Liquid I.V. and Save the Children: How We're Expanding Water Access for Communities on the Frontlines of the Climate Crisis
We believe hydration is more than an everyday ritual; it elevates the vitality of people and the planet. This idea is a driving force for Liquid I.V. and is palpable in our product, a stick that’s designed to be highly effective, science-based, and planet-friendly. That last bit is especially important to unpack here on Earth Day, where to some it feels simply “trendy” to think about our home planet. No trend-hopping here. On the contrary, we've been committed since day one to improving quality of life on a global scale.
For us, that starts with clean water for all. Universal water security is the heartbeat of who we are and what we do. This responsibility pulsates in every action we take on the business level and beyond. And as a natural extension of our devotion to hydration, our Impact program focuses on water, helping to connect communities to clean, safe, and abundant water worldwide.
This effort can’t be done in a silo, which is why we partner with leading water, humanitarian, and community-led organizations to ensure that on a grassroots level, we are supporting communities to access clean water now, and build a sustainable supply for future generations.
This Earth Day, we are shining a spotlight on our partners at Save the Children, a global non-profit helping kids grow up healthy, educated and safe. Through an investment of $350,000, we are working together to expand clean water access to communities and support nearly 18,000 people in Bari Province, Somalia; a community that’s especially vulnerable to the impact of climate change.
A Drought in the Horn of Africa
The climate crisis is not a far-off apocalyptic vision. The challenging reality is the environmental issues are happening in real time, and communities are experiencing life-threatening conditions due to extreme weather patterns and a changing climate. Specifically in the Horn of Africa, which is a region encompassing Somalia, Ethiopia, and Kenya, communities have been facing extreme droughts for the last 40 years. According to Save the Children, in the last eight rainy seasons, seven produced little to no rainfall which creates a detrimental ripple effect of malnourishment, loss of livestock, displacement, and limited water access.
Due to these unlivable conditions, there is often no other alternative but for families and children to leave their communities and migrate to find food, search for clean and safe drinking water, and struggle for basic human needs for survival. The magnitude of this issue is far reaching; there are currently 5.6 million displaced people from this region due to the climate crisis, where the most vulnerable groups include women and children who are at risk for violence and exploitation as they must traverse long distances to obtain clean water.
Sustained Water Access Reimagines the Future
In short, it is an urgent crisis with expansive problems when communities don’t have access to clean water or are spending time and energy to source it.
Since water scarcity has intensified, communities use short-term solutions like chlorination tablets and purchase water that is brought into the region on trucks. However, the long-term solution communities need is a reliable and sustainable water system that provides clean water all year round. We intentionally partnered with Save the Children which has established relationships with communities in Bari Province, Somalia, to be part of the change that could reimagine the futures of this community.
The initiatives and projects center around providing sustained and reliable access to drinking water. The first step is to build a water management system and desalination plant to extend water pipelines to more remote areas that have experienced little to no rainfall. Save the Children installed a water distribution system thanks to innovative technology created by Elemental Water Makers. Through this initiative, we are supporting the community to have access to safe and potable water of at least 15 liters per person per day. These extensions help connect the desalination unit to reach more people within the community, the local healthcare facility, and school.
The desalination plant ensures that water is free-flowing but that it’s also clean and safe to drink. Paired with the plant, there are hygiene volunteers to promote hygiene knowledge and best practices. This is seen as critical because the accompanying lack of clean water has created a byproduct of sanitation and water-borne illnesses including cholera and measles outbreak.
In order to set up these communities for long term success and feel equipped to sustain these builds, Save the Children has worked on a grassroots level to create Water Management Committees. These committees are composed of community members who have been tasked with maintaining the new infrastructures and teaching their families and community members how to use these distribution points.
Beyond Hydration Status
These interventions to combat a serious climate crisis change lives. Specifically, the project will support 3,000 households in Somalia including a total population of 18,000 individuals.
The positive consequences of having access to clean water are profound. It goes beyond hydration status. Clean water creates resilience in communities and helps foster dignity, autonomy, and greater opportunities. There is space to think about bigger dreams, to envision a different future for yourself, your family, and your community at large. When a basic, elemental need is met, new hope can spring forth.
“This project goes beyond elevating living standards of the community; it symbolizes a profound shift, providing free, fresh, and safe water supply,” says Save the Children area representative, Mohamed Abdulkadir Said. **“**The partnership with Liquid I.V. has been instrumental in improving the lives of the community, creating a ripple effect that echoes through health, resilience, and the promise of a better future for all those we impact.”
To learn more about our Impact initiatives, click here. To learn how to become more engaged with Save the Children’s work, click here.
About Our Partner:
Save the Children believes every child deserves a future. Since our founding more than 100 years ago, we've been advocating for the rights of children worldwide. In the United States and around the world, we give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. We do whatever it takes for children – every day and in times of crisis – transforming the future we share. Our results, financial statements and charity ratings reaffirm that Save the Children is a charity you can trust. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.