Blogging on Water

Happy World Water Day!

noreply@blogger.com (John Oldfield) — Mon, 20 Mar 2017 18:04:00 +0000

In anticipation of World Water Day, Wednesday March 22, I want to quickly share with you a couple of insights and highlights.

First of all, I sincerely thank you all for your continued support for global water security over the years, including a clear focus on safe drinking water and sanitation for the world’s poorest countries and communities. The momentum continues in 2017, leading to President Trump delivering the first ever Global Water Strategy to the Congress by October 1, 2017.

Our intelligence community has emphasized that global water security is important to U.S. national security, and the continued leadership of both authorizers and appropriators on Capitol Hill will save and improve millions of lives, and help to reduce and prevent water-related conflicts like Syria and Yemen. These efforts will also help to prevent the next droughts from becoming the next famines, and the next water-related infectious diseases from reaching the shores of the United States.

1) USAID has recently published “Safeguarding the World’s Water,” a detailed report on its activities for water and sanitation across the globe. Appropriated funds support water supply and sanitation, water productivity, and water resources management in the developing world. In FY14 and FY15, USAID provided 7.6 million people with improved access to drinking water, 4.3 million people with improved sanitation, and over 3.1 million with improved agricultural management.

2) A number of other U.S. government agencies (Department of State, NASA, CDC, NOAA, Department of Defense, and more) are also involved in efforts to ensure water security across the globe. My colleagues and I at Water 2017 have produced a working document (Highlighted U.S. Government Global Water Efforts – 2015-2016) that provides a partial list of many of those important activities.

3) The momentum continues:

By October 1, 2017, President Trump will deliver the first-ever Global Water Strategy to the U.S. Congress, as mandated by the Water for the World Act of 2014.
Pope Francis will deliver a World Water Day 2017 address on Wednesday, March 22: http://worldwatervalues.org/live/
Americans in all 50 states are working hard on this issue, through their Rotary clubs, church groups, nonprofits, and schools. See your state here: http://water2017.org/water-in-your-state.html

Thank you again for your life-saving support.

Paid Internship Opportunity / Water 2017 / April - June 2017

noreply@blogger.com (John Oldfield) — Fri, 17 Mar 2017 15:26:00 +0000

Please share with friends/colleagues who might be interested. Many thanks.

Water 2017 Internship

Project Name: Water 2017, an initiative of Advocates for Development Assistance

Position: Intern

Location: Washington DC

Status: Non-Exempt; Temporary Full-Time

Water 2017 is a one-year initiative of Advocates for Development Assistance aiming to elevate and mainstream global water security across U.S. foreign policy. Water 2017 will strengthen actions by the U.S. government and private American citizens to improve global water security, and encourage the Trump Administration and the U.S. Congress to prioritize to an unprecedented level the role of water in international development and diplomacy.

Water 2017’s efforts will lead to a higher and more effective response to global water challenges by President Trump, the U.S. Congress, as well as by key U.S. government agencies such as USAID, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, the State Department, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and others.

Water 2017 is seeking a full-time, paid intern (preferably senior undergraduate or graduate student) to assist with a wide range of projects that support our advocacy, communications, and research efforts. The intern will support the CEO and Deputy Director. The internship will have a start date in late April or early May, and will run through June 30, 2017.

Essential Responsibilities and Tasks

· Research global water and U.S. foreign policy initiatives, past and present

· Help write, edit, and format materials for administration and congressional meetings

· Research new global water leadership opportunities and areas for integration between water and other development, diplomacy, and national security priorities

· Represent Water 2017 at relevant meetings, meet DC water leaders, and brainstorm collaborations

· Support Water 2017’s education and advocacy programs. These could include learning events; high profile advocacy events; outreach to the U.S. government, businesses, foundations, civic/faith groups, advocacy partners; and/or standalone communications initiatives.

Required Education, Experience, Knowledge, Skills and Ability

Your interests should include:

· Policy advocacy

· U.S. foreign policy

· International development

· Global water security as both a threat and a leadership opportunity

The successful candidate will be a student (undergraduate senior or graduate student) in public policy, public health, and/or international affairs.

Successful completion of a writing test will be required.

You must be eligible to work or intern in the U.S.

The Water 2017 office is located in downtown Washington DC.

How to Apply

Please send résumé and cover letter detailing your interests to John Oldfield at joldfield@Water2017.org.

New Venture Fund Careers

Advocates for Development Assistance is a project of the New Venture Fund, a 501(c)(3) public charity that incubates new and innovative public-interest projects and grant-making programs. The New Venture Fund is committed to attracting, developing and retaining exceptional people, and to creating a work environment that is dynamic, rewarding and enables each of us to realize our potential. The New Venture Fund's work environment is safe and open to all employees and partners, respecting the full spectrum of races, ethnicities, national origins, ages, sexual orientations, gender identities, beliefs, religions, faiths and ideologies, cultures, socio-economic backgrounds and levels of physical ability.

How to Get Ahead of Zika – and the Next One

noreply@blogger.com (John Oldfield) — Thu, 18 Aug 2016 15:41:00 +0000

My thoughts about Zika and water security. I am grateful to OOSKAnews for the opportunity and platform. Original article here.

How to Get Ahead of Zika – and the Next One

At a recent forum on global development in Washington DC, the United States Deputy Homeland Security Advisor asserted that the U.S. government cannot merely react or respond to Zika. She is right. The U.S. and the entire global community must find ways to get ahead of its spread, and look for opportunities to prevent, or at least mitigate the severity of, the next such water-related infectious disease.

Increased focus on global water security provides such an opportunity.

In 2012, the United States intelligence community produced an Intelligence Community Assessment on Global Water Security. The report asserts that “during the next 10 years, many countries important to the United States will experience water problems — shortages, poor water quality, or floods — that will risk instability and state failure, increase regional tensions, and distract them from working with the United States on important US policy objectives.”

Water scarcity leads to water hoarding, and families often hoard water in such a way as to facilitate the breeding of mosquitoes. More mosquitoes may lead to a more rapid transmission of Zika, malaria and the next water-related infectious disease. Importantly, as this progression holds true, so does its inverse. Headlines scream that water will cause wars, but the opposite has historically held true. Water brings parties together before conflict erupts. Headlines declare that unsafe water kills millions of people each year. What they don’t say is that safe water (and proper disposal of human waste) keeps billions alive, healthy, and in school or at work.

We can predict the future of water. We know when and where water scarcity will occur with increasingly accurate, granular, and long-term forecasts, even accounting for a changing climate and population growth and movement. Donor and developing country governments along with private sector stakeholders should combine this stronger forecasting ability with deployable assets – people, technology, money – to:

identify shared river basins where a lack of institutional capacity is likely to lead to conflict over water resources, then strengthen the capacity of those riparian states and subnational stakeholders to prevent conflict;
collaborate to identify the next several potential conflicts like Syria, where water scarcity is a causal element of conflict and where there are significant governance challenges, then build the water resilience of those countries and regions to make sure that water scarcity does not add fuel to the fire;
predict potential water-related infectious disease outbreaks (Zika, malaria, Ebola, etc.) and help communities and governments throughout those regions and countries to make sure that water scarcity or inadequate sanitation and hygiene measures do not lead to unsafe water hoarding or waste disposal and thus accelerate the spread of disease or disease vectors; and
prevent unnecessary mortality: droughts will occur; famines are optional. The global community has the opportunity and responsibility to manage water resources more effectively to prevent water scarcity from causing the next deadly famine.

All of these solutions are shovel-ready – they are doable with today’s technology and financing, and both donor countries and developing countries have important roles to play in this equation. We need to think less about how to react to water-related conflict and health challenges, and more about how we can collaborate to manage our individual and collective water resources more proactively.

The next U.S. President and Congress, and their allies across the globe, will have the opportunity to elevate and mainstream water across the “three Ds” of the foreign policy spectrum (Development, Diplomacy, and Defense) in 2017 and beyond. From the perspective of donor countries’ foreign policy, water is one of the most important - but under-utilized - tools at our disposal across the globe.

Summer Internship (paid) - Water 2017, Washington DC

noreply@blogger.com (John Oldfield) — Mon, 13 Jun 2016 19:43:00 +0000

Water 2017 Internship

NVF Project Name: Water 2017, an initiative of Advocates for Development Assistance

Position: Summer 2016 Intern

Location: Washington DC

Status: Non-Exempt; Part Time

Position Summary

Water 2017 is a one-year effort of Advocates for Development Assistance to elevate and mainstream global water challenges and opportunities across U.S. foreign policy. Water 2017 will strengthen actions by the U.S. government and private American citizens to improve global water security, and encourage the U.S. government and the next President to prioritize to an unprecedented level the role of water in international development and diplomacy.

The coming twelve months – June 2016 to May 2017 – are pivotal to positioning global water security within the U.S. government for the next four to eight years. Water 2017 is intended to lead to a higher and more effective response to global water challenges by the next President, the U.S. Congress, as well as by key U.S. government agencies such as USAID, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, the State Department, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Water 2017 is seeking a part-time intern (preferably senior or graduate students) to assist with a wide range of projects that support our advocacy, communications, and research efforts. Water 2017 interns will support the CEO and Deputy Director.

Essential Responsibilities and Tasks

· Research global water and U.S. foreign policy initiatives, past and present

· Help write, edit, and format materials for Congressional and campaign meetings

· Research new global water leadership opportunities and areas for integration between water and other development, diplomacy, and security priorities

· Represent Water 2017 at relevant meetings, meet DC water leaders, and brainstorm collaborations

Required Education, Experience, Knowledge, Skills and Ability

Your interests should include:

· Policy advocacy

· U.S. foreign policy

· International development

· Global water security as both a threat and a leadership opportunity

The successful candidate will be a student (undergraduate senior or graduate student) in public policy, public health, and/or international affairs.

Our internships run during the summer or school semester. We expect a minimum of twenty hours per week. This internship will be compensated at $10.50 per hour. You must be eligible to work or intern in the U.S. The Water 2017 office is located in downtown Washington DC.

How to Apply

Please send résumé and cover letter detailing your interests to John Oldfield at oldfieldj@gmail.com.

