In our fundraising efforts for Water for Waslala the past few years, our leadership team has learned the importance of making sustainable development efforts fun and relevant.
If we're going to convince people to part with their hard-earned money, especially young adults on bootstrap budgets, you gotta focus on the positive. In trying to raise money to build water systems in Nicaragua, we could talk about cholera and parasites and PVC piping all day. But we haven't been this successful over the years by boring people with details they just can't relate with.
So we run Walks for Water. We challenge youth groups to organize "Battle of the Bands" competitions. We share stories of the wonderful people of Waslala in our talks that invoke laughter and inspiration. We have fun sharing our experiences, connecting with our donors, and encouraging people to join this movement to help provide basic human needs.
I was excited to come across this post by Guy Kawasaki tonight about another outstanding water system development project called PlayPumps. I love how they can make this project exciting for everyone involved, especially the beneficiaries!! Check out this clip:
A classic case of using "spin" to your advantage (no pun intended). These people are truly creative. Most of us would focus on the dreary story of children with inflated stomachs filled with parasites, and of the mothers walking miles with still-contaminated water. Yet I admire and commend the fresh and uplifting approach from the people who run this program... they still acknowledge this tough reality, but they throw in merry-go-rounds to go with it. The kids spin to pump water! They have fun and everyone benefits! Simple human ingenuity makes a huge impact!
THESE are the incredible innovations that change this world. Best of luck to PlayPumps with their efforts and thanks for the inspiration!
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