ANALYSIS
TRADE NEEDS
TO DIG DEEP
Just a Drop builds wells and pumps to help communities worldwide gain access
to fresh drinking water. World Water Day on March 20 is the ideal time for the industry
to get involved and help raise much-needed funds. Chloe Berman reports
Safe drinking water is something
most of us take for granted,
but for many communities
around the world, fresh water
is a luxury they cannot afford.
Launched in 1998 as a
dedicated water charity, Just a
Drop raises funds to build
wells, boreholes and hand
pumps in communities where
there is no safe drinking water.
The charity has raised more
than £1 million and supported
90,000 people in 28 countries.
Much of the funds come
from the travel industry, via
World Travel Market and other
initiatives. Just a Drop chairwoman
Fiona Jeffery, who also
heads WTM, said the charity is
one of the most relevant to the
travel sector.
“Donating to Just a Drop is
a chance for travel and tourism
companies to give back to
the world in which they are
operating. Travellers use a lot
of water – far more than the
locals do – so we need to make
sure people are informed about
the importance of water as
resource,” she said.
Travel Weekly spoke to the
charity’s volunteers to fi nd out
how access to clean water can
transform the lives of people
living in remote communities.
Ecuador project
Just a Drop’s latest project was
in Zabalo, a remote part of Ecuador
where the Cofan hunter
gatherers were in dire need of
a clean water supply. For the
22-strong team of volunteers,
32 | Travel Weekly | March 6 2009
WORLD
WATER DAY
Just A Drop and Travel
Weekly are urging travel
companies to get behind
World Water Day on
March 20.
You can ‘Go Blue’ by
dying your hair, creatively
applying blue make-up or
just wearing something
blue. Participants are asked
to donate £2 through a
nominated Just a Drop
charity co-ordinator or via
justgiving.com/goblue4
justadrop.
Don’t forget to send
in ‘I’m Blue!’ photos to
ana.sustelo@reedexpo.co.uk.
The funniest entry will
receive a prize.
the journey to the Cofans’ land
was a challenge in itself.
It took three weeks to negotiate
this treacherous area of
the upper Amazonian jungle,
led only by a Kichwa Indian
guide as there are no accurate
maps of the region.
The team crossed dense
fl oating beds of 5ft-high aquatic
plants on small canoes, before
reaching lakes inhabited
by alligators, giant otter and
anaconda.
When they arrived at the
base, their task was to install
a clean water system as the existing
water supply had been
polluted by crude oil companies.
Local contractors assisted
the British engineers to install
a pump to distribute water
around the village from a clean
stream.
Just a Drop president Colonel
John Blashford-Snell said:
“It was very hot, about 90F,
and we had to carry all our
equipment over mountains
and across rivers. The logistics
are the major problem – once
you arrive it is straightforward.
The people were overjoyed.”
Just a Drop also strives to
improve the health and local
environment of the people it
visits. On the Ecuador expedition,
Dr Roy D’Silva of Bothwell
in Scotland, Dr Birget
Hartbergan from Germany
and Nathan Buckley, a medic
from the Royal Army Medical
Corps, on leave from Iraq,
tended to the sick. Joel Somerville,
an optometrist from
County Down, distributed
reading glasses in the village.
“His services were greatly
appreciated by the older people,
especially the ladies who had
not been able to sew for years,”
said Colonel Blashford-Snell.
Once the project was complete,
the group and the Cofan
people celebrated Burns Night
under the stars.
“We always have a Burns
party, it’s a tradition that has
built up over the years. We
brought a tinned haggis with
us and danced in the moonlight,”
he added.
The expedition also provided
an opportunity to study the
history and culture of the area.
Members of the group studied
the fl ora and traditional herbal
medicine, while others photographed
the wildlife. The
group are working on a simple
brochure of the Cofan area to
encourage ecotourism.
Once their task was
complete, a long journey took
the team back to the foothills
of the Andes and they were
driven by bus to Quito.
Colonel Blashford-Snell
added: “Heavy rain poured
down as we climbed the winding
mountain, but the mission
had been accomplished and
the Zabalo Cofan now have
clean drinking water.”
Future projects
This could be a tough year for
Just a Drop, as the recession
means it may receive less
support and the diminished
value of the pound makes its
activities more expensive.
However, the charity is
determined to plough on and
has 16 projects lined up. Projects
director Captain Jim Masters
said: “We have built up a
reputation over the years and
now people who have problems
with their water supply
contact us. It is up to us to
decide which is the priority.”
The charity often uses local
contractors to perform the
work, helping the local economy.
“I’m more inclined to help
people in places I already
know. If it’s something new,
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