WATER CRISIS
SO C IA L A C T I O N T O O LKI T FROM INSPIRATION TO ACTION SOCIAL ACTION TOOKITS PRODUCED WITH PURPOSE
WATER CRISIS
SOCIAL ACTION TOOKITS PRODUCED WITH PURPOSE
“I’m wondering, in the morning, you’re the dead one...would you feel somehow happy with how well you’ve lived? Or would you say for what...? It...it was worthless?!”
This question is posed to Justin Arana, creator of the film My Name is Water by his grandfather, a survivor of the Holocaust. This probing question sets Justin off on a deeply personal journey to find meaning in his own life, moving from a quest based in inner searching to a life based on meeting a basic human need - water in parts of the world that lack it the most.
“Water is life’s mater and matrix, mother and medium. There is no life without water.” - Albert Szent-Gyorgyi
“Bad water is responsible for 2 million deaths per year, and almost all of them are kids under five years old” - Dean Kamen, inventor and subject of the documentary SlingShot
GET INFORMED Diseases from unsafe water and lack of basic sanitation kill more people every year than all forms of violence, including war. Children are especially vulnerable, as their bodies aren’t strong enough to fight diarrhea, dysentery and other illnesses.
More than 3.4 million people die each year from water, sanitation, and hygiene-related causes. Nearly all deaths, 99 percent, occur in the developing world. Lack of access to clean water and sanitation kills children at a rate equivalent of a jumbo jet crashing every four hours.
Of the 60 million people added to the world’s towns and cities every year, most move to informal settlements (i.e. slums) with no sanitation facilities. 780 million people lack access to an improved water source; approximately one in nine people. [The water and sanitation] crisis claims more lives through disease than any war claims through guns.
GET INFORMED THE PROBLEM According to UNICEF - 1.1 billion people worldwide do not have access to safe water
SOLUTIONS EXIST... On a positive note, there are ways to provide safe water around the world. We see examples of solutions in the films My Name is Water (building wells) and SlingShot (using technology to filter dirty water and make it clean) In Burkina Fasso, a pilot project is providing water and employment in a rural area. A desalination project in Palestine is transforming seawater into drinking water for 75,000 Palestinians.
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GET INFORMED ...AND THERE ARE MANY RESOURCES FOR FINDING OUT MORE AND GETTING INVOLVED!
WEBSITES Waves for Water works on the front lines to provide clean water to communities in need around the world. In addition to their pri-
mary focus around clean water, the organization has coordinated strategic disaster relief efforts throughout the world and works directly with world leaders and strategic partners who take a no-nonsense attitude toward making global change.
SlingShot Documentary The Website for this film is chock-full of information, facts, resources, and ways to get involved in solving the water crisis.
My Name is Water The website for the film has a wealth of information about the water crisis, related human rights crises, and economic issues around the globe.
Water.org Co-founded by Gary White and Matt Damon (yes, that Matt Damon), Water.org is a nonprofit organization that has transformed hundreds of communities in Africa, South Asia, and Central America by providing access to safe water and sanitation.
End Water Poverty is a global civil society coalition campaigning to end the water and sanitation crisis.
BOOKS The End of Poverty - Jeffrey Sachs (From the book: “In regards to people lifting themselves out of poverty by climbing the economic ladder, WATER is the most bottom rung.�) Blue Planet Run: The Race to Provide Safe Drinking Water to the World - Rick Smolan
GET INFORMED FILMS AND VIDEOS The End of Poverty SlingShot My Name is Water
LESSON PLANS Water, Water Everywhere? - Discovery Education The Water Crisis - NanoSense
“Global organizations, I don’t think understand that the 21st century problem needs a 21st century solution. They work on top down, government to government, big programs, and we’re working on the SlingShot, the little tool that David needs to defeat Goliath.” “We could empty half of all the hospital beds in the world by just giving people clean water.” - Dean Kamen in SlingShot
TAKE ACTION IMMEDIATE CALL TO ACTION- TAKE A STAND BEFORE YOU LEAVE YOUR SEAT Support Water Underground, the non-profit that emerged from the making of the film My Name is Water. Its mission is to bring clean drinking water to the rural communities of Mozambique through wells and community engagement. They have a network and crew already in place to accomplish their mission. The only thing missing is YOU. The Water Underground model is to fundraise for specific wells - which cost an average of $5,000 - $7,000 each, but serve and transform entire communities. All of their water points are placed in the schools as it has inherent benefits: it encourages women to bring kids to school, and the site has a communal and safe area to have proper oversight. • W/U is committed to complete transparency in their fundraising. • 100% of your donation will go to the water project. Yes, 100%. • Once your funds are specifically allocated to a specific well, you will receive exact GPS coordinates of the community
where your water well will be going, along with photos of the school, stats on how far they are currently walking to get water, meet the chief and the newly formed ‘water oversight committee’, and even have a live online video feed of when we strike water and during the dedication ceremony. You aren’t just hoping your generosity went to good use… you are a part of the journey, Our goal for the Film Festival is to raise enough money for 4 wells - $24,000. If you are moved by what you have seen in these films, take part in a groundswell of support that can create life or death change for people right away. Go to waterunderground. org or mynameiswater.com to be a part of something great. Together.
