The Philosophy of Our Organization
We are, and intend to be, a “slim” organization. We aim to maximize the resources available to us. This means that a very small portion of our funds goes for “administration”, and the vast majority of it is spent in the field.
To a large extent, we utilize volunteer and reduced-cost human resources in order to multiply our impact.
We take advantage of resources close to the project. This means that we make every effort to use local labor, local materials, and local equipment.
We believe in applying our resources and capabilities the most effective way possible. If partnering with others will improve the effect we can have, we’ll pitch in on someone else’s projects, and welcome others to help us with ours.
We are, to use a boxing analogy, “light on our feet”. By this we mean that when a punch is thrown our way, we can quickly move out of the way. Nothing happens that we can’t handle. Maybe the job will have to be done in a different way, the schedule will have to change, or we’ll have to find some more money, but we’ll finish the job.
What it Takes
Carrying out water and sanitation projects that will have great benefit for many people is easy. It’s just a matter of money!
There is no new or complicated technology involved in building a piping system through town. It is not a huge management or organizational problem to dig the trenches. Much of the work can be done by community labor, which is plentiful.
But materials and equipment cost money. The government and community may come up with some part, but usually most of the money must come from the nonprofit organization.
$100 per family may not sound like a lot of money to put in a water system that will deliver safe water to the house for many years to come. But if that amount represents the average income for a month for that family, which is already at subsistence level, it is impossible.
That is why charitable organizations, like Water Charity, are a necessary part of the process. Donations to on-the-ground aid organizations can most directly work to alleviate human suffering. If financial resources are managed properly, a little goes a long way.
Current Projects
We have several projects in Bolivia that are in the planning stages, but are expected to be started before the end of 2008, and continued into 2009.
We are engaged in crisis preparedness for disasters that may occur in Mexico, Central America, and South America. We recognize the immensity of the problem, and the difficulty of being ready in the right place at the right time. However, the capability to bring fresh water and sanitation to critical situations, and thereby save lives that are in imminent danger, cannot be ignored, and will be addressed.
Our Future
Our present plans are to follow our current projects to completion, while developing a plan for subsequent projects, and a long-range program for expansion.
There is benefit in sticking to what you know best, and we know Bolivia. There is surely plenty to do there. But we also see tremendous need in other areas. If we can expand upon our successes, and use technologies, methodologies, and resources available to us in other areas, we will.
We will be going to Australia in November, 2008, to check out the feasibility of a series of projects we would like to implement.
We will be traveling to China in early 2009 to check out the viability of several potential projects that have been presented to us.
Finally, we recognize that we are very close to the border with Mexico, and literally only 150 miles from communities we can help. So, we have decided that in 2009, we will look for a project that we can undertake in Mexico.