Water for Good provides access to clean water and works to make a lasting improvement in people’s lives in one of the world’s most neglected countries, the Central African Republic (CAR).
Leadership | Impact | #CARCrisis | Events | Security Overhaul | CEO Sabbatical | Partners | Financials | Who We Are
Leadership
 |
CEO, Richard Klopp“Central African Republic: Terrorized and Ignored” – International Rescue Committee “Ethnic cleansing in Central African Republic” – Reuters “Grenades cheaper than a can of Coca-Cola in Central African Republic” – Bloomberg After two years of headlines such as these, how is it possible to keep working in “one of the most dangerous places on earth?” It’s a startlingly simple recipe actually.
|
 |
Board President, Doug BrennanPrior to 2013, when traveling and meeting with our staff in the Central Africa Republic I would always enjoy an end-of-the-day run through downtown Bangui and into the surrounding neighborhoods with no concern for my safety. Things have changed quickly. Now when traveling to the CAR, I have to memorize emergency phone numbers and evacuation plans. Our staff now have to carry satellite phones and every morning we have a security update of where not to travel. This makes the work of Water for Good more difficult and slows things down, but it has not altered Water for Good’s passion and focus to provide safe and sustainable water to one of the poorest nations in the world, even in the midst of civil war. Now is when our brothers and sisters in the CAR need us the most! Thankfully our national staff is up to the challenge. It is only through their dedication to the cause, and the faithful partnership of our donors that we are able to continue the critical work of providing access to reliable clean water. Over my many trips to the CAR I have personally seen how water changes everything. Girls now have time to go to school—fathers and mothers are healthy, and able to care for their children—families have more time to devote to farming, increasing their potential income. Thanks for being part of this journey with Water for Good, as we care for others with a hand up not a hand out. Doug recently celebrated 23 years with Microsoft, where he currently serves as the Digital Sales Lead for US retail.
|
Leadership | Impact | #CARCrisis | Events | Security Overhaul | CEO Sabbatical | Partners | Financials | Who We Are
2014 LOVE NOW Campaign: Responding to the crisis in the Central African Republic
Spotlight on a New Well:
In July, with Water for Good Board President Doug Brennan watching, the Water for Good drill team brought 2,000 refugees in Bangui clean water access with a new well! They hit water at 278ft—that’s deep!
The people of the St. Jean refugee center are happy for the new, clean water source!
Even as safety returns and the people living at this church compound are able return home, this well will be a valuable resource, as it is located in a central area of the community.
Spotlight on a Well Rehabilitation:
Spotlight on a Well Rehabilitation:When a well stops working, it’s a broken promise to that community, another sign that they are forgotten. In this village, our teams were able to repair a well that had been broken for almost a year. How many children got sick in that time due to the lack of access to clean water? There is a human cost to pump failure! That’s why maintaining the pumps is so important. Right now, we estimate pumps that our teams regularly maintain are functional 92% of the time… let’s get it up to 100%!
Spotlight on Pump Maintenance
Spotlight on Pump MaintenanceWater for Good has four maintenance teams with local, professional technicians. On November 11th, team #4 visited the village, Gbago II, on the Bangui-Damara route, one of the country’s main roads. This visit helps to keep the water flowing for the 525 people in the village who depend on this one pump for all of their water! This is just one of the 42 wells that the team visited on this trip. On this trip, team #4 was able to leave every single pump functional! Thanks to all the village pump sponsors, Living Water International, Arc Solutions, and our other partners who have made this program possible!
 Thatched outhouses are all the rage these days. Water for Good community trainers worked with villages just north of Bangui on health and sanitation lessons in 2014, prompting the communities to build 1,037 new latrines of their own volition and design! |
 With two shipping containers and this simple recording setup our local DJs and technical team blasts out Christian radio programing, messages of peace and reconciliation, and health messages to over a million listeners! |
 |
Agricultural ProjectWe purchased 17.6 tons of seeds in Cameroon, transported them across the border to the CAR, and distributed those seeds to hundreds of subsistence farmers in the western part of the country. |
Early in 2014, at the height of the conflict, close to 100,000 people were living in an ad-hoc refugee camp. It formed around the country’s main airport partly because the small French military force in the country was guarding the airport– and that’s about it. This was one of the safest places. As the camp grew, it became a logistical nightmare. NO toilets, NO water supply, and NO reliable food source for thousands of people. Water for Good worked with a coalition of humanitarian organizations to try and provide basic services at the airport. This was a major focus of our operations early this year. Now, fewer people live there full-time, but the airport camp is still home for too many people.
-
400 latrines constructed (serving 100,000 people). At the largest refugee camp, Water for Good dug trenches for the latrines.
-
147 tons of garbage removed from refugee camp. We financed the removal of garbage over the course of a month for the refugee camp, aiding with critical sanitation efforts.
-
4 water bladder platforms constructed. Our teams built several water platforms to hold large water bladders—the primary water source for this refugee camp.
