The Value of Water: Virtual Expert Panel

Water scarcity and contamination is a global crisis that affects billions. It is both a natural and human-made phenomenon. There is enough freshwater on the planet for seven billion people but it is distributed unevenly and too much of it is wasted, polluted and un-sustainably managed. (UN)

This World Water Week, hear from Well Aware and our four expert panelists about the value of water and the challenges faced globally. We’ll discuss tap water contamination in the U.S., water scarcity in East Africa, and more. Our panelists have expertise in both the technical and cultural aspects of global water scarcity, and will talk about the many ways water affects our societies and the steps we can each take to help solve this crisis.

Watch the recording below to learn more about the water crisis and hear their stories.

Panelists

Sarah Evans

CEO, Well Beyond & Founder, Well Aware

Co-founder and CEO of Well Beyond, a social enterprise providing expertise and tools to organizations and governments on water development and health initiatives.

Founder and Chair of Well Aware, an international nonprofit that funds and implements clean water systems for impoverished communities in Africa. Well Aware is known for its sustainability model in building lasting water systems with high impact.

Evans has worked to change the way water projects are executed and managed in developing regions of the world. She has built a team of staff and volunteers who implement and advise on projects that are realistic and lasting through strategic partnerships, true community involvement and empowerment, hygiene and sanitation education, and impact measurement.

Under her leadership, Well Aware’s reputation for project success (100% vs 40% industry average) and cost effectiveness (averaging $15 per person for decades) has prompted numerous collaborations with other NGO’s worldwide to guide their water infrastructure projects. Evans and her teams work with the great potential that already exists in struggling communities while catalyzing development through access to clean water.

Doris Kaberia

Independent Consultant & Founding Partner, Basics Africa Limited

Doris is an accomplished development professional/executive with (20) years’ extensive experience in program design/grant writing, fundraising and resource mobilization. She posses practical experience in leading the design and managing programs funded by multiple donors such as USAID, SDC, OFDA, ECHO, DANIDA, EU, AUSAID, DFID, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Howard Buffet Foundation, Coca Cola Africa Foundation, Vitol Foundation and Proctor and Gamble among others. Doris is a strong believer that Trust, Relationship and partnership are the key drivers of economic prosperity. These three drivers have been instrumental in her 20 years successful career while facilitating collective impact, transformative and long lasting changes to development challenges.

Until May 2021, Doris has worked with multiple International NGO’s including Millennium Water Alliance as a Chief of Party and Kenya Programs Director, CARE Kenya as a Livelihoods sector Manager, Save the Children UK as the Food security and Livelihoods Coordinator and Make a Mark Foundation (USA) as a development Coordinator.

An Horticulturist trained from Egerton University Kenya, Doris possesses a masters in Natural Resources from University of Wisconsin Stevens Point (USA) and a Post graduate diploma in community based adaptation to climate change from centre for sustainable development.

Michelle Pedrazas

Geoscientist & Consultant, INTERA

Michelle Pedrazas combines her geophysics background with 5 years of research and applied experience focusing on the characterization of groundwater systems and the development and application of numerical flow models to analyze these systems. Her experience includes using field data, geophysical logs and other geophysical datasets to build conceptual models, as well as characterizing the subsurface structure, water quality, and water levels of aquifers. In modeling and data analysis studies, she supports clean-up and water planning strategies for both public and private entities with experience in groundwater and vadose zone using numerical models.

Her experience includes developing continuing sources in waste sites such as leaking tank farms, evaluating the fate and transport of contaminants in aquifers and ash ponds, as well as locating abandoned wells using geophysics.

Haley Hartwick-Emmerson

Global Public Relations Manager, LARQ

A seasoned public relations professional, Haley Hartwick-Emmerson has close to a decade of experience with consumer products, innovative technology, and corporate social responsibility.

Her prior experience building critical wastewater systems in the Batayes, and a hobby of studying water chemistry at-home have led to her current work with LARQ, where she is committed to positively impacting clean water access worldwide through her work in communications.

LARQ, a hydration company, is a trusted Well Aware partner and supporter. Its filtration and purification technologies provide solutions for clean water both at home and on-the-go, protecting consumers from lead, PFAS, HAA5, and unregulated contaminants found in tap water today.