Environment Articles

It was one year ago in Vilnius that the new Target Program was introduced. Its goal was to focus efforts on one issue in order to really make an impact. While there are many serious global problems in the world, when talking with many different individuals within FAWCO, one issue kept floating up…Water. It is one of the necessities of life for everyone and everything, yet there are many worldwide problems caused by, and connected to, water. In order to inform FAWCO members about water challenges, the Water Team was formed immediately after the Conference and its 7 members set about to convince FAWCO members of the importance of facing and solving water challenges. They informed members, making 2 General bulletins about why water is important and 3 bulletins linking water to other global issues (all available on environment section of the website). This all culminated in the announcement of Water as FAWCO’s Target issue at the Conference in Boston and the new Target was met with enthusiasm! Now, some of you may ask…why Water? Well, take a look at these recent headlines: • “Everywhere you go, people beg for help: some water, a little food, maybe some medical attention…” • "The needs of thousands of children are vast and urgent. They must have access to clean water, shelter…” • “As always in the developing world, the first priority will be clean water. With drinking water distribution systems destroyed – water supplies could quickly become contaminated…” These quotes all refer to different natural or man-made catastrophes and what stands out is that one of the first cries…is for water. There are many problems connected with the lack of clean water, but most of these are not associated with a catastrophe at all, but are part of daily existence. Water problems affect half of humanity and 884 million people lack access to safe water supplies – that’s approximately one in eight people! Without food a person can live for weeks, but without water you can expect to live only a few days. In terms of being essential for life – water is the top priority! Fortunately, when you focus on solving water problems, you automatically work on many other global problems, such as education, health and the empowerment of women. This strong link between Water and other global problems makes Water an excellent Target focus! So what’s next? Choosing the specific organization FAWCO will support is the next step. The selection of the Bull’s-eye Organization & Project will follow the same sort of submission procedure as the Target issue did. Anyone can submit a project for consideration as the Bull’s-eye and hopefully FAWCO clubs and Committees will be active in this phase. When looking at possible projects, keep in mind that it should be SMARTS: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time limited & Sustainable. The Bull’s-eye submission form and more information on criteria can be found on the Foundation website. The following timeline is in place for this procedure: 1. March 20 – June 30: Bull’s-eye submission period 2. September 1: announcement of 3 finalists 3. October 15: deadline for clubs to cast their vote for the Bull’s-eye 4. November 1: announcement of Bull’s-eye winner! While increasing the sustainable access to safe drinking water is the issue, we hope the Bulls-eye project chosen will utilize a multi-disciplinary approach to water problems. This will start a ripple effect, resulting in many other positive changes for education and health! In the meantime, the Water Team will continue to provide resources and information on water problems all over the world, and we encourage clubs to inform and educate their members about global water challenges as well as local water issues. Make use of the information on the FAWCO website – it will make your job easier. FAWCO and Water…Changing the flow. We invite you to join in and help…Together we can work through FAWCO to change the flow!