The One Drop Foundation Marks 10 Years Of Providing Access To Safe Water

Over One Million People in Latin America, West Africa and India will benefit from Safe Water Access

MONTREAL, Nov. 1, 2017 /CNW/ -- International foundation One Drop - created by Guy Laliberté in 2007 –celebrates its 10^th year of bringing safe water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) to some of the world's most vulnerable communities. Water scarcity, poor water quality and inadequate sanitation are negatively impacting health, educational opportunities and food security around the world. Providing access to safe water is only the beginning of Once Drop's approach, with capacity building on management and maintenance as well as the promotion of healthy behaviors as key elements to ensure the sustainability of the infrastructures.

An unfortunate reality in international development in the WASH sector is that projects experience high rates of non-functionality of water systems and failure after two-to-five years of implementation. One Drop's innovative Social Art for Behavior Change approach addresses this issue, by focusing on the sustainability of the projects. By bringing the importance of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) to life through social art activities that are based on local cultures and beliefs, the communities are more likely to take ownership and embrace new behaviors making a lasting impact. Over the past decade, One Drop has financed more than 10 international development projects in the water sector reaching 270,000 beneficiaries in West Africa, 545,000 in India and 250,000 in Latin America.

"When I started One Drop in 2007, I was far from imagining that in as few as 10 years, we would be on our way to having transformed the lives of over one million people and raised over $120 million to provide access to water. One Drop didn't follow the typical growth path, I agree, but I was lucky enough to count on the support of people who share my desire to change the world, at a fast pace, and in a bold and positive way," Guy Laliberté, founder of One Drop said.

As one of the leading forces in providing sustainable access to safe water, adequate sanitation and proper hygiene, One Drop works with several international and local executing partners to support governments in reaching the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goal Six - ensure access to water and sanitation for all by 2030 – to achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all. A few highlights on One Drop's 10-year achievements include:

• Completing projects in Latin America, Africa and India including:
• Four projects completed in Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador and Haiti; six ongoing projects in Guatemala, Nicaragua, Mexico, Colombia and Paraguay
• One project completed in Burkina Faso; three ongoing projects in Burkina Faso and Mali
• One project completed in Odisha; two ongoing projects in Bihar and Rajasthan

• Working with executing partners in these countries including private companies such as Cowater International Inc., and both international and local NGOs such as Fundacion Plan International (Colombia), Moises Bertoni (Paraguay), WaterAid, Water for People, LivingWater International and Centre of MicroFinance (India);
  
• Implementing One Drop's unique Social Art for Behavior Change approach at the heart of each projects, that aims at delivering sustainability in WASH. For example
• In Burkina Faso, in partnership with the Executing Partner, Oxfam, One Drop worked with local arts-based groups to create theater shows, produced as part of the overall project to mobilize the population. Inspired by local oral traditions, traditional characters, such as the Chief and the Griot, are integrated into the plays to build on local ties and promote behavior changes on specific key determinants;
• In India-Bihar, in collaboration with the implementing partner, Water for People, One Drop worked with local arts-based groups to support the development of a multidisciplinary touring show, street theater, school-based workshops and short films, to reach over 200 villages—creating awareness and mobilizing the population towards positive Behavior change

• Receiving renowned awards from the International Water Association in 2013, the American Water Resources Association and the United Nations Water in 2015;

• Reaching donors and funders in unique ways, including several annual charity events such as One Night for One Drop, Big One for One Drop poker tournament, a Formula-E partnership, and live and online auctions and sweepstakes.

"It's incredibly exciting to reach the 10-year milestone and we're proud of how far we've come, but we're just getting started," said Marie-Claude Bourgie, chief development officer for One Drop. "In the next few years, we will work hard to bring our Social Art for Behavior Change Approach to new heights as we continue to improve our processes in the hopes of bringing more sustainability into our projects."

To commemorate the anniversary, One Drop kicks off its most important online project to date, 10 Waves of One Drop. This ten-month series of fundraising events will offer unique celebrity experiences through online auctions and sweepstakes to benefit One Drop, with half of the proceeds going to the celebrities' charities of choice. This large-scale event reinforces the brand's commitment to create innovative fundraising initiatives that address different target audiences.

Watch our anniversary video summarizing One Drop's most memorable moments from the past 10 years, and visit www.onedrop.org to learn more.

About One Drop
One Drop is an international foundation created in 2007 by Cirque du Soleil's founder Guy Laliberté. At the core of our mission is safe water as a transformative force to improve the living conditions of some of the world's most vulnerable communities. We believe in the combined power of safe water access while inspiring behaviour change towards water and proper hygiene practices. We bring into all of our projects a unique Social Art for Behavior Change approach that aims at engaging communities in embracing adequate behaviors and taking ownership to deliver long-term impact and sustainability. This year, One Drop is celebrating 10 years of bringing sustainable access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene to people around the world with projects in 11 countries that will have reached over one million beneficiaries.

To learn more about One Drop, visit www.onedrop.org.
Interact with One Drop on Facebook and Twitter at @onedrop, or on Instagram @1dropwater

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SOURCE One Drop