New Venture Fund Careers

Position Open at Water 2017 - Deputy Director, Washington DC

noreply@blogger.com (John Oldfield) — Wed, 18 May 2016 12:27:00 +0000

Dear Friends of Global Water,

Please consider sharing / applying for this one year position with Water 2017. It's going to be an exciting twelve months... Water 2017 starts this week, and carries on through the first 100 days of the next U.S. Administration (May 2017).

Note application deadline of May 31, 2016. As indicated below, applicants should please send résumé and cover letter to John Oldfield at oldfieldj@gmail.com.

Many thanks.

John

Position open at Water 2017, an initiative of Advocates for Development Assistance

Position: Deputy Director

Location: Washington, D.C.

Status: Full-time, Exempt

Reports to: CEO of Water 2017

Application Deadline: May 31, 2016

Water 2017, as part of the Advocates for Development Assistance project, is a one-year effort to elevate and mainstream global water challenges and opportunities within U.S. foreign policy. Water 2017 will strengthen actions by the U.S. government and private American citizens to improve global water security, and encourage the U.S. government and the next President to prioritize to an unprecedented level the role of water in international development and diplomacy.

The coming twelve months - May 2016 to May 2017 – are pivotal to positioning global water security within the U.S. government for the next four to eight years. Water 2017 is intended to lead to a higher and more effective response to global water challenges by the next President, the U.S. Congress, as well as by key U.S. government agencies such as USAID, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, the State Department, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Water 2017 will also involve private American citizens in its efforts: corporate leaders, philanthropists, civic (e.g. Rotary) and faith leaders, thinktanks and nonprofits.

Responsibilities

The Deputy Director reports to the CEO and will:

- Ensure the effective and efficient operation of Water 2017, including managing the human resources, finance, and grants management functions of Water 2017 via a contract with a fiscal sponsor;

- Work with CEO to develop overall one year strategic operating plan, metrics, and deliverables;

- Lead, coordinate, and/or support Water 2017’s education and advocacy programs. These could include learning events; high profile advocacy events; outreach to the U.S. government, businesses, foundations, civic/faith groups, advocacy partners; and/or standalone communications initiatives;

- Work with CEO to develop and implement a communications strategy for Water 2017 to raise the profile of global water;

- Serve as a key spokesperson for Water 2017 across all outreach constituencies (U.S. government and private sector) and articulate the mission, vision and strategic direction to external stakeholders; represent Water 2017 and the CEO at appropriate conferences, meetings, and other occasions;

- Build and maintain an appropriate public presence of Water 2017 online and offline;

- Support the CEO when required;

- Manage intern program;

- Perform other duties as assigned.

Necessary Competencies

To be successful, the Deputy Director will:

- Have experience in managing the human resources, finances, and operations of a small organization;

- Be highly disciplined and detail-oriented;

- Work well in a small and highly productive team and foster collaboration among a diverse set of stakeholders;

- Engage partners inside and beyond Water 2017 to actively participate and contribute time and resources;

- Exercise creativity and opportunism in finding ways of raising the profile of global water;

- Have strong and persuasive oral and written communication, facilitation, advocacy, and stakeholder engagement skills.

Minimum Education and Skills

The successful candidate will have:

- Commitment to values, mission and vision of Water 2017;

- 8-10 years of experience in operations and international development work, with a focus on water and its linkages to other development and diplomatic challenges and opportunities;

- Masters degree or commensurate experience in operations, project management, international development, communications or a related field;

- Excellent advocacy and communications skills – oral, written, online/offline – and ability to use modern communications tools;

- Excellent organizational skills, including ability to organize advocacy resources and establish priorities;

- Strong events management skills;

- Sophisticated political judgment, understanding of legislative and advocacy issues and sufficient experience to quickly gain in-depth knowledge of Water 2017’s substantive issues and to represent these issues publicly;

- Strong ability to develop and foster alliances; ability and desire to support and motivate colleagues, and to work in a consensus-oriented environment with different work styles and to facilitate staff communication;

- High-energy, love of challenge, and ability to be effective in a constantly changing environment;

- Able to travel occasionally and to work independently and creatively.

Successful completion of a writing test will be required.

This is a full‐time exempt position located in downtown Washington, DC. Salary up to $75k with competitive benefits. Water 2017 is committed to diversity in the workplace. Please send résumé and cover letter to John Oldfield at oldfieldj@gmail.com. No phone calls please.

New Venture Fund Careers

The Happiest Room in the House, and Ending Open Defecation in India by Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birthday

noreply@blogger.com (John Oldfield) — Tue, 27 Jan 2015 21:14:00 +0000

Think about it:

When we come out of the bathroom, we are much happier than when we went in (with very few, but notable exceptions). So, according to Jack Sim of the World Toilet Organization, the host of last week’s World Toilet Summit in New Delhi, that makes the toilet the "happiest room in the house!"

Hundreds of delegates at the Summit spent two full days vigorously discussing and debating approaches and steps needed to accelerate progress toward the ultimate goal of universal coverage of sanitation in India and across the developing world. Sanitation is the most off-track of the Millennium Development Goals, and stands to gain the most from the world’s commitment to universal coverage by 2030, as espoused in the draft Sustainable Development Goals.

A key theme throughout the Summit was the balancing act between hardware and software. One cannot have too much hardware/infrastructure and not enough software/behavior change, or vice versa. The balance is important, as is the timing between the two; both tracks need to be pursued simultaneously. On this note, the inventor of Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) and the Founder of the CLTS Foundation Dr. Kamal Kar told a story about the many times he has seen people around the world talking on their cell phones while defecating in the open, then hopping up and riding away on their motorcycles. Clearly these people are not the poorest of the poor, but have rather made a conscious decision to defecate in the open, manifesting the need for behavior change. But once they do change their behavior, or at least express a willingness to do so, the supply chain for sustainable technical solutions to their sanitation challenges needs to be strong enough to respond quickly and appropriately.

This balancing act between hardware and software promises to be prominent in India over the next five years, and I found the World Toilet Summit in New Delhi particularly well-timed for three reasons:

The Government of India, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, late last year committed loudly and publicly to universal coverage of sanitation in India by October 2, 2019, the 150^th birthday of Mahatma Gandhi. To succeed, this Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (Clean India Campaign) will need to solve the problem of 600 million Indians who continue to defecate in the open, and do so in an appropriate, sustainable fashion.
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation have recently partnered with the Government of India on capacity-building for sanitation in urban areas across India.
And last but not least, sanitation was a key component of the late 2014 summit between U.S. President Obama and Indian Prime Minister Modi, and is likely on the table during President Obama’s current visit to India as the Chief Guest of Prime Minister Modi as India celebrates its Republic Day (January 26, 2015).

So considering the success (and excellent timing) of the recent World Toilet Summit in New Delhi, and the warm relationship between the leaders of the world’s two largest democracies, how about we throw a Global Block Party for Swachh Bharat, just as whole neighborhoods come together to clean up a river on a sunny weekend day: let's all pitch in and help India end open defecation and achieve universal coverage of sanitation by October 2, 2019, and wish Mahatma Gandhi a Happy 150th Birthday. How about a Global Friends of Swachh Bharat to provide additional financial and technical inputs to the Government of India’s already impressive commitment? It won't be easy, but with every single Indian involved, per the suggestion of Prime Minister Modi, and working together with many of us from abroad (perhaps a big push from the Indian diaspora), it is possible. India has killed polio; it's ready to move on sanitation now.

WASH Advocates - looking for a great Communications Manager

noreply@blogger.com (John Oldfield) — Tue, 23 Dec 2014 20:57:00 +0000

Please let all of your communications friends know!

Thank you!

NVF Project Name: WASH Advocates

Position: Communications Manager

Location: Washington, DC

Status: Exempt, Full-time (Temporary for one year)

Reports to: CEO of WASH Advocates

Position Summary: WASH Advocates (WA) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan initiative dedicated to helping solve the global safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) challenge. Our mission is to increase awareness of WASH challenges and solutions, and to increase the amount and effectiveness of programming and grantmaking devoted to those solutions throughout Africa, Asia, and Latin America. WA seeks a Communications Manager to help develop and implement our overall communications strategy, with the goal of increasing the visibility, understanding, and reach of the WASH sector and our work.

The Communications Manager will strengthen WASH Advocates’ presence as a resource for the WASH sector and act as a main point of contact for those wanting more information on the global WASH challenge and sustainable solutions. Activities will align with and support WASH Advocates’ three main focus areas - WASH sustainability, strategic communications, and in-country advocacy.

Responsibilities

· Develop and implement a 12 month (2015) communications strategy that will raise the profile of the WASH issue and its linkages to related development challenges; this will include key objectives, target audiences, specific opportunities, timelines, and messages;

· Draft, refine, and disseminate WASH advocacy materials, including talking points, press releases, blogposts, case studies, Tech Notes, congressional briefs, sample letters and social media messages;

· Build and maintain relationships with other communications experts in the sector and participate in relevant working group meetings, increasing coordination of partners active in WASH advocacy;

· Coordinate WASH Advocates’ external communications with an independent, sector-wide voice, including a newsletter, website(s), social media outreach, and one-on-one grasstops outreach;

· Cultivate new spokespersons for the WASH sector and maintain relationships with current spokespersons;

· Cultivate relationships with journalists to pitch WASH stories and generate and respond to incoming media requests;

· Develop and maintain a communications style standard for all external messaging; and

· Plan and support events that raise awareness of the efforts of WASH Advocates and its partners, including for World Water Day (March 22), Global Handwashing Day (October 15), and World Toilet Day (November 19).

Minimum Education and Skills

The successful candidate will have:

• Masters degree or commensurate experience in mass communications, advocacy, marketing, journalism, or a related field;

• 5+ years of experience in communications and/or advocacy-related work;

• Strong understanding and experience in communicating international development and ideally WASH issues;

• Strong writing skills, particularly for web-based content, email action alerts, and press releases;

• Excellent computer skills, particularly in using mass email platforms (Email Now, Constant Contact, MailChimp) and social media tools (Facebook, TweetDeck, HootSuite, Instagram, Flickr, Tumblr); and

• Experience with developing and managing websites, ideally on Wordpress.

