Charting the Course to Clean Water: Camalig Bank and Water.org Unite for a Sustainable Future
In Legazpi City, a milestone partnership began on 18 July 2023. The meeting's agenda took place in Camalig Bank as representatives from Water.org aligned visions and commitments, charting a course for the future of water, sanitation, and health (WASH) in the region. This alliance signals progress, ensuring technical assistance and a vast pool of resources to rural banks, igniting their path to sustainability and contribution to the WASH Program. The partnership materialized, and we look forward to it resonating across communities and echoing the bank's commitment to creating ripples of change in the water and sanitation sector.
Back, L to R: Khails M. Dañas, Christine P. Rulloda, Mary Jonelyn Ardales, Remedios D. Domo, Rochelle F. Letada, Mary An B. Goyena.
Front, L to R: Thea Ofreneo, Josie Mendoza, Dick Pajarillo, Jose Misael B. Moraleda, Jo-Ann T. Pontanes.
Water.org
Founded by Gary White and Matt Damon, Water.org is a global nonprofit making significant strides in resolving the global water crisis. They have pioneered affordable, scalable solutions that mobilize individuals and communities to break down the barriers to clean water and sanitation, benefiting millions across the globe. The need for clean water is staggering, yet an estimated 2.2 billion people worldwide lack access to essential drinking water services, according to the World Health Organization’s news release published in 2019. The deprivation has unimaginable repercussions for health, dignity, and livelihoods, preventing progress and trapping communities in poverty’s vicious cycle.
Our Partnership
The collaboration with Camalig Bank empowers Water.org to cascade its expertise and innovative solutions to the Bicol Region. This partnership enables us at Camalig Bank to receive technical assistance, ranging from invaluable market information, product development, field implementation planning, and constant monitoring. This assistance from Water.org aids in the rural banking industry’s pledge to confront and surmount the global challenges that obstruct the path to clean and accessible water for all.
Sustainable Development Goal 6
Beyond the immediate horizons of this partnership lies the immense undertaking of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) outlined in 2015. From these 17 interlinked global goals, Goal 6 calls explicitly on the world to ensure the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all by 2030. It is a call to eradicate the disparities in water access and sewerage services that disproportionately afflict marginalized and impoverished communities worldwide. The allegiance between Camalig Bank and Water.org resonates with this global imperative, planting seeds of hope and renewal in the parched areas of water scarcity and inequality.
The Path Forward
On 21 September, Camalig Bank presented Water.org with its work plan to roll out its WASH loans to its clients. The partnership of Camalig Bank and Water.org embodies a convergence of visions, resources, and expertise, each contributing uniquely to the collective triumph over the global water crisis. The Philippines and the world watch as coordinated efforts like these unfold, bearing the promise of clean water and sanitation for all, a testament to humanity's enduring spirit of collaboration and resilience against the tides of adversity.
