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Our Lens

Water For People's Perspectives

on Solving the Global Water and Sanitation Crisis

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Climate-Resilient Water: COP29 Progress and Challenges

By Mark Duey, CEO Water For People
As I wrap up my participation in Azerbaijan at COP29 – the annual global convening by the UN focused on accelerating action to tackle the climate crisis – there is plenty of concern.

The World Meteorological Organization has reported that 2024 is on track to be the planet’s hottest year on record. Climate-related disasters have wreaked havoc on several different regions of the world.

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Why Resilient Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene is Climate Action

By Grace Kanweri, Senior Program Officer, Uganda, Kelly Latham, Senior Global Advisor, Climate and WRM, and Azucena Serrano, Senior Official for Scale, Honduras The impact that climate change has on…

Water conference in Washington, DC Wednesday, May 8, 2024. (© 2024 Michael Connor / Connor Studios)

WASH Access Data Collection Act of 2024 & What It Means for the U.S. Water Crisis

Globally, we have witnessed the impact that providing decision-makers with contextualized data can have on implementing solutions tailored to community needs, which is why the US WASH Access Data Collection Act is so important.

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The Business of Supporting Entrepreneurs

Many of us never think twice about our toilet. But as of 2022, almost half of the world’s population lacks safely managed sanitation.

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The Status Quo Isn’t Good Enough: The Water Crisis & National Systems Strengthening

Last week, UNICEF and WHO released their latest report on water, sanitation and hygiene progress in schools. We are not where we need to be and in our current way of working, we will not get there by 2030.

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 "There’s water, but you have to fight for it."

More than 2 million people across the United States lack access to running water and basic plumbing. The reasons are not unlike many of the challenges facing every single country Water For People works within—water scarcity, pollution, structural racism, inadequate infrastructure, and climate change impacts.

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Financing for Climate Resilient Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene

In April, Water For People leader Mark Duey has the opportunity to represent civil society at the Latin America and the Caribbean Finance Ministers’ Meeting – an unparalleled opportunity to place water, sanitation, hygiene, and climate resilience at the center of discussions with important government decision-makers.

A McDowell County resident fills a glass of clean, running water. Photo courtesy of DigDeep.

America, like the rest of the world, is in a water crisis. Here’s what we can do.

With more than 2 million Americans lacking access to running water or basic plumbing, the U.S. water crisis has reached a critical juncture. It’s a multifaceted challenge that encompasses issues such as water scarcity, pollution, structural racism, inadequate infrastructure, and climate change impacts. Chris Freimund recently joined Water For People as the U.S. WASH Program Manager, the first role of its kind at Water For People. Here, we talk with Chris about what’s driving the U.S. water crisis, its connection to the global one, and how Water For People plans to be involved in U.S. work. 

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Lessons from South Sudan: Changing Expectations & Strengthening Systems

Two civil wars have put South Sudan behind in terms of national infrastructure—from transportation to electricity to water. Samson Hailu Bekele visited Aqua-Africa’s work in Juba and Nzara to better understand how South Sudan is progressing. Here’s what he learned.

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A Blueprint for Climate Financing: Getting the Money to the Right People

The bulk of climate funding has gone to "mitigation" or back to the same countries responsible for climate change.

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The 2023 UN Water Conference & How We’re Supporting a BOLD Water Action Agenda

Here’s how Water For People is participating in the UN Water Conference and the conversations–backed by actions–that we hope contribute to that BOLD water action agenda that’s needed.

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Why Climate Resilience Matters

Kelly Latham, Senior Global Advisor for Climate and Water Resources, digs into climate resilience, why it matters, and what we can do communities most vulnerable to the effects of climate change.

The Water Crisis

Learn more about the global water, sanitation, and hygiene crisis.

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