Necessary Competencies

To be successful, the Communications Manager will:

• Have strong and persuasive oral and written communication, facilitation, advocacy, and stakeholder engagement skills;

• Be able to work well in a small and highly productive team and foster collaboration among a diverse set of stakeholders;

• Engage partners to actively participate and contribute to the WASH sector with time and resources;

• Exercise creativity and opportunism in raising the profile of WASH issues;

• Build relationships and networks, linking appropriate spokespersons within the WASH community with specific opportunities and needs.

Desired

• 2-3 years of experience with international WASH issues;

• Existing relationships and contacts with media.

How to Apply: Please send résumé and cover letter to John Oldfield at joldfield@WASHadvocates.org.

This is a one-year position, available starting immediately through December 31, 2015. Salary range is $45,000 - $55,000 per year. Successful completion of a writing test will be required. No phone calls please.

New Venture Fund Careers

WASH Advocates is a project of the New Venture Fund, a 501(c)(3) public charity that incubates new and innovative public-interest projects and grant-making programs. The New Venture Fund is committed to attracting, developing and retaining exceptional people, and to creating a work environment that is dynamic, rewarding and enables each of us to realize our potential. The New Venture Fund's work environment is safe and open to all employees and partners, respecting the full spectrum of races, ethnicities, national origins, ages, sexual orientations, gender identities, beliefs, religions, faiths and ideologies, cultures, socio-economic backgrounds and levels of physical ability.

Water for the World Act Passes! Next stop, White House.

noreply@blogger.com (John Oldfield) — Tue, 16 Dec 2014 12:06:00 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PRESS CONTACT:

WASH Advocates

Cecilia Snyder, 202-293-4003
csnyder@WASHadvocates.org

Congress Passes Water for the World Act with Strong Bipartisan Support

Legislation is Key to Solving the Global Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Crisis

Washington, DC (December 15, 2014) - In an extraordinary bipartisan effort, the U.S. Senate tonight approved the Senator Paul Simon Water for the World Act of 2014 by unanimous consent.The bill was sponsored by U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Bob Corker (R-TN), cosponsored by Senators Chris Coons (D-DE) and Jeff Flake (R-AZ), and led by U.S. Representatives Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Ted Poe (R-TX)in the House of Representatives.

The Water for the World Act will build upon the Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act of 2005, which established access to safe drinking water and sanitation as a priority of America's foreign policy. Today's vote reaffirms the legacy of Senator Simon's lifelong dedication to global safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) and its importance as a fundamental building block to alleviate poverty and improve health.

Patti Simon, wife of the late Senator, celebrated: "It's been almost a decade since the passage of the Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act of 2005, and this year's bill is an important step toward increasing the impact of that original legislation. Paul would be proud of the momentum we're seeing to get safe, sustainable drinking water and sanitation to more and more people in Africa, Asia, and Latin America."

The Water for the World Act is a cost-free approach with enormous positive impacts on health, food security and nutrition, environmental quality, girls' and women's empowerment, and economic development across the globe. It calls for an increase in monitoring and evaluation of projects, particularly after the implementation phase, and ensuring that programming is targeted to help the world's poorest.

"This phenomenal bipartisan effort shows that water issues, particularly safe drinking water and sanitation, resonate with Americans, and they understand how they can tangibly help solve this problem," noted John Oldfield, CEO of WASH Advocates. "Our Representatives and Senators are following the impressive lead of their constituents around the country - church groups, Rotary Clubs, elementary schools, universities, and nonprofits - who are working to help solve this global crisis once and for all."

The Water for the Poor Act has made a tangible difference in the world. Every year, U.S. WASH programs bring better WASH access to millions of people across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. In FY11 and FY12, USAID provided almost 7 million people with improved access to drinking water supply, and almost 3 million with improved access to sanitation.

GLAAS Report 2014 - The most important WASH report you haven't read (yet)

noreply@blogger.com (John Oldfield) — Wed, 19 Nov 2014 10:58:00 +0000

The most important report that you have never heard of, and why and how it should change the global water and sanitation sector

For months, millions of people have been eagerly anticipating the release of the latest UN-Water Global Analysis and Assessment of Sanitation and Drinking-Water (GLAAS) report.

Well, that’s not entirely true. In fact, it’s not even mostly true. But it should be. The biannual GLAAS report is one of most important reports in the global water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) sector.

So what does the 2014 GLAAS report – released today – actually mean? What are its most important findings and recommendations, and how should we respond to them?

The 2014 report - using data from 94 countries and 23 donors - shows increasing momentum, political commitments, and financial support for WASH. It also highlights the huge regional disparities that remain, the continuing challenge to attract more and smarter money to the sector, and the relative lack of attention paid to sanitation. Implicit in the report are a number recommendations that the international nonprofit and donor community should take to heart.

What are the report's most urgent findings?

There is a need for more, smarter, and better targeted money in the sector, the vast majority of which will need to come from the public sector (domestic tax revenues). 80% of respondent countries indicated insufficient financing for the sector, and 70% of countries reported that tariffs do not cover the costs of operation and maintenance. Extra credit assignment: read this article from IRC about public finance in the WASH sector.
There is an imbalance between where the money is going, and where it is most needed. For example, rural sanitation expenditures comprise less than 10% of total WASH finance. This is particularly germane on World Toilet Day.
There is a noted lack of human resources in the global WASH sector, leading to problems in monitoring and evaluation, pro-poor (viz. rural) targeting of programs, and operations and maintenance of systems. There are simply not enough professionals engaged in water and sanitation.
It’s not just about households. Schools and health facilities also have a dire need for sustainable WASH systems, as manifested recently by the outbreak of Ebola and by the ongoing challenges of childbirth and increasing the enrolment of girls in schools.
And perhaps the scariest findings in the report:

“…most sector decisions are not evidence-based due to the widespread lack of capacity for monitoring, inconsistent or fragmented gathering of data and limited use of information management systems and analysis. . . ” and
“…less than half of countries track progress in extending sanitation and drinking-water services to the poor.”

With limited capacity for ongoing monitoring and evaluation, the sector runs the risk of continuing to repeat mistakes and make decisions based on inadequate evidence.

So what? What can I do about these findings?

I urge you to read the report or at least its highlights and digest some of its impressive country profile work. Second, use the report to help you identify gaps in your corner of the global WASH sector, mismatches between supply and demand, and opportunities for your organization to help rectify some of those imbalances and misalignments.

No, seriously, what can I do about it?

Since you asked, here are some concrete ideas:

Nonprofits and implementing agencies:

Focus more on local government and community capacity-building; on the poorest of the poor (predominantly rural); on sanitation and hygiene as key components of an integrated WASH program; on enabling environments including policy advocacy; on sustainable financial models appropriate to local contexts; on monitoring and evaluation (particularly long after the ribbon-cutting ceremony); and on converting the high levels of political commitment we see in the GLAAS report to tangible country-level action.
Work alongside or within government (national and local) systems in your program countries rather than in spite of the local government; support those governments’ efforts to develop and strengthen their own capacity to monitor and evaluate WASH efforts rather than imposing your own.

Private, corporate, and government funders:

Think less about how many wells you can buy, and more about how to have a transformative impact in your program countries and communities. Start with a problem, and fund the appropriate solution set, not vice versa.
Seek out and fund efforts as outlined above; ask your potential US and local grantees tough questions early in the proposal process about technical and financial sustainability and appropriateness. Are you helping to transform a community, or just creating/deepening dependencies?
Support programs designed to leave behind capacity, not holes. Some of the best/promising initiatives we are following most closely now include:

o Water For People’s Everyone Forever campaign

o Water.org’s Watercredit

o WASH policy advocacy efforts at various levels, including the Sanitation and Water for All Partnership, End Water Poverty, and the WASH Advocacy Challenge.

o Sustainable Service Delivery

Focus less on the low hanging fruit (e.g. large drinking water projects in dense urban environments) and more on the most difficult people to reach as identified by the GLAAS report (e.g. small rural or per-urban integrated sanitation programs).
Think beyond the household: fund WASH efforts in healthcare facilities and schools, in part to prevent the next Ebola or cholera outbreak from becoming an epidemic.

Bottom line: Make sure the right people across the globe read the 2014 GLAAS report. When more people read it, and act on its findings, the WASH sector will see both higher levels of political and financial commitments, and better designed, implemented, and targeted WASH programming.

Water for the World Act to be marked up this World Toilet Day / Rally at noon

noreply@blogger.com (John Oldfield) — Mon, 17 Nov 2014 14:59:00 +0000

Look forward to seeing you all Wednesday:

United States House of Representatives

***Advisory***

For Planning Purposes only

Blumenauer, Leading NGOs Call for Swift Passage of Water for the World, Push for International Sanitation Improvement

WHAT: On Wednesday morning, the House Foreign Affairs Committee will conduct its markup of H.R. 2901, the Senator Paul Simon Water for the World Act authored by Congressmen Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Ted Poe (R-TX). This is one of the final steps in a long journey towards passage for this incredibly important, bipartisan bill. At noon, following the markup, there will be a rally/press conference at the House Triangle.

The purpose of this Act is to strengthen and refine the implementation of the Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act to ensure that WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) programming is not only elevated in a way that helps leverage the impact of other development assistance, but to ensure that our WASH programming is targeted to help the world’s poorest, is more effective, with long-term, sustainable impacts; and, to codify, with strengthening revisions, the good work currently being done by USAID and State on WASH.

And the legislation could not be more timely. There are over 260 river basins that cross at least one international border, making the management of this finite resource – without conflict – one of our greatest national security challenges. Without greater leadership from the U.S., these challenges will only grow more acute. We need only look at the very recent history in Syria for proof, where severe droughts played a key role in the initial uprisings.

Dirty water directly affects every area of development, which is why water and sanitation are the best investments our country can make. This legislation will positively affect the lives of millions of the world’s poorest people, disproportionately women and children, and represents a successful bipartisan effort from conception until now. Nearly 800 million people lack access to clean water. Every day, women and girls spend a combined 200 million hours collecting water, keeping them from school.

In a stroke of luck, Wednesday is also World Toilet Day, and we will have the opportunity to hear from experts in the NGO world about how the US can better help the 2.5 billion people worldwide without access to proper sanitation.

