A team of Water Mission’s in-house experts is headed to Sweden in late August for World Water Week, an annual conference hosted by Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI). The six-day event will build on the UN’s World Water Day theme this year: Water for society – Including all.
More than 2,600 participants from 350 organizations and 127 countries will gather to discuss groundbreaking research, best practices, and innovative policies from multiple perspectives and disciplines.
This is Water Mission’s third year participating in World Water Week — check out some highlights from last year! Our team is looking forward to reconnecting with established partners and developing relationships with new organizations.
“SIWI’s World Water Week gives our engineers and community development professionals a chance to share their experiences in providing clean, safe water in rural communities, schools, and refugee settings,” said Seth Womble, Executive Vice President of Programs. “This event also gives us an opportunity to collaborate with like-minded organizations so that we can reach more people with sustainable, lasting solutions.”
During the conference, our staff will present and share what they have learned from in-depth research and hands-on experience serving communities around the world. Lara Lambert, director of community development at Water Mission and steering committee chair for the Accord WASH Alliance, will participate in two sessions:
Performance Financing for Reliable Last-Mile, Rural Water Access
Wednesday, August 28, 2:00–3:30 p.m., Room M4
In this panel discussion on rural water maintenance services – particularly solar-powered water systems – Lara will discuss innovative and reliable financing necessary in sustaining safe water access in rural areas.
Water and Faith: Mobilizing Local Faith Actors to Achieve SDG 6
Thursday, August 29, 2:00–3:30 p.m., Room L7
This session will explore case studies of scalable faith-based and water-focused development models. The Alliance seeks to build relationships and promote excellence within the Christian WASH community.
In addition, Andrew Armstrong, senior program advisor at Water Mission, will participate in a panel discussion:
Safely Managed Drinking Water Services for Rural Populations
Wednesday, August 28, 4:00–5:30 p.m., Room M5
This session will explore the importance of groundwater — accessed through solar-powered pumping systems — for remote populations.
Water Mission staff will also be in attendance as a contributing member of the Small Water Enterprise community of practice, which is co-convening a session entitled Subsidies, Fees, and Funding Blends that Leave No One Behind. The discussion will center around the affordability of water for consumers and the sustainability of revenue models for service providers. It will take place on Thursday, August 29, from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. in Room L10.
As Water Mission continues in our work of providing lasting safe water solutions, we will keep striving to learn, innovate, and collaborate. Using the knowledge we’ve gained and the technologies we’ve developed, our goal is to be a resource to other organizations working to end the global water crisis.
If you are attending World Water Week, we would love to connect with you. We cannot wait to share our ideas and hear yours!
Connect with us at World Water Week.