Our Intern, Juan, wrote a report for school focusing on Water to Thrive’s work as it relates to the UN Millennium Goals. Read his paper below and let us know your thoughts:
Report: Industry, Sector & Site Report
Water to Thrive is a faith-based non-profit dedicated to the mission of bringing clean, safe water to those who need it in rural Africa. They work with donors in the United States and implementing partners in Africa to bring lasting change in thousands of lives by building much-needed wells that provide safe and clean water to African peoples who are victims of unclean waterborne diseases. The fact is that “15,000 people in Africa die every DAY of these mentioned preventable waterborne diseases caused by pathogenic microorganisms that most commonly are transmitted in contaminated fresh water”(Jeffrey Sachs). These mentioned diseases include: Typhoid Fever, Hepatitis A, Polio, E. Coli, and diarrhea. The water building industry has grown since the introduction of the UN Millennium Development Goals, which are eight international development goals that were established following the Millennium Summit of the United Nations in 2000. The eight development goals are the following:
1. To eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
2. To achieve universal primary education
3. To promote gender equality and empower women
4. To reduce child mortality
5. To improve maternal health
6. To combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases
7. To ensure environmental sustainability
8. To develop a global partnership for development
The act of building over four thousand wells in Uganda, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Sierra Leone have promoted the fulfillment of several, if not, all these development goals. The act of building wells in these African communities helps to eradicate hunger/thirst (Goal #1) by providing safer cleaner water for drinking and cooking. The safe water provided, reduces the number of child sickness, which in turn, reduces the number of children staying home sick and not going to school (Goal #2). Women in Africa are usually the ones with the domestic responsibility of fetching water from sources that can be miles away from the home; therefore, building wells empowers women’s (Goal #3) roles in the households and eases their water fetching responsibilities. Needless to say, providing safe and clean water will not only reduce child mortality (Goal #4), but also mortality among all age groups as well as women who are pregnant (Goal #5). Also for obvious reasons, providing a safe-water source directly prevents the spread of diseases (Goal #6). Water that is polluted contaminates not only humans, but also an entire environment including plants and animal life; therefore, wells with filters do a part in ensuring environmental sustainability (Goal #7). Finally, the cultural exchange that the “water angels” (so called by Water To Thrive) promote in the field as well as the partnerships within the U.S– which include H-E-B, Costco, and Wells Fargo– are both reasons why the NGO Water To Thrive ensures the eight and final UN Development Goal.
The fact that Water To Thrive promotes (directly or indirectly) not just one, but all eight UN Development Goals is an impressive feat even for me who is a student specializing in development economics and committed to give my talents and services to the eradication of extreme poverty. Perhaps I am idealizing the company’s motives, but I think that is why I am interning with Water To Thrive in the first place. Only time will tell.
Our Intern, Juan, wrote a report for school focusing on Water to Thrive’s work as it relates to the UN Millennium Goals. Read his paper below and let us know your thoughts:
Report: Industry, Sector & Site Report
Water to Thrive is a faith-based non-profit dedicated to the mission of bringing clean, safe water to those who need it in rural Africa. They work with donors in the United States and implementing partners in Africa to bring lasting change in thousands of lives by building much-needed wells that provide safe and clean water to African peoples who are victims of unclean waterborne diseases. The fact is that “15,000 people in Africa die every DAY of these mentioned preventable waterborne diseases caused by pathogenic microorganisms that most commonly are transmitted in contaminated fresh water”(Jeffrey Sachs). These mentioned diseases include: Typhoid Fever, Hepatitis A, Polio, E. Coli, and diarrhea. The water building industry has grown since the introduction of the UN Millennium Development Goals, which are eight international development goals that were established following the Millennium Summit of the United Nations in 2000. The eight development goals are the following:
1. To eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
2. To achieve universal primary education
3. To promote gender equality and empower women
4. To reduce child mortality
5. To improve maternal health
6. To combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases
7. To ensure environmental sustainability
8. To develop a global partnership for development
The act of building over four thousand wells in Uganda, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Sierra Leone have promoted the fulfillment of several, if not, all these development goals. The act of building wells in these African communities helps to eradicate hunger/thirst (Goal #1) by providing safer cleaner water for drinking and cooking. The safe water provided, reduces the number of child sickness, which in turn, reduces the number of children staying home sick and not going to school (Goal #2). Women in Africa are usually the ones with the domestic responsibility of fetching water from sources that can be miles away from the home; therefore, building wells empowers women’s (Goal #3) roles in the households and eases their water fetching responsibilities. Needless to say, providing safe and clean water will not only reduce child mortality (Goal #4), but also mortality among all age groups as well as women who are pregnant (Goal #5). Also for obvious reasons, providing a safe-water source directly prevents the spread of diseases (Goal #6). Water that is polluted contaminates not only humans, but also an entire environment including plants and animal life; therefore, wells with filters do a part in ensuring environmental sustainability (Goal #7). Finally, the cultural exchange that the “water angels” (so called by Water To Thrive) promote in the field as well as the partnerships within the U.S– which include H-E-B, Costco, and Wells Fargo– are both reasons why the NGO Water To Thrive ensures the eight and final UN Development Goal.
The fact that Water To Thrive promotes (directly or indirectly) not just one, but all eight UN Development Goals is an impressive feat even for me who is a student specializing in development economics and committed to give my talents and services to the eradication of extreme poverty. Perhaps I am idealizing the company’s motives, but I think that is why I am interning with Water To Thrive in the first place. Only time will tell.
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