WHO: Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR)

Interaction

Millennium Water Alliance

WASH Advocates

Water Aid America

World Vision

WHERE: House Triangle, U.S. Capitol, southeast side

WHEN: 12:00 pm, Wednesday, November 19, 2014

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Ebola jobs (Chief of Party, Logistics Manager) - deadline Oct 20

noreply@blogger.com (John Oldfield) — Fri, 17 Oct 2014 19:12:00 +0000

Ebola Response – Logistics Manager and Chief of Party

Application deadline October 20, 2014

Logistics Manager

Position Description: The Ebola Treatment Unit Logistics Manager is responsible for managing the overall supplies and movement of supplies, flow of patients and staff, within an ETU. IPC procedures must be followed to prevent transmission. In collaboration and liaison with other key personnel in the ETU, s/he is responsible to ensure that the infection prevention and control (IPC) measures and protocols are followed and that the appropriate data is communicated to the Logistics cluster, the DART, and other relevant stakeholders. The Logistics Manager must capture pipeline information, and coordinate the management of the supply chain ensuring that Program staff are well-informed and well-prepared for incoming goods and materiel. Ensure timely reporting on stock status, to help Program staff with planning of stock replenishment and that tracking through to end-user has occurred.

Experience: The Logistics Manager must have broad experience in humanitarian assistance programs, especially in communicable disease responses, such as cholera. S/he must have humanitarian coordination experience with the Logistics cluster, WHO, and water and sanitation ministries and other partners.

Education: It is desirable that experience is supported by study by academic study, such as completion of the Certification in Humanitarian Logistics.

Skills:

· Evidence of practical experience in logistics management within the field of supply chain management (procurement, tendering, contracting, clearance, transport, warehousing, etc.) fleet management and asset management, distribution support.

· Proven record of experience of the management of logistics at a coordination level.

· Evidence of considerable humanitarian expertise in logistics management (5 to 6 field deployments; 3 to 4 humanitarian emergency deployments and 4 to 5 international deployments)

Chief of Party

Position Description: As the Chief of Party, this individual will be responsible for the overall strategic planning, human resources, program design and implementation, program support operations, finance, administration, monitoring and evaluation supervision, expansion/development, and required reporting for this contract.

Experience: As the Chief of Party, he/she should have demonstrated broad experience managing complex humanitarian programs that include heavy oversight for the safety of both staff and beneficiaries, along with coordinating programmatic aspects with all stakeholders, including the DART, WHO, health ministries, and other partners.

Education: Master’s degree in public health, international development, strategic planning, project design and implementation, or a related field

Skills:

• 10-15 years of project management experience (management, planning, staff development and training skills) in emergency / development programs

• Significant experience in coordination aspects of humanitarian assistance, including the cluster system, the DART, and the MOHSW, particularly in the health field, to ensure that gaps are addressed and there is no duplication of efforts.

• Familiarity in working with USAID’s policies, procedures, and regulations.

Please send CVs and Letters of Interest to Daniel Corbett,

Dan.Corbett@pae.com

Ebola, Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene

noreply@blogger.com (John Oldfield) — Thu, 16 Oct 2014 18:05:00 +0000

A few thoughts/data points on the linkages between Ebola and WASH:

Summary: Safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) are important in treating patients infected with Ebola and in preventing the transmission of Ebola (and other infectious diseases). WASH is vital at household, community, and health facility levels. Longterm, sustainable public health and WASH infrastructure are important to better prepare communities, particularly in West Africa, for the next occurrence of such diseases.

From An Open Memo on Ebola and Water:

· Water Supply Needs and Usage:

o Any medical facility, hospital, field station, isolation unit must have a supply of fresh water that is adequate in flow volume and quality. This requirement, and the need to develop such a reliable supply in advance of facility construction or placement, is as or more vital than the need for reliable electricity. . .

o While . . . data suggest that emergency minimum water supply volumes on the order of 150 to 200 liters per person per day might be sufficient, it should be a top priority to inquire of current medical facilities in Liberia, Guinea, and other affected areas of West Africa for specific data and insights on their current level of water use as well as the end uses of that water (washing, sanitation, sterilization of equipment, cooking, etc.).

o A wide range of water-treatment systems can ensure that water supply is safe, including chlorine-based treatments, ultraviolet light treatment, and top-quality reverse osmosis membrane systems. The CDC provides a short overview of various treatment options and their ability to remove viruses here. Before choosing a water-treatment system, . . .confirm that they are designed and can be operated to specifically remove or inactivate Ebola-type viruses with high reliability.

· Water that may be contaminated with Ebola virus:

o A separate water-quality risk is that during patient care and treatment, contaminated fluids, including water, will have to be reliable handled, treated, and neutralized.

o According to the World Health Organization, Public Health Agency of Canada, and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Ebola virus is known to be susceptible to solutions of chlorine bleach, germicidal chemicals, gamma radiation, sufficient ultraviolet C light exposure, some soaps, alcohol-based sanitizer (at least 60% concentration), and by boiling water.

From Handwashing and Ebola: The Facts:

· Ebola virus is present in all body fluids of an infected person, and once they become symptomatic, is transmitted by direct contact with these body fluids, including blood, sweat, vomit, diarrhea, urine, saliva, tears, semen and breast milk.

· Direct contact may involve directly touching infected body fluids, or touching items and surfaces like doorknobs that have been recently contaminated with these infected fluids. Once it is on your hands, Ebola virus can enter your body through breaks in the skin of your hands, or when you touch your eyes, nose or mouth (mucous membranes). Similarly, if you are wearing gloves that have Ebola virus on them, Ebola virus can enter your body if you touch your eyes, nose or mouth with your gloved hands. Finally, when you remove gloves that may have Ebola virus on them, you must wash your hands immediately in case any Ebola virus on your gloves or other protective clothing is transferred to your bare hands during removal.

Newspaper Articles/Blogs

· Professor Taylor of the University of Brighton said: "Our Environment and Public Health Research Group is currently developing low-cost ways to disinfect human waste following disease outbreaks,” and is advising the World Health Organization (WHO) to help control the spread of the disease. Source: University scientists help tackle Ebola

· Médecins Sans Frontières epidemiologist Kamiliny Kalahne said outbreaks usually spread in areas where hospitals have poor infection control and limited access to resources such as running water. "People who become sick with it almost always know how they got sick: because they looked after someone in their family who was very sick -- who had diarrhea, vomiting and bleeding -- or because they were health staff who had a lot of contact with a sick patient," she said. Source: Ebola virus: Nine things to know about the killer disease.

· As recently described by Laurie Garrett of the Council of Foreign Relations, the Ebola virus in West Africa should be tackled the same way it was done in 1976: with soap, clean water, protective gear, safe medical practices, and quarantine; technology and vaccines are of no use. Source: The Ebola Threat: A “new normal”? (The World Bank)

· Should hygiene be more of a priority for donors than health care? (Devex) UNICEF staff hands out soap and chlorine in Conakry to prevent the spread of Ebola in Guinea.

· Interventions to Control Virus Transmission during an Outbreak of Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever: Experience from Kikwit, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 1995 (The Journal of Infectious Diseases)

Further Reading:

· There are a number of resources here (http://www.medbox.org/ebola-toolbox/listing?q=water&sort) regarding the importance of water, sanitation, and general hygiene to treat and prevent the spread of Ebola.

FY15 appropriations recommendations for water and sanitation

noreply@blogger.com (John Oldfield) — Tue, 02 Sep 2014 20:51:00 +0000

For those of you who were wondering, here's what we are fighting for on Capitol Hill for FY15 appropriations.

FY 15 State & Foreign Operations Appropriations

We encourage Members of Congress to support the following requests for global safe drinking water, sanitation, hygiene, and related accounts.

Executive Summary

USAID Global Health Programs

· Support the Senate statutory funding level of $2.769 billion

Development Assistance

· Support the House statutory funding level of $2.53 billion

Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act

· Support the Senate statutory funding level of $400 million

· Support the Senate report funding level of “not less than $145 million for programs and activities in sub-Saharan Africa” within the $400 million for water

· Support reworked statutory and report language (see below)

The USAID Operating Expenses account, which provides the means for USAID to execute all of its programs, is also under budgetary pressure. We encourage Congress to protect this account as well.

Statutory language recommendations:

Provided further, that of the funds appropriated by this Act, not less than $400,000,000 shall be made available for long-term, sustainable water supply, sanitation, and hygiene projects pursuant only to the Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act of 2005 (Public Law 109–121), of which not less than $15,000,000 shall be made available for programs to design and build safe, public latrines for women and girls in Africa and Asia.

Report language recommendations:

· Water and Sanitation.-The Committee recommends not less than $400,000,000 in this act for sustainable water and sanitation projects pursuant to Public Law 109-121, of which not less than $145,000,000 is for programs and activities in sub-Saharan Africa. The Committee intends these funds to be used for programs to provide safe drinking water and sanitation for rural and urban communities where water scarcity or contamination poses serious risks to human health, with an emphasis on the poorest communities and countries, and on drought prone regions of Africa. These funds are in addition to other funds in this act to protect and sustainably manage water resources.

· The Committee supports USAID's recent efforts to address the shortcomings identified in GAO report "U.S. Water and Sanitation Aid" (GAO-10-957), specifically regarding a lack of measurable goals, benchmarks, and timetables included in U.S. water and sanitation programming. The Committee recommends that a portion of funds appropriated by this act for water and sanitation projects be used for robust monitoring and evaluation including pre- and post-project[1] in accordance with section 7 of Public Law 109-121, and USAID's Water and Development Strategy, and to support the development and dissemination of best practices in sustainable water and sanitation programming. The committee directs USAID to consult with the Committees on Appropriations on these efforts.

· The Committee supports public-private partnerships to leverage additional non-Federal investments and expertise for water and sanitation-related programs, including through the Development Credit Authority, as appropriate.

· The Committee recognizes that sexual and other assaults against women and girls often occur outside at night when they are vulnerable due to the lack of safe and accessible latrines in many developing countries. USAID is directed to consult with the Committee on a multi-year plan focused on the poorest countries in Africa and Asia to design and build safe public latrines for women and girls. The act provides not less than $15,000,000 for this purpose.

[1] “Pre- and post-project” is a vital phrase, pivotal to the sustainability of these programs, and we urge the Senate to consider supporting this language from the House.

