Community engagement
Improving the health of water resources requires strong engagement with communities.
Community stakeholders are important sources of knowledge regarding problems and potential solutions,
and they are also some of the most impactful stewards of river health,
particularly when it comes to managing riparian areas and domestic sources of waste.
Our work aims to strengthen community-led efforts to manage solid waste and domestic wastewater,
build community and youth awareness of environmental issues,
and promote the effective participation government planning and budgeting for water quality.
Citizens as scientists, analysts, and innovators
Community engagement projects also involve a growing program of citizen science that harnesses the power of concerned citizens to monitor and analyze water quality data and engage in policy analysis and solution-seeking.
This work involves seminars, trainings, data collection and analysis, and development of a learning community to disseminate knowledge.
Gender mainstreaming and
empowerment of women
Because women are both under-represented in decision-making and more readily impacted by contaminated water, our work focuses on supporting a growing number of women’s organizations focused on river-related advocacy; small-scale circular economy businesses; and community organization efforts to reduce plastic waste, improve water resource and spatial planning, strengthen waste management, and increase women’s participation in community governance.