Subject: Friendly Water for the World January 2021 newsletter

Stress and opportunity often appear at the same time. Read how they are transforming our work.
friendly water for the world header

Welcome to the January issue of our monthly newsletter.


Happy New Year. All of us at Friendly Water for the World hope our first newsletter of 2021 finds you well. Even though we seem to live in an environment of constant distractions and instability, we are committed to helping people and communities find their paths to better futures. We are planning big things this year and look forward to sharing it all with you through our newsletters, Chats, website, and other new ways of engaging and growing our community. This month, don't miss stories about:


  • A Note From Our Executive Director

  • 5 Valuable Lessons We Learned From 10 Years of Community Development

  • Catching Rainwater and Opportunity in Kabwe, Zambia

  • 2020 Annual Report

  • Monthly Chat

  • January 19th Board of Directors Meeting


We want to give a special thanks to everyone who donated over the last year or so. Your contributions were not only gratefully received but also appreciated on behalf of those who want our work to continue but haven't been able to give during this difficult time.


If you haven't read our newsletter the last couple of months, you'll notice one big format change - our long-form features are being hosted on our website under the News page. That means this email will include key information and story introductions. If you are interested and want to read the whole story, just click the Read More link and you'll be taken to our website. In the future, if you ever want to catch up on something from the past or present, all you need to do is visit https://friendlywater.org/news.


We hope you enjoy the updates. If you have any suggestions on how to improve our monthly newsletter or have ideas for stories to include, please contact will@friendlywater.org.


Until our next Chat, our next newsletter, or whenever we are fortunate enough to see each other again. Please be safe and kind to others.


-Will, on behalf of our community of staff, volunteers, and supporters

 

A Note From Our Executive Director


Dear Friends,


Last year made one thing clear: change is inevitable. It often happens when we least expect it and no matter what we do to try and prevent it. We often resist change because it can cause anxiety. The transition, the moment when the change actually takes place, can often be the most stressful. It can be a simple thing, like waiting to see if your password update is approved (what was my old password?), or fairly complex, like responding to a global pandemic. Simply put, transitions create stress that we aren't always equipped to manage.


curt andino executive director

Our philosophy is to meet these transitions where they happen. We make them an opportunity to create transformation. As an organization, that’s what we do, we transform.


For example; weather patterns have changed where we work in Africa and India. Water is no longer in much of the ground and when it falls it comes in torrents quickly consumed by a parched landscape. So, we help harvest the torrent with Rainwater Catchment Tanks. We can let go of non-conserving technologies like bore-hole wells and still provide life-supporting water, while also helping to heal the land.


Water is also scarce because of deforestation, which in turn drives climatic change. By bringing communities compressed soil block technology, we eliminate the need for kilns. Kilns destroy hundreds of thousands of acres of forests a year throughout the world while simultaneously destroying watersheds. And these bricks help build better homes, schools, and clinics quickly and cleanly.


Change is inevitable. But by working collectively and walking alongside our partner communities, unexpected transitions can become positive transformations allowing us all to see a better future, together.


We wish everyone a happy and healthy transition to a new year, one that creates a positive and lasting transformation for us all.


Working with you,

Curt Andino

Executive Director

 

5 Valuable Lessons Learned From 10 Years of Community Development

In 2019 and 2020 the staff gathered together on many occasions to talk frankly about the last 10 years. They were the kinds of thoughts and conversations you often have when approaching a noteworthy anniversary or milestone. We wanted to identify what in our program has and has not worked. Those discussions led to deeper analysis, field evaluations, and a great deal of testing, much of which is ongoing. What started as a conversation has gone on to transform much of the way we approach our work.


>> Read the whole story

 

Catching Rainwater and Opportunity in Kabwe, Zambia

For more than 100 years lead has been mined in Kabwe, Zambia. They call part of the area, Black Mountain, and it's generally considered to be one of the most polluted ground sites in the world. During this time there have been few environmental safeguards and waterways have been used to carry waste with almost no restrictions. This is the area in which a Friendly Water for the World trained team was asked to improve water security while growing their entrepreneurial pursuits and construction expertise.


>> Read the whole story

 

2020 Annual Report

We've had many people ask us when we are going to release an Annual Report. Well, the time has come. Staff members are in the process of compiling everything we accomplished together last year; a surprising list considering the global Covid-19 pandemic. We also want to share how the last 10 years influence and inform how we are growing to meet evolving challenges like climate change and population health. Look for this soon.

 

Chat about Soap-Making

Soap is something we usually take for granted. Until we don’t have it. And schools in Matsakha Sub-location, Kenya, don’t have it. In the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic. During our monthly Zoom Chat on Friday, January 29th at noon find out how we've developed a Multipurpose Soap Technology Sustainability Plan with the Matsakha Development Group to get soap to students.


>> Register for the Chat

 

January Board Meeting

The Friendly Water for the World Board Meeting is OPEN to the public.


On Tuesday, January 19th at 4:30pm, we will be hosting our next meeting online again with a Zoom call. We want everyone to have the opportunity to participate, especially now when most of us are physically distancing at home. To join us, register below. After registering you'll be sent an email with a link to the meeting. If you don't see the email, please check your SPAM folder and if you


If you have any difficulties joining, please contact will@friendlywater.org.


>> Register for the Board Meeting

 

FRIENDLY WATER FOR THE WORLD

Friendly Water for the World, 900 Jefferson St. SE, Unit 6070, Olympia, WA 98501, United States

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