Wine to Water / Washington DC event Friday, July 25

noreply@blogger.com (John Oldfield) — Thu, 24 Jul 2014 11:34:00 +0000

Please join if you can!

Alive and Healthy at Age Five and Far Beyond

noreply@blogger.com (John Oldfield) — Tue, 24 Jun 2014 17:59:00 +0000

Thanks to the efforts of the U.S. Congress and its partners around the world on water, sanitation, and many other important development objectives, several million more children survive and thrive far beyond their fifth birthdays every year than would otherwise be the case.

John Oldfield, happy to be alive and thriving at age five!

At a series of events in Washington DC this week, the powerful 5^th Birthday and Beyond coalition will thank Congress for its leadership on efforts to “stop the deaths of millions of children from preventable disease and help them thrive.” As a reinforcement of the message, the coalition is cleverly posting photographs of many of today’s public and private sector leaders when they were five years old (they were all pretty photogenic back then – Colin Powell, Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, and many others - Bill Gates in particular!).

We at WASH Advocates are proud and humbled to play a small role as a Coalition Partner in this much-bigger effort, and are grateful for the contributions that the U.S. government and the global WASH sector have made in helping these millions of children survive and thrive.

The result of a successful water or sanitation project isn’t simply a borewell, or a rainwater harvesting system, or even an improved latrine. The real result of a sustainable water and sanitation project is a classroom full of healthy children - both boys and girls - in Asia. Or an HIV+ person who has safe drinking water with which to consume his ARVs in southern Africa. Or a young girl in Central America who has fewer cases of waterborne diarrhea and whose body can thus absorb the nutrients it needs to grow.

A "before and after" picture of a successful WASH in Schools program!

In 2011 and 2012, USAID provided almost 7 million people with improved access to drinking water supply, and almost 3 million with improved access to sanitation. This work is now supported and reinforced by USAID’s first-ever Water and Development Strategy, launched in May 2013. U.S. federal leadership has also spurred civic groups (Rotary International), faith communities, foundations (WASHfunders.org), universities, American schoolkids, corporations, nonprofits, and others to substantially increase their own efforts to provide safe drinking water and sanitation, resulting in many more children’s lives saved and improved.

So “Thank You!” America. As former Senators Tom Daschle and Bill Frist wrote this morning, ‘bipartisanship saves lives.’ The U.S. Congress merits our praise for its share of these successes, and should continue to accelerate such progress until we get to ZERO preventable child deaths across the globe.

WASH Awards Ceremony on Capitol Hill: March 12, 430-600pm

noreply@blogger.com (John Oldfield) — Mon, 10 Mar 2014 22:39:00 +0000

Please join us for the 2014 WASHies!

We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible for the WASHies: Wednesday, March 12, 430pm – 600pm, Senate Russell 485.

Please see below and RSVP if you can join us.

The event will begin promptly at 5pm with several awards to our congressional champions, so please join us at 430 to make sure the room is packed for the 5pm start.

All the best, and thank you in advance for your attendance at what promises to be a very interesting and fruitful event.

John

From: csnyder@washadvocates.org [mailto:csnyder@washadvocates.org]
Sent: Monday, March 10, 2014 2:27 PM
To: John Oldfield
Subject: You Are Invited: Celebrating Leaders in WASH | Wed., March 12, 4:30-6:00 Russell Senate Office Building SR - 485

Having trouble viewing this email? Click here

Please Join Us in Celebrating

Global Access to Safe Drinking Water,
Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH)

WASH Advocates is a nonprofit, nonpartisan initiative dedicated to increasing private and public support for access to safe drinking water and improved sanitation in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

You are invited to join us on March 12, 2014, to recognize the leadership of key Members of Congress in providing $365 million in the FY 2014 Omnibus Appropriations Bill to implement the Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act of 2005.

When: Wednesday, March 12, 2014, 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Where: Russell Senate Office Building SR - 485

2 Constitution Ave NE, Washington, DC 20002

Enter Constitution and First

Take your first elevator to the right to the fourth floor

Take a right

SR 485, the Committee on Rules and Administration Event Room, is halfway down the hall.

Light hors d'oeuvres and beverages will be served.

A select number of Senators and Members of Congress have been invited for their role in helping provide the resources that will allow the U.S. Department of State and USAID to provide safe, affordable, and sustainable drinking water and improved access to sanitary facilities in the poorest regions of the world.

Invited guests include:

Rep. Blumenauer (confirmed)

Sen. Coons

Sen. Corker (confirmed)

Rep. Culberson (confirmed)

Sen. Durbin (confirmed)

Sen. Graham

Rep. Granger

Sen. Leahy

Rep. Lowey

Rep. Poe (confirmed)

Rep. Hal Rogers (confirmed)

Rep. Chris Smith

Mrs. Patricia Derge Simon, wife of the late Senator Paul Simon, will host the event. We hope that you will be able to join us for this celebratory evening, honoring leadership and significant achievement on this important issue.

SPACE IS LIMITED. Please RSVP to Cecilia Snyder csnyder@WASHadvocates.org or202.293.4003 to confirm your attendance.

This event is designed to comply with the Rules and Guidance of the Senate and House ethics committees.

World Toilet Day 2013 - looking for ideas?

noreply@blogger.com (John Oldfield) — Thu, 14 Nov 2013 21:35:00 +0000

http://www.washadvocates.org/events/world-toilet-day/

World Toilet Day

Every November 19, international and civil society organizations all over the world have celebrated World Toilet Day. But until 2013, it was not formally recognized as an official UN day.

This year is different!!

In July 2013, the United Nations General Assembly designated 19 November as World Toilet Day, urging changes in both behavior and policy on issues ranging from enhancing water management to ending open-air defecation.
UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson issued a statement immediately following the Assembly’s action, noting: “This new annual observance will go a long way toward raising awareness about the need for all human beings to have access to sanitation.”

See below for a list of celebrations and events commemorating this important day!

This World Toilet Day sing
#ThankYouToilet with WaterAid!

Louie Loo video promotion
Date: Begins week of November 11^th, 2013
Link: http://www.wateraid.org/news/news/say-thank-you-toilet-this-world-toilet-day
Meet Louie the Loo, our unsung hero this World Toilet Day, as he finds his voice and asks people to say “thank you, toilet!”. The short film created by WaterAid sees a seemingly normal toilet come to life in the middle of the night and sing its heart out for some recognition. Use the hashtag #thankyoutoilet
Contact:
Alanna Imbach, WaterAid
aimbach@wateraidamerica.org
212.683.0430

Toilets USA: Why we need to speak out
Date: November 11-19, 2013
Link: http://www.phlush.org/toiletsusa-why-we-need-to-speak-out/
Toilet Advocacy Toolkit: http://www.phlush.org/world-toilet-day-toolkit/
Toilets USA’s social media campaign will share concepts and tools to encourage World Toilet Day celebrations in local communities. In partnership with The POOP Project we’re asking US-based practitioners, researchers, entrepreneurs, and activists to “talk toilets” and tell the world about their work. Our goal is to mobilize a broad advocacy network to champion toilets for all globally, while tackling key sanitation issues that challenge the United States.
Please use these hashtags and handles: #ToiletsUSA #LiftTheLid #CelebrateTheToilet @PortlandPHLUSH @Poop_Project
Contact:
Carol McCreary, Public Hygiene Lets Us Stay Human (PHLUSH)
carol@hplush.org
(503) 984-4081

Celebrating the Toilet at Be the Change Exposition, 2013
Date: November 12^th, 2013
Link: http://sochinaction.com/btc-2013-activity
Be the Change Exposition is an annual children’s event that aims to extend children’s learning & awareness about society and inspire them to make positive changes in the world they live in. The World Toilet Organization will be hosting a unique booth featuring interactive activities, including the Toilet Wall of Love and Instapoo Booth. Children can sit on our exclusively hand-painted portable toilets, have their photos taken and spend their ‘toilet time’ thinking about solutions to the global sanitation crisis. The event will be attended by over 800 children from schools across Singapore. Use the hashtags #celebratethetoilet #toiletthoughts
Contact:
Divya Chandran, Communications Manager, WTO
divya@worldtoilet.org

Meet Shawn Shafner, Founder of The POOP Project

Lift The Lid” Video Series
Date: November 15, 2013: Series Premiere
Link: http://www.goflushyourself.com/
Don’t let shame, embarrassment or a prudish grandmother keep you from talking about the most important medical intervention since 1860. This World Toilet Day, #LiftTheLid with The POOP Project and FLUSH: The Documentary. Beginning Nov. 15, check out our short videos to discover just some of the reasons to talk toilets. Then tell us why you think toilets are important! Upload your own video with the hashtag #LiftTheLid, and help us really make a stink this World Toilet Day. Use the hashtags #LiftTheLid #CelebrateTheToilet #ToiletsUSA
Contacts:
Karina Mangu-Ward, Director, FLUSH: The Documentary
karinamw@gmail.com
(617) 308-9523
@karinamw
Shawn Shafner, Creator, The POOP Project
shawn@thePOOPproject.org
(347) 385-5186
@poop_project

“Celebrate the Toilet!” Berlin
Date: November 15, 2013
Congratulate the toilet on the virtual toilet stall wall www.celebratethetoilet.org. Toilet Parties are invite-only; please email contact person for invite request. The humble toilet is one of the greatest inventions in the history of humankind. And yet, globally, 4 out of 10 people still have no access to a safe and hygienic toilet. In July 2013, the United Nations General Assembly designated World Toilet Day – established by the World Toilet Organization (WTO) 12 years ago – as an official United Nations Day, making this November 19th the toilets first official day of honor. Come, drink, dance and mingle, and celebrate the life-saving value of the toilet on its big day!
Post a photo of your toilet celebration with the hashtag #CelebrateTheToilet or Instagram @WASHUnited, Facebook @Celebrate the Toilet or Twitter @WASHUnited. The best picture will be awarded a 1 year’s supply of Looloo Paper, toilet paper that saves lives!
Contact:
Julia LaKaemper
julia.lakaemper@wash-united.org

