India: S.M. Sehgal Foundation wins “3rd National Ground Water Augmentation Award – 2009”

S.M. Sehgal Foundation received the 3rd National Ground Water Augmentation Award-2009 on the occasion of World Water Day 2011. The award, instituted by the Ministry of Water Resources, Government of India, is given for “innovative practices of groundwater augmentation through rainwater harvesting and artificial recharge.” S.M. Sehgal Foundation is the winner in the category for Best NGO, Northern zone (covering Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal and Chandigarh).

Mr. Jay Sehgal of NGO S.M. Sehgal Foundation receiving the award from Honourable Minister of Water Resources Mr. Salman Khurshid. Photo: IRRAD

The S.M. Sehgal Foundation, through its Institute of Rural Research and Development (IRRAD), has built rainwater harvesting systems in Mewat District and Gurgaon in Haryana state. The water management programme of IRRAD’s Natural Resource Management Center focuses on improving water availability and quality, promoting safe drinking water and its judicious use, proper wastewater disposal, salinity regression, and research and innovation.

Web site: S.M. Sehgal Foundation / IRRAD

Source: S.M. Sehgal Foundation, 22 Mar 2011

Sahel Solidarité: Burkinabe Water and Sanitation NGO wins national award

Sahel Solidarité received the Burkinabe Merit Order on 11 December 2010 for its ts work in water and sanitation, health, education and environment. The NGO was the only organisation to receive this prestigious award for 2010.

Sahel Solidarité helps to promote hygiene in 20 remote villages in Burkina Faso. In each village it trains two people to take pictures of good and bad hygiene practices. These pictures are used in PowerPoint presentations that are screened during the evening for the whole village. Because these images are taken in their villages and presented by people they know in their own language, there is a greater chance that villagers will improve their hygiene practices.

Since 2005 the International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD), based in The Netherlands, supports Sahel Solidarité’s work.

Related news: Miep Lenoir, Burkina Faso: Multimedia tools help to change hygiene behaviour in Bokin district , E-Source, 13 Aug 2009

Source: Miep Lenoir, IICD, 27 Jan 2011

Ned Breslin, Water For People, wins 2011 Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship

Water for People CEO Ned Breslin is one of four recipients  of the 2011 Skoll Awards for Social Entrepreneurship. Breslin receives a three-year grant and joins the global network of now 85 Skoll social entrepreneurs from 70 organizations.

Breslin receives the award for:

[...] introducing bold, systemic solutions to critical issues facing the sector. Water For People partners with communities in developing countries to create sustainable, locally-maintained drinking water solutions and supports market-driven sanitation solutions, such as its Sanitation as a Business program. Accountability and sustainability are major focuses for the organization. It recently developed a new monitoring and evaluation technology called FLOW (Field Level Operations Watch,) which leverages Android technology and Google Earth software for tracking the status of water points at least 10 years after implementation.

The annual Skoll Award is given top social entrepreneurs and their organisations working around the world in the areas of tolerance and human rights, health, environmental sustainability, peace and security, and economic and social equity.

The deadline for submissions for the 2012 Award is 27 April 2011. For application details go the Skoll Foundation site.

Philanthropist and social entrepreneur Jeff Skoll launched the Skoll Foundation in 1999. Over the past 10 years, the Foundation has awarded more than US$ 250 million, including investments in 81 social entrepreneurs and 66 organizations on five continents around the world.

Source: Eddie Scher, Skoll Foundation, 15 Mar 2011

Charity:water ropes in birthday boy Justin Bieber as fundraiser

Canadian teen idol singer and actor Justin Bieber is celebrating his 17th birthday today (March 1st) by asking his fans to donate US$ 17 and help him raise US$ 17,000 for charity:water. With nearly 17.8 million followers on Twitter that should not be too difficult even though the majority of his fans are unlikely to have a credit card.

Justin easily surpassed his goal earlier today, raising over US$ 34,000 up till now with still 87 days left to donate.

Visit Justin’s fundrasing page at mycharitywater.org/justinbieber