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What you helped achieve in WaterAid's 30th yearThursday 22 DecemberWaterAid celebrated the big 3-0 this year, and what a successful year it's been! Despite the difficult financial climate, our income was up on the previous year, thanks to the amazing support from individuals, companies and donors. This has helped us to reach 1.5 million people with access to clean water, and 1.6 million with access to sanitation in the financial year 2010/11. For the financial year 2011/12 we are well on track to reach 1.4 million people with water and 2.5 million people with sanitation. During 2011, we also
Here we look at just some of the highlights from a successful 2011:
World Water Day This World Water Day, a total of 350,000 campaigners from 70 countries across the globe united in the World Walks for Water global campaign to demand action on the water and sanitation crisis. In the UK, more than 40 MPs walked for water at Westminster, including International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell, Shadow International Development Secretary Harriet Harman, and Shadow Foreign Secretary Douglas Alexander. We continued to raise awareness of the global water and sanitation crisis among UK politicians later in the year at the Conservative party conference, where we met with more than 70 MPs including the Prime Minister, the International Development Secretary and the Foreign Secretary. World Toilet Day On World Toilet Day, we launched a hard-hitting report, Off-track, off-target, and the global campaign, Water Works, to shine a light on the effectiveness of water and sanitation investment and encourage world leaders to prioritise it in aid efforts. Our report showed that current aid is not reaching the people who need it the most – people living in poor rural communities and urban slums.
Innovative solutions to reach more people In Mozambique, the government has now approved the use of rope pumps across the country. We piloted and advocated the use of the technology in remote areas as they are easier for communities to maintain than many other types of handpump. The Gulper, our innovative machine for hygienically emptying pit latrines in crowded urban settlements, was adopted in Tanzania and featured on a documentary on BBC World. At Stockholm World Water Week, we officially launched WASHwatch.org, a resource to monitor governments' political declarations on water, sanitation and hygiene and help civil society organisations strengthen their call for improved facilities. Sanitation and Water for All The Sanitation and Water for All global partnership proved its effectiveness in bringing bodies together to support the provision of water and sanitation after being put into practice at a national level for the first time. The initiative was used this year to bring several key stakeholders together under a Joint Mission in Liberia to devise a compact that will shape the future development of, and encourage support for, the water, sanitation and hygiene sector in the country. Emergency relief Although not a humanitarian relief charity, WaterAid does provide support to our partners on the ground when areas we work in are affected by a disaster. Following the floods in Pakistan in 2010, our appeal raised almost £275,000 for relief efforts, allowing us to reach more than 266,174 people. With floods striking again this year, we launched a new appeal to help in four districts devasteted by the floods, and have received a great response from supporters and corporate partners. WaterAid has also been providing emergency aid in drought-stricken areas in Ethiopia, while also focusing work to provide sustainable water and sanitation facilities that will build resilience against future droughts.
Events A team of 92 WaterAid runners turned up on a bright and sunny day to complete the 30th Bupa Great North Run in Newcastle, raising £30,000 for our work. In July, 40 hardy walkers successfully completed the 6 Peaks Challenge, reaching the summits of the highest peaks in six regions in the British Isles in the space of 72 hours and raising more than £50,000 for WaterAid. In September, more than 1,000 people walked for water around the coastline of Britain in our fifth Coast Along for WaterAid event, with the aim of raising £100,000. Sing for Water at the Thames Festival brought together 800 singers from 50 choirs to raise an estimated £30,000 for WaterAid. The event, which marked the initiative's tenth anniversary, saw the announcement of a fantastic £1/2 million raised since it was founded.
Inspiring individuals Myron Wenden, aged just 11, set off on his own challenge, completing a gruelling 30-miled trek across wet and windy Dartmoor to raise £700 for WaterAid. Grandfather, writer and adventurer Anthony Smith and his three-man crew of 'mature and intrepid gentlemen', sailed across the Atlantic Ocean on An-Tiki - a raft made from water pipes with the aim of raising £50,000 for WaterAid. Glastonbury festival
A bit of rain and a lot of mud failed to dampen the Glastonbury spirit this year. Almost 18,000 people at the festival signed our Loo Queue petition, calling on the UK Government to commit to lifting 100 million people out of water and sanitation poverty by 2015. The support of three music stars helped raise our profile among festival goers. Eliza Doolittle, Lauren Laverne and Emmy the Great teamed up with WaterAid to design temporary tattoos for the festival, which drew attention to global water issues and proved extremely popular. Corporate partners In March, we were delighted to announce success in our bid to become an employee fundraising partner for global investment bank and securities firm J.P. Morgan. WaterAid corporate partner, city law firm Herbert Smith, raised £30,000 by asking 260 employees in the UK and overseas to take part in a virtual Walk to Zambia. As part of Earth Month, hair and beauty specialists Aveda donated £5 to WaterAid from every sale of two recycled brass hair accessories, designed by model and fair trade ambassador Laura Bailey. Radio presenters Lisa Snowdon and Margherita Taylor also joined 120 fundraisers for the company's Walk for Water. For the ninth year running, H&M teamed up with WaterAid to raise money through a clothing collection. This year focused on a beachwear wardrobe based around the colour blue. 25% of product sales went to support our work in Asia, including areas of Bangladesh where some of H&M's clothing is produced. In June, we announced a new partnership with eco-friendly bottled water brand Belu, which aims to raise at least £300,000 for our work over the next three years. In September, Whitbread Hotels and Restaurants reached its impressive £1 million target for WaterAid, helping more than 66,000 people gain access to a long-term supply of clean water, improved hygiene and safe toilets. Water companies WaterAid was founded by individuals from the UK Water Industry. In 1981, the water industry raised £25,000 through employee fundraising. This support has grown year on year and has now raised over £115 million for our work. UK water companies were awarded WaterAid's highest honour, The President's Award, at the Annual Supporters Meeting in October to recognise this incredible support. Chris Laughlin, Chair of Water UK, which represents the UK water industry, was presented with a certificate signed by our President, HRH The Prince of Wales. Water companies also held a variety of fundraising events to mark our 30th birthday and the vital role their staff and customers have played in our achievements to date. A royal seal of approval HRH Prince Charles, who has been WaterAid's President since 1991, saw WaterAid's work in action in Dar es Salaam while on a royal tour in Tanzania. The recently married Swedish Crown Princess Couple, HRH Crown Princess Victoria and HRH Prince Daniel, became joint patrons of WaterAid in Sweden this year. So, all in all, a good year! Thank you for supporting WaterAid and sorry we didn't mention everything - there were so many wonderful things to cover.
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