Unveiling ceremony of World Toilet Day monument (Marina Barrage, Singapore)
Date: November 16^th, 2013
The World Toilet Day monument will be unveiled on November 16 at the Marina Barrage to commemorate the Government of Singapore and the World Toilet Organization’s historic milestone in tabling the Sanitation for All resolution at the UN General Assembly and designating November 19 as UN World Toilet Day. Use the hashtags #wtdmonument #toiletdayeveryday
Contact:
Divya Chandran, Communications Manager, WTO
divya@worldtoilet.org

World Pneumonia Day/Toilet Day Game Night (Washington, DC)
Date: November 18^th, 2013
Pneumonia and diarrhea are two of the leading killers of children globally. There are simple solutions to prevent and treat both illnesses, and some of these solutions fight both diseases at the same time. Come see the impact of US investments to end preventable child deaths and to learn about the interventions required to prevent 2 million child deaths by 2015.
Monday, November 18, 2013
5:00-7:00 p.m.
Rayburn Foyer, Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC
Contact:
Lizzie Cohen
advocacy@path.org
202.822.0033

Do Epic Shit
Date: November 19^th, 2013
Links: http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/do-epic-shit and
http://www.crowdrise.com/DoEpicShit
On World Toilet Day, Toilet Hackers and Expedition Everest will launch a joint campaign to inspire the world to “Do Epic Shit.” Led by Steve Obbayi, the first Kenyan climber to attempt the summit of Mount Everest in March 2014, the campaign will not only rally global citizens around sanitation issues but also fuel a hand washing campaign in Kibera, Nairobi’s largest slum.
For every meter that Steve climbs, Toilet Hackers will provide hygiene education and access to sanitary hand washing facilities to two people living in Kibera. With Everest standing at 8,850 meters, that’s nearly 18,000 people living healthier lives in Kenya. Expedition Everest founder and climber Toby Storie-Pugh will kick off the Indiegogo fundraising campaign to support Steve’s Everest climb and the Kibera hand washing project on Nov. 19 by walking the length of Manhattan and then camping each night in the city until the commitment is completed. Anyone who wants to Do Epic Shit with Expedition Everest and Toilet Hackers can join the team on Crowdrise. Use hashtag #DoEpicShit

Cocktails, Dancing & Sh*t Talking: “Celebrate the Toilet!” (New York City)
Date: November 19^th, 2013
Link: http://www.celebratethetoilet.org/ – Congratulate the toilet on the virtual toilet stall wall
Toilet Parties are invite-only; please email contact person for invite request. The humble toilet is one of the greatest inventions in the history of humankind. And yet, globally, 4 out of 10 people still have no access to a safe and hygienic toilet. In July 2013, the United Nations General Assembly designated World Toilet Day – established by the World Toilet Organization (WTO) 12 years ago – as an official United Nations Day, making this November 19th the toilets first official day of honor.
This is why WASH United, the World Toilet Organization and Toilet Hackers are coming together to “Celebrate the Toilet!”
**Featuring MC Casey Spooner, of Fischer Spooner**
Post a photo of your toilet celebration with the hashtag #CelebrateTheToilet or Instagram @WASHUnited, Facebook @Celebrate the Toilet or Twitter @WASHUnited. The best picture will be awarded a 1 year’s supply of Looloo Paper, toilet paper that saves lives!
Contact:
Danielle Keiser
danielle.keiser@wash-united.org

“Celebrate the Toilet!” (Nairobi)
Date: November 19^th, 2013
Link: http://www.celebratethetoilet.org/ – Congratulate the toilet on the virtual toilet stall wall
Toilet Parties are invite-only; please email contact person for invite request. The humble toilet is one of the greatest inventions in the history of humankind. And yet, globally, 4 out of 10 people still have no access to a safe and hygienic toilet. In July 2013, the United Nations General Assembly designated World Toilet Day – established by the World Toilet Organization (WTO) 12 years ago – as an official United Nations Day, making this November 19th the toilets first official day of honor. Come together to celebrate the life-saving value of the toilet on its big day!
Post a photo of your toilet celebration with the hashtag #CelebrateTheToilet or Instagram @WASHUnited, Facebook @Celebrate the Toilet or Twitter @WASHUnited. The best picture will be awarded a 1 year’s supply of Looloo Paper, toilet paper that saves lives!
Contact:
Aparna Shrivastava
aparna.shrivastava@wash-united.org

“We can’t wait: A report on sanitation and hygiene for women and girls”
Date: released on November 19^th, 2013
Link: will be made available at 12:01am on Nov 19
WaterAid, WSSCC and Unilever will be releasing a new report entitled “We can’t wait” at a UN event in New York to mark the official recognition of Word Toilet Day. The report highlights the start consequences of the lack of access to toilets for women and girls, and the need to act both urgently and decisively. Use the hashtag #wecantwait
Contact:
Alanna Imbach, WaterAid
aimbach@wateraidamerica.org
212.683.0430

World Toilet Day event at the UN HQ, New York (in partnership with Singapore Permanent Mission to the UN) – invitation only
Date: November 19^th, 2013
A commemorative event at the UN to celebrate the inaugural UN World Toilet Day. There will be keynote speeches and a panel discussion toilets and sanitation followed by a reception.
Use the hashtags #toiletdayeveryday #toiletsforall #celebratethetoilet
Contact:
Divya Chandran, Communications Manager, WTO
divya@worldtoilet.org

Celebrate the Toilet exhibition (German Centre, Singapore)
Date: November 19 – November 28
A week long exhibition on the evolution of toilets and sanitation technology, in partnership with Duravit, Geberit and the German Centre. Use the hashtags #celebratethetoilet
Contact:
Divya Chandran, Communications Manager, WTO
divya@worldtoilet.org

Brown Friday Campaign
Date: November 19^th, 2013 - January 2^nd, 2014
Link: (Available on Nov 19) - www.indiegogo/projects/brown-friday
Brown Friday is a social media awareness campaign + Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign for school sanitation project in South Africa. Brown Friday is the number 2 reason to spend this holiday season. We believe that every school child should have access to clean, safe toilets; because nothing keeps kids away from school like having no place to poop and pee in peace. Our first project for 2014 is to put up one toilet building for a school in KwaMashu, South Africa that desperately needs it. For this, we’re going to need $30,000.To help raise this money, we’re hijacking Black Friday and declaring it Brown Friday. While spending money on yourself, your family, and your friends on this shopping holiday, remember to get online and share some with the kids in KwaMashu. Use the hashtag #brownfriday
Contact:
Divya Chandran, Communications Manager, WTO
divya@worldtoilet.org

Charity Premiere of Film “Everybody’s Business”(Golden Village Cinemas, Vivocity, HarbourFront Singapore)

Date: November 28^th, 2013
Link : (Trailer) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drKp4Jm9yV8
The original concept of the film came from Jack Sim, founder of WTO. The film, executively produced by prominent Singaporean filmmaker Jack Neo (Ah Boys To Men) and directed by Lee Thean-jeen (Homecoming), stars stellar local comedians Gurmit Singh, Mark Lee, Liu Ling Ling, Wang Lei and Kumar. A light-hearted, satirical film revolving around the Ministry of Toilets,Everybody’s Business is about public toilets and hygiene in Singapore, and citizen engagement with the government. Tickets are at $50 each. Use the hashtag #toiletdayeveryday
Contact:
Divya Chandran, Communications Manager, WTO
divya@worldtoilet.org

How Do We Really Solve the World's Water Challenge? / Skoll World Forum

noreply@blogger.com (John Oldfield) — Tue, 13 Aug 2013 15:22:00 +0000

Thank you Skoll World Forum for publishing some of my thoughts about the end game for the global safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) challenge...

Please do review this piece, and I very much look forward to your thoughts:

How Do We Really Solve the World's Water Challenge?

I had the honor of chairing a session on Sustainable Water Solutions and the Rule of Law at the recent World Justice Forum IV in The Hague. During the vigorous two hour dialogue, it became clear that the street between water and rule of law runs both ways: A solid rule of law foundation will likely enhance the sustainability and scalability of water programs by increasing collaboration with and leadership from governments, and effective water programs will fortify rule of law by strengthening the social contract between citizens and their governments.

I spent years implementing democracy and governance programs in Africa on behalf of the U.S. government, and jumped at the opportunity to build this bridge between that world and my current water portfolio – two seemingly distinct development sectors. In framing the panel, I positioned rule of law – broadly defined, as in Wikipedia’s “authority and influence of law in society” – as an enabler, as a catalyst, of sustainable, institutionalized progress toward all global development challenges. On the flipside, I also see more progress on water challenges as one of many ways to strengthen the rule of law. For example, the most interesting question asked during the opening plenary of the World Justice Forum was “Is there a primary school for rule of law, or does one have to wait until graduate school to learn about it?” I assert that there is indeed a primary school for the rule of law: a village water committee anywhere in the world. The first experience many people – especially women – have in the developing world with rule of law and with participatory democracy is via their participation on local committees designed to identify and sustainably address local challenges. Tip O’Neill, a famous American politician, said “All politics is local.” Well, so are development challenges and solutions, especially those related to water. So that village water committee in rural India is a primary school for rule of law. An HIV support group in South Africa is a primary school for rule of law, solving its own community challenges, often alongside its government. A women’s neighborhood group focused on sanitation in Nairobi or Mexico City is a primary school for rule of law, as are local school boards, housing committees, and the like.

Water challenges at local, national, and transboundary levels all offer individuals an opportunity to strengthen the Social Contract between themselves and their governments. To achieve universal coverage of safe drinking water on the planet, in the compressed timeframe for which U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy advocated at the Forum, governments must work hand-in-hand with their constituents.

Here are a handful of rule of law / water solutions underway, and worth tracking and supporting:

Community water boards by the thousands are becoming stronger throughout Latin America with the help of la Fundación Avina, making safe water more accessible to millions of Latin Americans, and at the same time creating more open, democratic societies.
Rule of law is making water more accessible and safer across the globe: e.g., cities are adding rainwater harvesting to building codes in India, and municipal development plans are incorporating community sanitation facilities in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro.
The Nile Basin Initiative continues to strengthen the capacity of the Nile’s riparian states to stay ahead of the water conflict predicted by many for the region.
Water For People’s Everyone Forever effort focuses first and foremost on the interaction between citizens and their governments, with the international community playing a catalytic role; this will eventually obviate the need for any outside assistance.
The Sanitation and Water for All Partnership attracts Finance Ministers to its High Level Meeting every two years. Stronger political will makes it possible for those Finance Ministers to do what they already want to do: increase budgets and strengthen policies for water in their countries by making and meeting tangible, time-bound commitments.
Civil society organizations across the developing world are now using this toolkit “How to Campaign on Water and Sanitation Issues During an Election” to make sure that elected leaders have committed to tackling water challenges long before their terms in office. This toolkit should be used in every election tracked by the International Foundation for Electoral Systems.

