Young people and water innovations
Water is one of the most pressing needs in the world today with approximately 700 million people without access to a clean water source. The lack of access to safe water and basic sanitation is killing around 4000 children every day and underlies many more of the 10 million child deaths each year. These water, sanitation and Hygiene challenges negatively affect the livelihoods of people and action is urgently needed to solve these water problems.
There lies great potential of solving water problems through young people that are constantly developing innovative ideas. Innovation includes development of improved or new processes or products. However, many young people tend not to get the much needed support to advance their innovative practices to the next level and often get stuck with their ideas. Youths are often excluded at local, regional, national and even at international levels from many aspects of developing innovative solutions to water.
With this in mind, the Water Youth Network (WYN) aims to pioneer an active movement of youth inclusion in all sectors of water development. WYN believes young people are the leaders of today and not tomorrow! They are bubbling with innovative ideas that need to be harnessed immediately to catalyze change and rightfully progress towards solving water issues in their various respective communities. With appropriate empowerment initiatives that improve their skills and connections, young people will accelerate and contribute more robustly to developing innovations tackling pressing water problems in the world. The sharing of innovative practices was hatched by the WYN as the first step of promoting innovations around the world developed by young people and youth-led organizations so as to inspire others to initiate their own local solutions in their respective communities. These young people will also get opportunities of expanding their projects and collaborating with new partners. WYN seeks to knock on the doors of major water organisations to compel them to include youths in their projects and promote their work through empowerment programmes in a joint effort of solving the global water problem.
For more information please read the informational brochure
So, are you a young person part of a youth-led organization, with a burning desire to innovate in the water sector? Then join the WYN project “Sharing Innovative Practices” and share your experiences with a network of other like minded young people around the world! Contact us: networking@wateryouthnetwork.org
By Kevin Mureithi Maina