Our Hero – Jon Shepherd
We nominated Jon because he’s a dynamic campaigner who can capture the attention of a crowd but is equally happy to spend hours talking to one person if he thinks he can open their mind to issues like climate change or water poverty.
He’s been campaigning for change for a long time so we felt he deserved a bit of recognition – to cheer him on to another 15 years of campaigning in Bristol and beyond.
Jon has overseen projects that have helped over 300,000 people access clean water and a decent toilet. He also helped develop a mobile app that can help anyone in the world understand how to assess and manage water.
What can I do?
As global citizens, we all have a part to play. Here are a few things you can do:
- Be aware of how much water you use as you go about your day. Use and waste less where possible;
- Sign up your primary school to our Water for the World programme – a series of interactive, educational workshops;
- Donate! Every £1 invested in safe water generates a further £4.85 in increased productivity;
- Talk to your friends and family about the issues raised in this article and ask them to take action with you;
- Read about COP26 and find out how you can get involved. Knowledge is power!
- Write to your MP to ask for 0.7% of the UK’s GDP to be allocated to international development such as water and sanitation.
To find out more about Frank Water, visit frankwater.com and sign up to receive our monthly mailout. There are dozens of ways to get involved, from paddleboarding, curry nights, marathons, cycling through India and opportunities to volunteer.
hello@frankwater.com
www.frankwater.com
+44 (0)117 3294846
About the nominator – Frank Water
Since 2005, Frank Water has provided 425,000 people with access to a safe water supply, a decent toilet and the ability to wash their hands. This year, we aim to reach another 25,000 people. We don’t install taps or dig wells or even build toilets. Instead, we use the money you donate to work with grassroots NGOs in India and Nepal. Together, we support communities to find their own answers to the challenges they face. Once they’ve mapped out a plan, we help them apply to local government for the money they need to make their solutions a reality.
A good example is our work in India’s Chhattisgarh – home to a large tribal population. Many of these tribal communities live way off the beaten track with little access to mainstream state support. We’ve spent the last five years working with 40 of these communities, helping them leverage £600,000 worth of support from local government – in the form of safe water systems (like rainwater harvesting), toilets and educational workshops that teach the importance of good hygiene.
It’s not just in individual communities that we’re making a difference. We use the data generated from our projects to develop research papers and share these with governments to push for changes to policies and funding. And, we run workshops in schools and at events across the UK, to inspire people to take action to address the water crisis.
Goal 6 – Clean Water and Sanitation
Our Hero is working towards Global Goal 6. This Goal aims to ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