The water challenges across the globe are grave. But they are solvable, and being solved by communities and governments as I write. My ambition is that rule of law and water communities will find more ways to work together across a number of platforms, and that both communities will emerge stronger from those collaborative efforts.

Funding for Water and Sanitation / USAID / Development Grants Program

noreply@blogger.com (John Oldfield) — Fri, 12 Jul 2013 21:59:00 +0000

Dear nonprofit partners,

We would like to make you aware of a funding opportunity offered through USAID - the Development Grants Program (DGP):

http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do;jsessionid=kQ2pRgRDQDTnQgTvt58Y7Z4MfHKvkqKzPWQf9LwDH2wTpJ10fJcH!-337921640?oppId=237329&mode=VIEW

DEADLINE: August 8, 2013

(Awards up to $2million for US and Non US-based nonprofits.)

Background

USAID has established the Development Grants Program as a small grants program to increase the number and quality of NGO implementing partners who can partner with USAID. This Program is open both to U.S.-based nonprofits and those based around the world. A total of $45m is available through this program for the estimated fifteen grantees.

In its first three years, the program funded 145 organizations in over 26 countries. Water and Sanitation is one of the DGP’s selected technical sectors for the program, having providing funding for over 24 organizations focused in this sector. "In the water sector, the DGP supports activities that directly increase access to safe drinking water and sanitation and improve hygiene. This includes investments to support infrastructure as well as activities related to organizational/institutional capacity-building needed to create sustainable management, improve service delivery or promote human behavior change."

Here are some examples of DGP-funded WASH activities:

Development Aid from People to People (DAPP) Zambia

Received $2 Million to extend a WASH in schools programs that served over 320,000 pupils in over 800 schools

Alliance for Youth Achievement

Received a USAID DGP grant to implement 30 new clean water projects in Uganda

Pacific Institute

Received a USAID DGP grant to create a highly accessible communication and monitoring system that develops crowd-sourced map data to improve water and sanitation services for the urban poor in Indonesia

Palms for Life Fund

Received $1.9 M over 3 years for a WASH in schools project affecting 42,000 pupils in 120 schools in Swaziland

*** At WASH Advocates, we see this as an invaluable opportunity for WASH organizations doing vital work around the world to receive USAID funding. The August 8 application deadline is fast approaching. ***

TO APPLY:

1) Go to www.grants.gov (or follow this link: Click Here)

2) Left hand menu: select “find grant opportunities”

3) Left hand menu: Select “browse by agency”

4) Select “Agency for International Development”

5) Select “Funding Opportunity Number: RFA-OAA-13-000020”

6) Select “full announcement”

7) Download the “full announcement” PDF. (See attached.)

To jumpstart this process, here are countries whose USAID Missions have prioritized water/WASH (these are listed on pages 1-3 of the Request for Applications):

Angola, Botswana, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Madagascar, Nepal, Nigeria, Office of Middle East Programs, Philippines, South Africa, South Africa (regional), and Ukraine.

I encourage those of you active in those countries in particular to consider applying for Development Grants Program assistance. Please distribute this notice as widely as you can – the more WASH applications they receive, the more likely a nice chunk of the $45m will go to WASH.

US organizations: please consider applying directly, and share with your local partners.

Nonprofits in Africa, Asia, Latin America: please consider applying directly, and share with other WASH groups as appropriate.

Please, contact Ben Mann at 571-225-5823 or bmann (at) WASHadvocates (dot) org with additional questions.

Sustainable Water Solutions and the Rule of Law

noreply@blogger.com (John Oldfield) — Tue, 09 Jul 2013 20:06:00 +0000

I'll have the pleasure of moderating a panel at the World Justice Forum tomorrow (July 10) in The Hague:

Sustainable Water Solutions and the Rule of Law

In anticipation of that event, a couple of thoughts on WASH and the rule of law follow:

Safe drinking water for everyone on the planet is not a controversial issue. Every political leader in every country, province, or municipality wants each of his/her constituents to have access to the safe, affordable, and sustainable drinking water they need to survive and improve their lot in life. Yet even though the world has never been richer, smarter, or more abundant than it is in 2013, there remain over 783m people without access to safe drinking water, and 2.5 billion people without a safe place to go to the bathroom.

So why does this fundamental global safe drinking water and sanitation challenge continue to exist, when we have known how to solve this problem for millennia? Why do hundreds of millions of women around the world continue to be exploited as water and wastewater infrastructure, and why do millions of children under the age of five die from preventable waterborne diseases each year?

My answer: a lack of political will. And that answer is typically the quickest way to end a conversation, as most people look at politics and elected officials only as part of the problem, not as a key part of the solution.

Politics are indeed problematic in many instances, yet if there are to be permanent and sustainable solutions to the world’s most pressing development challenges, politics and political leaders must drive the solution, not just be invited to ribbon-cutting ceremonies to new water treatment facilities.

I had dinner a couple of years ago with a handful of other non-profit leaders and the former prime minister of a sub-Saharan African country. I asked the prime minister: “What made it possible for you to strengthen policies and increase your national budget for safe drinking water, sanitation and basic public health while you were in office?” He told me that to do so he needed two very simple things:

He needed to hear about the problem from his own people.
He needed to see how the problem is solvable.

Using that as a benchmark, how can we make it possible for each government around the world to prioritize safe drinking water and sanitation? I suggest - as the prime minister said – that we in civil society, in developed and more importantly in developing countries, must let our governments know this is an important issue for us - their constituents - and that the challenge is solvable. And let’s take it one step further: to strengthen political commitments and rule of law for water, we need to show our governments not just that the problem is solvable, but that it is already being solved, and we simply need their support to solve it more quickly, equitably, and sustainably. We need politicians not so much to lead on this but simply to follow what their constituents are already doing by supporting and complementing our efforts with stronger policies and increased budgets.

Water is a non-controversial issue, and this approach to building political will and commitments has proven successful around the world and across the ages. Former U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt was president of the United States in the 1930s and 1940s. In the 1930s, during the Great Depression, progressive leaders came to President Roosevelt and asked for various concessions, including new pro-worker policies as part of the effort to turn the economy around. President Roosevelt was quite progressive and pro-union, and he is reported to have said: “I want to do what you are asking me to do, but I can’t do it politically yet. I need you to go out there and make it possible for me to enact those policies.”

So the union leaders did just that: In 1937 there were thousands of labor actions whose impact on the economy made it possible for President Roosevelt to do what he already wanted to do.

We do not need to strike for water and sanitation. I do however assert that the job of civil society – including my organization - in the developed and developing world is to demonstrate to governments that what was once unavoidable (millions of deaths due to waterborne disease) is now unacceptable. That simple equation will provide those elected officials with the political cover they need to do what they already want to do, and progressively realize the human right to water and sanitation to everyone on the planet in a tighter timeframe.

Today, the risk of making massive political commitments to water and sanitation remains for the most part too high, because water and sanitation compete with so many other important development priorities (roads, schools, hospitals, jobs) that are in many cases in higher demand.

The rule of law community and the water and sanitation community have an opportunity work together to be a highly catalytic part of the solution to the world’s water crisis. Access to safe drinking water strengthens rule of law, in that local water and sanitation committees often provide citizens in developing countries – particularly women – their first opportunity to be involved in a democratic process that concerns their own well-being. And as local leaders across the globe provide more clear guidance about water and sanitation governance and legal underpinnings, their constituents will have access to drinking water that is safe, affordable, sustainable, and equitable. Access will be universal and equitable, pricing will be fair for all users, infrastructure will be sustainable, and the rule of law will be strengthened as governments provide services and citizens uphold their end of the social contract.

My ambition is that rule of law and water communities will find more ways to work together across a number of platforms, and that both communities will emerge stronger from those collaborative efforts.

Participatory Local Democracy survey / June 25 deadline

noreply@blogger.com (John Oldfield) — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 13:36:00 +0000

Hi everyone,

My friend John Coonrod at The Hunger Project is circulating this survey on participatory local democracy, which I think is an interest/expertise of many who read this blog. John and I would like to have water and sanitation civil society groups well-represented in this survey.

Here is a bit more (and please do circulate to others in your networks as appropriate):

Our key milestone is to collate and publish country rankings of participatory local democracy, and present our first annual report in September. To do this we need your help! Please invite everyone interested in this issue to fill out our 15-minute survey here, in either English, Spanish, or French.

Announcing the new Participatory Democracy Index

Responsive local governance is key to meeting human needs, yet it is not a high global priority. To raise the profile of this issue, The Hunger Project (THP) and UN Democracy Fund have launched a two-year initiative to compile a multidimensional Participatory Democracy Index, and publish an annual State of Participatory Democracy Report. The index has two components: legal provisions for local governance, and perceptions on implementation. THP requests that you support this effort by taking the 15-minute online survey at http://localdemocracy.net/the-scorecard/.

Many thanks for carving out a few minutes of your time to either participate in this survey or send it to the right folks across the globe.

All the best,

John

From: John Coonrod, Executive Vice President [mailto:John.Coonrod@thp.org]
Sent: Wednesday, June 12, 2013 5:23 PM
To: John Oldfield
Subject: Participatory Local Democracy Weekly Update

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Trouble viewing? Click here to see this message in a browser.

Dear John,
Progress with the survey! Now in French, Spanish and English; be on the lookout for a Portugese survey soon! Read about our two featured organizations/networks below.
John Coonrod, Executive Vice President, The Hunger Project

Latin American and Caribbean Network for Democracy (REDLAD):

REDLAD is a network of organizations, civil society members, academics and activists all committed to strengthening participatory local democracy. The network recognizes the importance of strong local democracies for sustainable community development projects, and they hosted their third assembly in May. The assembly attracted over 300 civil society members from both national and international organizations to discuss themes relating to inclusive democracy. Read more about REDLAD here!

