The Regional Manager is the most senior Water For People staff member in Africa. As such s/he is ultimately responsible for managing all aspects of Water For People's work in the continent.Currently there are programmes in Malawi, Rwanda and Uganda. S/he is responsible for ensuring that the 2007-2011 WFP Strategic Plans are implemented, and supporting the development of new strategies in line with Water For People's overall strategy and policy objectives. The Regional Manager is responsible for effective management of Water for People funds and equipment, and ensuring that offices have established, appropriate systems for financial, programme and human resource management. S/he will provide leadership for regional advocacy and learning programs and manage a wide range of external relationships at the regional level, in particular those with pan-African agencies. S/he will serve as liaison between Water For People-Denver, and the three programmes in Africa. Water For People expects its Regional Manager to adopt a collaborative management style, but to ultimately make necessary decisions.

For further information please go to http://www.oxfordhr.co.uk/index.php?pg=43&job=111

JOB: Technology and Innovation Specialist / Water and Sanitation / ARD, Inc.

Here is a very interesting position for the right person:

ARD, Inc., a Tetra Tech company, is currently accepting expressions of interest from qualified senior-level candidates for a Technology and Innovation Specialist position for a potential five-year USAID funded hygiene, sanitation and environmental health program. The position will be based in Washington, DC and focus mainly on increasing the availability and use of proven high-impact WASH and IAQ interventions, including services, products, practices, and information in USAID country programs.

Position:

-- Technology and Innovation Specialist

Qualifications:

-- Minimum of 5 years experience in developing countries designing and managing WASH and/or IAQ technology transfer programs;

-- Demonstrated experience in moving key interventions from concept to pilot testing to large-scale market rollout;

-- Demonstrated experience working in partnership with international donors and agencies;

-- Advanced degree in a relevant field;

-- Previous experience working on field level technical programs in developing countries is preferred;

-- Firsthand working experience with interacting with U.S. government agencies is preferred.

-- Firsthand experience with different types of WASH and IAQ technologies preferred – consumables, household devices, household infrastructure.

To apply:

Please email full, current CV in reverse chronological format to mechevarria (at)  ardinc (dot) com or fax to M. Echevarria at 802-658-4247. Please refer to “DC TECH” in the subject line. Applications that do not meet the minimum requirements listed above will not be considered. No phone calls will be accepted.

ARD, Inc. is committed to diversity and gender equality in all of its operations—in the US and overseas. We strive to reflect these goals in our global mission and in our workforce. We encourage applications from women and underrepresented ethnic, racial and cultural groups. ARD, Inc. is proud to be an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.

Closing Date: Open

National Geographic's newest Emerging Explorer: Feliciano dos Santos, Musician and Activist

National Geographic's newest Emerging Explorer: Feliciano dos Santos, Musician and Activist!!  Best news I have had all week - a genuine rock star singing about sanitation! 

Feliciano dos Santos, Musician and Activist

“Clean water is a basic human right, yet so many don’t have it. I’m using my music to be the voice of people who have no voice.”

Feliciano dos Santos is fighting disease … with a guitar.

His internationally acclaimed band, Massukos, uses music to spread messages of sanitation and hygiene to some of the poorest, most remote villages in Mozambique. As his songs provide inspiration and information, the nongovernmental organization (NGO) he co-founded provides tangible projects to improve health and lift villagers out of poverty.

Santos focuses his efforts on Niassa Province, where he was born and still lives today. Few places on Earth need his help more. Life expectancy is just 42 years, more than half the population lives in poverty, and 61 percent cannot read or write. Only 250 miles (400 kilometers) of paved roads run through the huge province, just 4 percent of homes have electricity, and not even 3 percent have running water.

“Niassa,” Santos observes, “has always been a forgotten place. In the capital city things are improving, but just a few kilometers away people are collecting water from rivers and using the bush instead of latrines. In the village where I grew up, families really have nothing at all.”

Musical stardom gave Santos the opportunity to flee Niassa; instead he’s made improving conditions here his life’s work. “So many people still need my help, why would I leave? I am living proof of what they can achieve.”

Santos had more to overcome than the hardships of life in Niassa. As a young child he contracted polio from contaminated water, and he has been hobbled from the disease ever since. “I don’t want to see anyone else go through what I did because of unclean water,” he says.

Not surprisingly, people with physical disabilities draw particular inspiration from his example. “When I was young,” he recalls, “I never believed I would grow up, get married, have children, drive a car, and live such a full life. Even today, families here often hide children with physical problems and don’t send them to school. But you have to believe in yourself, work hard, and transform every challenge into something good. Whoever you are, wherever you live, you can do good things for the world.”

Today, one of the most powerful tools in Santos's fight for better sanitation is his music. As one of Africa’s leading musicians, he has toured Europe and released CDs, but the songs he brings to local villages are unique. The lyrics talk about washing hands, boiling water, preventing diseases, and building latrines. Words are set to local melodies, woven with traditional rhythms, and sung in tribal languages—and audiences love it. Many times entire villages attend his concerts, dancing and singing along. “People don’t like to talk about toilets or poor sanitation,” says Santos, “but if you put those messages to music they are no longer taboo.”

Santos’s hit song, "Wash Your Hands," is part of a public health campaign created by his NGO, Estamos. The project has successfully convinced villagers to install thousands of sustainable EcoSan latrines, dramatically improving sanitation and reducing disease throughout the region.

“Until now,” he notes, “people didn’t associate disease with dirty water. They would put traditional open latrines right next to wells, contaminating the drinking water.”

EcoSan’s shallow brick-lined pits prevent that from happening. Since tossing ash on the waste is part of the process, people have a reason to wash hands more frequently. As an added benefit, the composting toilets turn waste into a natural fertilizer local farmers can use. Not only does this eliminate the need for expensive artificial fertilizer, but it also has significantly increased crop production, allowing some farm families to earn income for the very first time.

Santos's NGO also works on grassroots outreach programs to install pumps for clean water, support HIV/AIDS education and prevention, conduct health studies, combat a new cholera epidemic, bring homes and supplies to thousands of sick and orphaned children, lead reforestation efforts, and promote a new eco-friendly charcoal program.

Many of these projects tap both Santos’s organizational and musical skills to connect with and motivate communities. Yet the cornerstone of his mission remains battling waterborne disease through improved sanitation and access to clean water. “Even when the right HIV/AIDS medicine reaches our villages, people may swallow the pills with contaminated water. Until we address that, how can any other initiative be truly effective?”

Santos is working on a resource he hopes will empower Mozambique’s community workers to do even more. He is translating an internationally respected handbook, "A Community Guide to Environmental Health," from English into Portuguese—and designing some of the artwork himself. Despite doing that, directing his NGO, and keeping up with 200 already scheduled concerts, Santos feels he is just getting started. “Now that I’ve finished my degrees"—he earned two simultaneously, with honors, from different universities—"I’ll have time to really get something done.”