A historic step for global water security

Vice President Kamala Harris launched the Action Plan on Global Water Security at the White House in June and WaterAid America CEO Kelly Parsons was one of a handful of guests at the event.

This new plan makes access to water, sanitation, and hygiene a clear priority of U.S. foreign policy for the first time. It also establishes the United States’ leadership role in global water security issues and harnesses the resources of the U.S. government to advance global water security, gender equity, food security and economic growth.

Advocacy is how we’re able to make change happen on a massive scale, leveraging resources well beyond those of WaterAid. We convince governments and utilities to invest in clean water and toilets for their citizens. As part of our “build, teach, scale” approach, we empower local people to monitor and repair infrastructure so services work for the long term.

In 2022, after years of working closely with U.S. policymakers on the urgent needs of billions of people currently without clean water, we have succeeded in elevating water and sanitation as a priority, bringing the resources and political will of the U.S. government to help address the global water crisis.

Honoring indigenous culture with sacred art

We believe it is essential to respect local traditions when working with communities. In La Guajira, Colombia, the Wayuu live in one of the harshest geographies in the country and struggle to access clean water, sanitation and hygiene.

To solve this problem, WaterAid worked with the Wayuu community and their leaders to integrate ancestral symbols as art featured on the walls of bathrooms and handwashing facilities. We created visual associations with water, like drought or rain depending on the position of the moon and stars, keeping ancestral and cultural traditions alive while transforming the community's perception of these spaces and increasing good hygiene practices.

Isolina, a local Wayuu leader, was invited to participate in World Water Week 2022 in Stockholm, Sweden, because of this groundbreaking work. She led participants through an interactive and hands-on session revealing how art can turn a toilet into a sacred space that reminds the Wayuu of the value of water and their connection with nature.