Society for the Promotion of Area Resource Centers (SPARC)

SPARC is a large NGOs working in India on the issue of urban population growth and urban housing and infrastructure development. Working together with the National Slum Dwellers Federation and Mahila Milan , the three organizaions are known as the Alliance. The Alliance works to build capacity and organization within communities and then engages the government and local and regional authorities to undertake housing and sanitation projects led by the community. To read more about SPARC and The Alliance click here!

Help us Score the World!

The Hunger Project - DC Office
2121 Decatur Place, NW, Washington, DC 20008
Tel: +1-202-527-9505

localdemocracy.net | Unsubscribe

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White House / Safe Water / WASH Advocates / USAID

noreply@blogger.com (John Oldfield) — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 20:54:00 +0000

Hats off to my colleague Ben Mann - excited to see him on the agenda.

Friday June 7: Conference call with the White House on USAID's new Water Strategy.

Twitter Chat: May 23, 12 noon eastern time, with USAID's Global Water Coordinator Chris Holmes & Development Innovation Ventures

noreply@blogger.com (John Oldfield) — Wed, 22 May 2013 13:09:00 +0000

Please join this twitter chat tomorrow (May 23) if you are interested in the new USAID water strategy:

Media Advisory: USAID Releases its First Water and Development Strategy

noreply@blogger.com (John Oldfield) — Thu, 16 May 2013 17:10:00 +0000

Media Advisory:

USAID Releases its First Water and Development Strategy

For Immediate Release

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

USAID Press Office

202-712-4320

USAID Water and Development Strategy, 2013-2018 (pdf - 2 MB)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On May 21, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Rajiv Shah will join Senator Richard Durbin, Congressman Earl Blumenauer and Congressman Ted Poe to release the U.S. Government’s first Water and Development strategy.
This strategy will address global water-related development needs by providing a clear understanding of USAID's approach to water programming, emphasizing how sustainable use of water is critical to saving lives. To achieve this goal, the Strategy sets two strategic objectives:

Water for Health – Improve health outcomes through the provision of sustainable Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH).
Water for Food – Manage water for agriculture sustainably and more productively to enhance food security.

Globally, over 780 million people lack access to safe drinking water and 2.5 billion people lack access to sanitation. Projections are that by 2025, two-thirds of the world’s population could be living in severe water stress conditions. This strategy reflects the commitment of the U.S. government to work in partnership with the global community to meet these challenges.
To view the entire USAID Water and Development Strategy, please click on this link: http://www.usaid.gov/documents/1865/usaid-water-and-development-strategy-2013-2018

WHO:	USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) Congressman Ted Poe (R-TX)
WHAT:	Celebration of the launch of USAID’s water strategy
WHEN:	Tuesday, May 21, 2013 10 a.m. – 11 a.m.
WHERE:	Kennedy Caucus Room Russell Senate Office Building Washington, DC

RSVP: Press must RSVP by Monday, May 20^th to the USAID Press Office USAIDPressOfficers@usaid.gov and Max Gleischman Max_Gleischman@durbin.senate.gov. To follow and discuss the event on Twitter, use hashtag: #WaterStrategy

USAID’s new water strategy: Pros, Cons, and What’s Next?

noreply@blogger.com (John Oldfield) — Mon, 06 May 2013 12:53:00 +0000

The U.S. Agency for International Development has recently soft-launched its first-ever five-year water strategy. We’ve all been waiting a long time for this, so some initial and mostly positive reactions follow:

First of all, congratulations to USAID and its many partners for getting this out the door. Any such strategy involves a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, particularly so for an issue as wide-ranging and multidisciplinary as water challenges across the globe. So congratulations to USAID (Chris Holmes, John Pasch, many others). A great number of nonprofits, Hill allies, and concerned citizens deserve kudos for their involvement and support as well over the past couple of years.

What I like about USAID’s water strategy

It focuses on safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), and does so in a way that also elevates and institutionalizes Integrated Water Resource Management and water for agriculture. The strategy also strongly positions water as foundational to sustainable progress across many other vital development challenges including health, food, education, HIV, gender equality, and climate change. I also welcome its increased emphasis on sanitation, especially since USAID joined the Sanitation and Water for All Partnership in 2012. “In countries that are off track to meet the [Millennium Development Goal] for sanitation, and where diarrheal disease and under-nutrition are prevalent, Missions must add sanitation as a key element of their water, health, and nutrition activities.” That’s some strong language. Inadequate sanitation - water contaminated with human feces - is what really kills and sickens kids, not simple water scarcity. Those millions of kids are dying because of waterborne illness, not simple thirst, and USAID’s renewed emphasis on sanitation positions the agency to save and improve kids’ lives across the globe.
The strategy draws much of its philosophy from USAID Forward, the agency’s attempt to transform itself and develop new models for development. The water strategy provides a refreshed vision of what USAID could/should look like in action across the board, with its focus on decentralized decisionmaking and ownership, local capacity strengthening, behavior change, and stronger monitoring and evaluation. This is perhaps the most important part of the strategy, and will hopefully be a big part of its implementation: the document leans forward into the sort of foreign assistance we should be supporting - less focused on direct service provision, and more focused on strengthening local capacity so that communities and countries will no longer require foreign assistance.
There are hints in the strategy of stronger monitoring and evaluation, and even language which indicates they will do so “beyond the typical USAID Program Cycle and . . . . enable reasonable support to issues that arise post implementation.” This is good news, and I am all ears as to how this will be implemented. I know Susan Davis, IRC, SustainableWASH.org, WASH Advocates, Water For People and many others have ideas.
Integral to the strategy are a number of smart, flexible, approaches to solving development challenges – approaches which also provide USAID much-needed leverage for its work: innovative financing (e.g. through USAID’s Development Credit Authority), policy reform, strengthening enabling environments, strengthening and building local capacity (e.g. through USAID’s Development Grants Program) and more opportunities for real partnerships like those with Rotary International and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Priority countries, selectivity and focus: the three tiers of countries make sense (with concerns noted below), as do the different levels of involvement envisioned in disparate countries and regions. Fewer countries (again, with concerns noted below) could provide increased opportunities for meaningful impact at scale, up to and including 100% coverage of WASH within certain discrete geographies (e.g. municipalities, provinces, even countries). This would obviate the debates about how to reach the poorest of the poor, gender focus, outlying farmers, distant huts, and so on. 100% is 100%, as inspired by Water For People’s Everyone Forever.

Perhaps most importantly, this strikes me as a learning strategy, a living document which has the potential to vastly improve USAID’s water programming in ways unforeseen at its launch. One example of something to be learned by the agency is how to differentiate between programming which focuses on first-time access to WASH and that which focuses on improved access, a distinction sometimes lost in DC but vitally important in the developing world. Another opportunity is to figure out how to best make sure that projects continue to function as intended long after the program has technically ended.

Areas on which I look forward to continuing to work with USAID

The numbers are under-ambitious: a five year strategy to get safe drinking water to only 10 million people and sanitation to only 6 million? In FY11 alone, the figures were 3.8 million (water) and 1.9 million people (sanitation). I fully expect USAID to blow these numbers out of the water, both by providing more services, and by strengthening the capacity of local organizations across the globe to solve their own challenges.
The strategy does a great job of segmenting its approach into “transformative impact,” “leveraged impact,” and “strategic priority” countries. I get the distinctions, but I remain concerned that there is little in the strategy to prevent the vast majority of resources from going to a small handful of strategic priority countries that may or may not suffer from water and sanitation scarcity. I would have preferred that a clear, specific and high percentage of funds be explicitly directed to countries and communities where water and sanitation coverage is the lowest in the world, and I look forward to continuing to work with USAID and the Hill on that front. Diplomacy and security concerns often trump development, and the strategy could have leaned further forward into this debate. An added benefit is that a more pro-poor approach to the implementation of the water strategy would more closely align it with the Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act of 2005, which focuses clearly and explicitly on the world’s poorest countries.
On a related note, I’m all for selectivity and focus leading to a smaller number of program countries for the water strategy. Dissipation is the enemy, but cutting from 62 countries to perhaps a couple dozen countries overnight is drastic, and will leave dozens of WASH-poor countries - with strong enabling environments (viz. “opportunity to succeed”) - high and dry. Country selection based on need and ‘opportunity to succeed’ requires very careful management. And a continuing omission is that, outside of Haiti, no country in the Western Hemisphere is a priority country for the Water for the Poor Act implementation. There are vast pockets of need in Latin America and the Caribbean, and I hope USAID takes this into account.
With the exception of one key paragraph on page 15, the two Strategic Objectives (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene and Water and Food Security) are inadequately linked. I would have liked to see the nexus of water, sanitation, and nutrition/food security highlighted. The problem is clear: repeated bouts of waterborne diarrheal disease lead to physical stunting and poor cognitive development of kids all around Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The solution is more integrated programming: making sure that children and families have safe drinking water with which to consume their food so that it is properly digested. I know USAID understands this and am surprised this linkage is not more prominent in the strategy. There are other solutions which would tackle concomitantly both Strategic Objectives (rainwater harvesting comes to mind) which aren’t included at all.

What’s next?

Once the strategy is formally launched, USAID and its many partners across the U.S. and the globe have five years to make this work. The implementation phase of the strategy will build on many of the successes outlined above, and provide further guidance on the strategy’s shortcomings. The implementation of this strategy needs to closely align with the Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act of 2005 and maintain and increase USAID’s focus on its core mission, “the eradication of extreme poverty and its most devastating corollaries, including widespread hunger and preventable child death.”

Shortly after the strategy is launched, we can expect implementation guidance to better explain how to implement projects aligned with the strategy. That implementation guidance will very much color how the strategy will roll out over the coming years, the number of lives it will positively impact, and the return the U.S. taxpayer gets on his/her dollar.

I intend to make sure that the right people in both developed and developing countries are aware of and supportive to the extent possible of this strategy, and are positioned as allies for USAID as it works through the next five years. I envision better donor coordination, and I envision increased demand and supply for water assistance across the globe. I envision USAID reaching out to its philanthropic partners to leverage the taxpayer dollar, and I see millions of lives saved and improved.

Congratulations again to USAID – looking forward to the implementation phase.