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MAKE A CHANGE WITH A CLICK: Connect with these awesome organizations working towards solutions for the global water crisis on Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, Twitter or Instagram! Water.org Waves for Water UNICEF End Water Poverty SlingShot My Name is Water
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MAKE A CHANGE WITH YOUR DOLLARS Water.org You can purchase t-shirts and e-cards while making a difference! You can also buy a limited edition Water.org CamelBak Groove bottle like Matt Damon and support the cause. Waves for Water Make a donation or support the work buy purchasing a water filter. You can also support a specific project like the current Hurricane Odile Emergency Disaster Response Effort. A recent storm, developing off the coast of Mexico, was supposed to go west and generate waves for the Hurley Pro at Trestles. It didn’t. Instead, on September 14 Hurricane Odile struck the tip of the Baja peninsula as a Category 3 storm. With wind speeds exceeding 125 mph, Cabo San Lucas and San Jose Del Cabo sustained a direct hit, causing massive destruction throughout the region, leaving a quarter million people without electricity. Thankfully, thus far no fatalities have been reported. Another result of the storm is that the normal municipal delivery of safe water has been severely interrupted for many area residents. Waves For Water is organizing an emergency response to this ongoing disaster. We are currently mobilizing a team to help in the hardest hit areas. See more here. SlingShot Documentary - contribute to outreach and audience engagement efforts Charity:Water - Right now, a generous donor is matching all donations to fundraising campaigns, up to $1,000,000! Give a packH2O and provide someone with a way to transport water
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MAKE A CHANGE WITH YOUR FRIENDS Use these videos to post on social media and get your networks involved in impacting the water crisis! Water.org “Un-leashing the Power” and “The Power of Water” End Water Poverty “Keep Your Promises: The Human Right to Water and Sanitation”
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MAKE A CHANGE WITH YOUR VOICE: Join a water crisis campaign Become a supporter for Keep Your Promises A campaign that demands that all governments ensure that everyone has access to water and sanitation. But more than just access itself, the campaign demands that access is alongside other human rights standards and principles. Sign and collect signatures for the Keep Your Promises petition calling on all decision makers to keep their promises to take action to end the water and sanitation crisis, and work towards providing sanitation and water for all. Join WASHWatch an online platform for monitoring government commitments and financing in a collaborative way. The criteria for analysis are objective and transparent, and therefore, comparable across countries.
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MAKE A CHANGE WITH MEDIA
Host a film screening at your home, school or workplace. Ask a local coffee shop or community center if you can host a screening there. Invite everyone you know and share this toolkit so more people can take action! SlingShot the documentary My Name is Water
Make change with your vacation: Become a Clean Water Courier and bring clean water to a place that needs it the next time you travel! Make a change with your vote: campaign on water and sanitation issues during an election with this toolkit
What we learn from My Name is Water and SlingShot is that, like many crises around the world, what keeps us from finding solutions is not a lack of technology, money, or resources. What holds us back from making change is the mindset to believe that we as individuals can make a difference and the will to go beyond our comfort zone to take a stand. This is a call to action to take a stand. The technology and research to make it happen exist. Organizations are already doing the work to solve the water crisis in places that need it most. They just need individuals like you to throw their support behind them and participate in the effort. You don’t have to do it alone. Below are opportunities to take meaningful action even when you are short on time and money. Get your friends and families involved and multiply your impact. You’ll all feel better about the world afterwards.
PRODUCED BY:
WWW.CINECAUSE.COM
SOCIAL ACTION TOOLKIT TEAM:
JLOVE CALDERÓN, JANA LYNNE UMIPIG, CLARA WALOFF THANKS SO ALL THE FILMMAKERS ESPECIALLY JUSTIN ARANA
DESIGNED BY:
KAILEY STRACHAN KAILEYSTRACHAN.COM
WATER CRISIS
SO C IA L A C T I O N T O O LKI T FROM INSPIRATION TO ACTION SOCIAL ACTION TOOKITS PRODUCED WITH PURPOSE