When I was young, I loved skipping lake water, silently watching the circles grow wider and wider from each point of impact. It seemed to me that the entire lake was gradually transforming, one bounce at a time.
Posted yesterday at 5:00 p.m.
When I created the One Drop Foundation 15 years ago, I felt deep within me that access to water was going to be one of the biggest challenges of the 21st century.e century. Quickly, the One Drop Foundation began to generate ripple effects — like the circles in the lake where I played when I was little — by carrying out collective actions to guarantee sustainable access to drinking water, sanitation and hygiene in communities around the world. Through our network, we have improved the lives of 1.7 million people and are on track to reach 1 million more.
It is with great pride that I have seen the positive impact of One Drop’s work since 2007. However, as the foundation celebrates its 15th anniversary this year, I realize that there is still a long way to go.
The current situation is more critical than ever. The state of access to water on our blue planet breaks my heart.
How can community members in Burkina Faso protect themselves from pandemics and disease when many of their health facilities lack proper handwashing facilities? How can rural women in India better withstand climate change as droughts deprive them of their only source of water? Why are so many communities in Latin America grappling with a water crisis despite their region having the highest amount of fresh water per capita in the world? Even in Quebec and throughout the Far North, there are countless First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities that still do not have access to safe drinking water and sanitation services. It’s mind-boggling.
Until every person on the planet has access to clean water, we can’t give up. We need to roll up our sleeves and work harder — together.
Over the past 15 years, three priorities within our reach have given me good reason to remain, on the whole, optimistic.
Water and climate change
First, if we have any chance of achieving global health, gender equality, climate resilience and better living conditions for local communities, we must first address the issues of climate change. ‘water. Access to clean water and adequate sanitation and hygiene facilities enables people — especially women and girls who are often responsible for fetching water in their communities — to carry out safe, healthy life. By managing the availability and sustainability of water resources, we help communities become more resilient to the climate crisis and be able to adapt. When we understand the links between water and the world’s most pressing issues, we realize the impact access to clean water can have.
Second, making a difference requires a systems approach that builds on the power of the community. Just as it takes more than one artist to put on a circus show, it takes a whole system to make a water access project sustainable. We need actors who are mobilizing in all sectors, governments and NGOs who recognize the urgency to act, philanthropists who are ready to dedicate themselves to the cause, and members of the community who have the means of their ambitions.
Third, we must tap into our creative energy and implement innovative and sustainable solutions that put local communities first: solutions that directly touch people’s hearts, that inspire and motivate them, that make them want to change — and change the world.
A storm is brewing globally, and water is at the heart of the crisis. It’s hard to imagine, but right now more than 2 billion people don’t have clean drinking water at home. Hurry up.
As an eternal optimist, I believe in our collective ability to care for our fellow citizens on this planet. Today, I invite you to take concrete action. Let’s inform each other about the importance of access to drinking water and support organizations that offer sustainable and original solutions. Millions of people share my dream of making the world a better place. I invite each and every one of you to ricochet good deeds so that together we can trigger waves of change.