Water for Empowerment is partnering with WaterAid America to energize a new program in Nicaragua which develops micro-enterprises for young women living in poverty and without access to clean water and sanitation.

The pilot program has proven effective but it needs a caring sponsor. That’s why Water for Empowerment has committed to raising $90,000 ($30K each year for 3 years) to support and improve access to clean water and hygiene in peri-urban areas of Nicaragua. Specifically, the project will fund:

We are very excited to be launching our new organization with this worthwhile project to empower young women in Nicaragua who need our help.

Special Guest Post by Kevin Sheward, Research Consultant for Water for Empowerment

Before I joined the Water for Empowerment team, I was probably very much like you. I had heard the statistics: Over 3 million people dying a year from water borne illnesses. 1,400 children die per day due to diarrheal diseases linked to unsafe water. 875 million people are living without access to safe drinking water. When I heard about Water for Empowerment, I felt inspired to learn more about what can be done to bring safe water to individuals who desperately need it.

Through Water for Empowerment, I had the opportunity to participate in a two-day training with WaterStep, a great organization working that brings safe water and proper hygiene practices to communities all around the world. WaterStep, based in Louisville, Kentucky, is one of the leaders in a movement to help communities create their own safe-water.

During their two-day training I learned about the chlorination process and how it can be used to create safe drinking water for thousands of people. WaterStep has created a special chlorination unit and it was remarkably simple to construct and maintain. Myself and the other participants were able to practice building a chlorination unit that can be deployed all around the world. With a handful of table salt, a battery and a little ingenuity, WaterStep has found a low cost way to provide reliably safe water for thousands of people at a time.

I also learned that safe water, while extremely important, is only part of the solution to ending water borne illnesses. That is why the other half of the WaterStep training is dedicated to learning about how water borne diseases are transferred and the simple ways we can prevent them. The training we received is just like the training development workers teach in areas all around the world.

Before I joined the effort to help bring safe water around the world, it seemed like an impossible task. I was one person and didn’t know how I could possibly get involved and be a part of the solution. What I discovered is that solutions to this problem can be inexpensive and that there are many ways to participate. Whether it is joining a WaterStep trip and installing a chlorination unit, or donating old shoes to help raise funds for their work, there are many great ways to be a part of the solution. WaterStep is just one great organization that is making a difference, there are many others than are in need of our time, gifts, and talents. The first step is to get informed and find your place.

This first year of our board has been dedicated to investigation of opportunities for us to train in development work and water technologies. We are developing ourselves as we develop our mission. To that end, some of us have completed either pump repair or water hygiene training– assembling and operating a chlorine generator that uses common salt as a water disinfectant at WaterStep in Louisville, KY. http://waterstep.org/ WaterStep trains volunteers, charities like us, as well as stakeholders on the ground, people with an investment in their own survival.They are also addressing Disaster Relief.

Our mission is not to offer services ourselves but to support organizations on the ground who have access to populations in need of clean water, sustainable farming, and training and education of girls and women as the water keepers. Our model for helping in sustainability is B2B. Here is an organization in Niger in desperate need.
https://www.ammanimman.org/Program/mission.html

We have concluded that we cannot go to the Sahel region of Africa because of the political climate and extreme danger. That’s why we are investigating the opportunity to work with other organizations in areas and countries with some infrastructure where development work can operate more openly. Meanwhile, we will seek help, raise money, and help develop resources for inaccessible populations like those of the Azawak served by AmmanImman as we continue to train and develop ourselves in safer regions. Please be aware that just $5 can help either WaterStep or AmmanImman address starvation and death from waterborne illnesses.

Learn more about what we’re working on by following our progress on
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WaterForEmpowerment and
Twitter: @H2O4Empowerment.

On June 10, 2013, Water for Empowerment, Inc. was officially incorporated in Indianapolis, IN as a charitable organization. Our goal is to join the world community to help secure and maintain clean water for communities exposed to water borne pathogens.

We will educate and train community members on the sustainability of clean water sources with a focus on training young women and girls in water sciences so that they may be valued enough for inclusion in the educational cycle and not sold into human slavery.

The cycle of poverty often ends in human slavery both inside the United States and outside. We thank NuMali and its board members for inviting us to the remote village of Bankoni to witness the humanity of the villagers and the daily threat of death by disease and starvation.

Inspired by the plight of Bankoni and by efforts of the World Health Organization to inform and influence policy, practices and infrastructure at all levels of society, our new board will begin training in preparation for our first mission in 2014. We will study non-profit management, sustainability and water technologies, human trafficking, and scalable models for building businesses based on clean water with a variety of experts in the months ahead.

2013 is the United Nations International Year of Water Cooperation. Board Members include Brent Huber, Environmental Attorney-at-Law at Ice Miller; Dr. Charles Beck, Jr., D.O., Osteopathic Vision; Shannon Zumbaugh, Marketing Manager at Courseload, Inc.; and Susan H. Dugan, Health Communications Specialist, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

http://www.unwater.org/watercooperation2013.html