Leadership | Impact | #CARCrisis | Events | Security Overhaul | CEO Sabbatical | Partners | Financials | Who We Are
Follow on Social Media:
|
The Central African Republic has regularly suffered from poverty and political instability, but in 2014 the country has faced a true political and humanitarian crisis. The rebellion started in December of 2012 and has led to widespread violence. Now nearly one million people, roughly 20% of the population, have fled their homes because they feared attacks from roving militias and rebel groups. Water for Good has persevered thanks to the dedication and courage of local staff, who have had to face this conflict every day, and the generosity of supporters around the world. The road to peace and stability is still uncertain, but UN Peacekeepers have committed a mission to the country and an interim president is committed to holding elections in 2015. |
In-Depth Articles:
|
Leadership | Impact | #CARCrisis | Events | Security Overhaul | CEO Sabbatical | Partners | Financials | Who We Are
 |
SoulFest Walk4WaterWater for Good & MudLOVE were able to work together to build awareness of the global water crisis at the Christian music festival, SoulFest. We hosted the annual Walk4Water at the event! Thank you to all of the 170 people who participated in the walk! The weekend festival raised $3,500 to give clean water to the people of the Central African Republic. |
 |
World Vision Training in BanguiWater for Good staff participated in four days of training with World Vision in Bangui with ministers and government officials giving their blessing on a new set of water, sanitation, and health projects that are benefiting the people in Ombella-Mpoko. We got to meet the mayor of Yaloke, ministers, and some great folks from World Vision. Thanks to World Vision USA and USAID OFDA for partnering with us in the Central African Republic! |
 |
White House Roundtable on future of CAR with Religious LeadersWater for Good’s Jon Allen met with CAR’s 3 highest-ranking religious leaders and US Government Officials seeking to support CAR in Washington, DC. The conflict in the Central African Republic is the result of economic, political, ethnic and religious tensions. But many religious leaders have used their positions and resources to protect civilians on all sides of the conflict. We are honored to be working for peace alongside these three prominent men. |
 |
Biking in Bangui with Aegis TrustWater for Good Director of Operations, David DeArmey, joined the Central African national cycling team on a 100 kilometer ride around Bangui, the capital city as part of the Aegis Trust 100k Biking Challenge. Aegis Trust is a UK based non-profit working in Rwanda to build peace and promote reconciliation and hopes to expand their work to the Central African Republic. David used the bike ride to raise funds and awareness for Water for Good and Aegis Trust. He raised almost $2,000! From David:
|
Leadership | Impact | #CARCrisis | Events | Security Overhaul | CEO Sabbatical | Partners | Financials | Who We Are
In response to the conflict and changing context in the Central African Republic, Water for Good Board and staff moved to take measures to better anticipate and manage risks. Consultant Mathieu DeArmey led the initial project to assess security and safety and make recommendations.
This is the beginning of ongoing efforts to better train and equip all staff working in CAR, which will allow Water for Good to remain committed to work in this country with the utmost care for the safety of our staff and respect for the generosity of our supporters.
Mathieu DeArmey traveled twice to the Central African Republic in 2014. He spent time with leaders and workers in the water programs, agriculture programs, radio and administration. He observed their work, their habits (good and bad) and existing security procedures (formal and informal). He visited each operational site and assessed threats, strengths and weaknesses in order to determine their vulnerability.
Hilare Tendouli is now appointed to manage security coordination within Water for Good and to coordinate with the humanitarian sector on current security information. Hilaire has served as a community trainer (animatuer) and has consistently shown that he has good communications skills—an asset for his role as security coordinator. After participating and working with Mathieu on the first security training in Bangui, he led the second security training for staff in Berberati.
Examples of Changes:
• Visibility: New vests make staff identifiable as NGO workers when traveling or working in the field.
• Communications: New satellite phones allow all teams working in the bush (without cell coverage) to communicate with Hilaire and other administrative staff.
Leadership | Impact | #CARCrisis | Events | Security Overhaul | CEO Sabbatical | Partners | Financials | Who We Are
 |
After ten years of dedicated service, the Water For Good Board of Directors voted unanimously to grant current CEO, Jim Hocking, a one-year paid leave of absence (sabbatical) from his operational responsibilities. Jim will continue his responsibilities as founder, sharing his vision, speaking on behalf of the organization, and meeting with partners and donors. |
Over this past decade, Jim has poured his heart and soul into the startup of what is now the largest water organization in the Central African Republic, one of Africa’s most notoriously difficult countries to work in.
In recognition of Jim’s service, and in preparation for many more years to come, this is to be a time of rest and renewal for Jim and his family.
Richard Klopp, former Water for Good Chief Operations Officer, has been appointed to replace Jim as CEO for the 12 months of sabbatical. Richard is well-prepared for the task, having served as CEO in three previous international nonprofit organizations and has been involved with Water For Good since 2010.
Leadership | Impact | #CARCrisis | Events | Security Overhaul | CEO Sabbatical | Partners | Financials | Who We Are
How does Water for Good work with partner organizations?
Over the last 10 years, Water for Good has reached hundreds of thousands of people with access to clean, safe water. These projects are often funded and coordinated in partnership with other organizations.
In 2014 we partnered with…
These organizations work with Water for Good because we have the local knowledge and capacity to implement and manage projects. We also stay engaged with communities over the long-term. From our perspective, working with partners allows funding from multiples sources to accomplish MUCH more than if we tried to fund 100% of our projects on our own.
Leadership | Impact | #CARCrisis | Events | Security Overhaul | CEO Sabbatical | Partners | Financials | Who We Are
Leadership | Impact | #CARCrisis | Events | Security Overhaul | CEO Sabbatical | Partners | Financials | Who We Are
