News

UN proclaims new water decade

It is hoped that the decade for action will help change the lives of the 1.1 billion people without water and 2.6 billion without sanitation.

Credit: WaterAid / Geoff Crawford

The United Nations (UN) General Assembly has proclaimed 2005 to 2015 to be an International Decade for Action on Water. This is to start on World Water Day, 22 March 2005.

Its goals are for a greater focus on water-related issues and actions to ensure that women are involved in water-related development efforts. It also recommits countries to achieve the Millennium Development Goals which include halving the proportions of people without access to safe water and sanitation by 2015.

WaterAid will participate actively in the decade and is planning a wide range of advocacy and lobbying events to help ensure that it has a greater success than the International Decade for Clean Drinking Water of 1981-1990.

WaterAid's President Awards

For the third year WaterAid's Annual Supporters' Meeting concluded with a wonderful celebration of the work of our many volunteers. Pictured below are the recipients of the 2004 President Award for Outstanding Voluntary Contribution to WaterAid. Of the many excellent nominations received, four individuals were deemed to have made an outstanding contribution to WaterAid. John Mowbray - for leadership of the Northumbrian WaterAid Committee, David Bulloch, for time, expertise and energy given to fundraising in Scotland, to Michael Eavis, for introducing WaterAid to the Glastonbury Festival and to Brian Little, one of WaterAid's invaluable technical advisors.

For the first time this year we also made two group awards. We recognised the extraordinary contribution of The Rotary Club of Ryde, represented by David Langdon and Ian McDowell, and we celebrated the collective work of the outstanding Severn Trent Mountain Challenge group, led by Ken Valentine, George Wood and Richard and Judith Thorpe.

The awards were presented by WaterAid's Vice President, the Right Honourable Baroness Chalker of Wallasey, on behalf of our President, His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, and represent the highest level of commendation that WaterAid can offer its supporters.

Coast Along for WaterAid

The South West Coast Path Association (SWCPA) has divided 630 miles of Britain's most dramatic coastline from Minehead to Poole into 70 sections of between five and 15 miles in length. We are looking for 350 teams of between four and seven people to walk each of these sections on Saturday 17 September 2005 to raise money for WaterAid. 

We have launched a new website which allows you to register your team to take part in the event. Each team member can set up their own personal sponsorship pages to collect money online. This enables us to minimise the administrative costs associated with the event. Please visit www.coastalongforwateraid.org to find out more.

WaterAid in the press

Woman pumping water via a hand pump pumping water via a hand pump.

Credit: WaterAid / Suzanne Porter

Hot on the heels of all the coverage in The Independent's Green Shoots Christmas appeal, WaterAid is due to make a World Water Day splash in The Times with a supplement all about water.

The 12-page supplement will feature general water issues as well as the problems of unsafe water and sanitation. It will also highlight the solutions and show how, with a little bit of support in getting their water supplies, toilets and hygiene education, people can begin to take the first steps out of poverty.

We are hoping the supplement will help us to reach new audiences among Times readers and raise general awareness of one of the biggest problems facing the world today: that a child still dies every 15 seconds through water-related diseases.

Obituaries

It is with great sadness that we record the death of David Kinnersley on 2 December 2004. David was the driving force behind the creation of WaterAid in 1981, setup, in his own words "for the relief of poverty and suffering among the peoples of developing countries through the improvement of drinking water supplies and sanitation." He was always closely involved with us, suggesting our name and serving as a trustee until 1997.

Karl Gray Thornton, WaterAid's Network Manager died on 3 December 2004. Karl worked for WaterAid for five years and was always kind, dedicated, supportive and professional. Thanks to him our large computer network always ran smoothly and despite our technophobia he always kept his patience! He will be greatly missed by everyone who knew him.

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