Water Scarcity (online)

Instructor Name: 
Andy Reed
CRN: 
63545
Course Description: 

The class will work alongside The Water Project, a non-profit that is focused on providing clean water to communities in Africa.  Students will address needs affecting the field of water scarcity.  Students may participate in the following forms of service-learning, which depends solely on the priorities of the non-profit in any given term:

   

•           Research cultural practices and country dynamics to assist NGOs transition into new markets;

•           Provide critical feedback to update and improve upon fundraising efforts;

•           Research water technologies, benefits/drawbacks of each, identify best practices; and

•           Survey water scarcity activities, map out industry trends, and conduct gap analysis.

 

According to the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), “1.6 billion people, or almost one quarter of the world's population, face economic water shortage (where countries lack the necessary infrastructure to take water from rivers and aquifers)”.

 

The previous UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, said that places with “shortages of water contribute to poverty. They cause social hardship and impede development. They create tensions in conflict-prone regions. Too often, where we need water we find guns. [...] There is still enough water for all of us - but only so long as we keep it clean, use it more wisely, and share it fairly."

 

The Capstone began in January 2014 and continues to make a significant impact on the non-profits we’ve served and in turn their efforts to provide clean water in Africa.