Review of 2020 & Hopes for 2021

Last year was certainly a trying time for the world. Among much else, a global pandemic disrupted the stability and constancy in many people’s lives and, sadly, ended others; additionally, civil unrest tainted the headlines of the papers throughout America. Despite these challenges and struggles however, good work is still being done amidst the chaos. We have all had to learn to adapt our way of life and to extend to the most vulnerable that greatly needed hand of support. Investopedia’s Jill Cornfield, in her article on charitable giving during the pandemic, writes, “In response to the economic impact of the virus, donors greatly stepped up their support for organizations that provide basic daily care like food and shelter.” Even on an individualized basis, people felt the struggles of the times, and decided to step up and act. 

Throughout the year of 2020, Vera Aqua Vera Vita certainly felt extra compassion for the struggles of our less fortunate brothers and sisters across seas and in response, did as much as possible to continue to meet their need for water. With only 56% of Peru’s rural population having basic sanitation facilities, the necessity for reliable, clean water only grew with the pandemic. Proper hand washing, sanitation and hydration are key weapons to fighting the pandemic. With the pandemic and the global water crisis, Vera Aqua Vera Vita worked to fight not one but two disasters impacting Piura, Peru and now, looking forward to 2021, hopes to continue that trajectory. 

One of Vera Aqua Vera Vita’s core principles is to strive towards transparency which includes, among other things, celebrating with the VAVV family of supporters the project progress and responsibility to be good stewards of the financial support received. With this in mind, VAVV is excited to announce the sharing of the 2020 Annual Report, including 2020’s Year-in-Review and a detailed vision for 2021! 

Vera Aqua Vera Vita’s Summary of 2020 at a Glance from the “2020 Annual Report.”

In response to the rise of the pandemic, Vera Aqua Vera Vita reports providing emergency relief aid to Monte Castillo, a community VAVV continued to serve in 2020 after completing construction & commencing operations of a water treatment facility for its residents in 2019. Looking forward to 2021 & beyond the plan is to serve seven new, rural communities in Piura, Peru, with data collection on all seven having already been completed which is the first step towards bringing clean water over 2,000+ people across all of the communities. This year, VAVV had a collective of 40 volunteers supporting the mission through various positions, including fundraising, business administration, communications, civil engineering, and even writing editorials.

VAVV is especially excited to recognize and award the Volunteer of the Year award to Karelle Matchum, a Business Administration and Fundraising Support Intern whose inspiration to work at VAVV originated in her own personal experience with unsafe water in Central Africa. 

Thanks to the generous support of a collective of 252 distinct donors, VAVV was able to raise over $100,000 (with a net balance of $21,650) and now has 50 recurring donors, and an ever-evolving system of communication, allowing donors to better celebrate and see more tangibly the impact their donation is making. VAVV is, also, excited to announce the rebranding of the recurring donor program which going forward will be called The Ripple. VAVV strongly believes that collectively with a growing community of recurring donors that we can make Ripples that will last for generations in the lives of those served through the programs and mission! This community of recurring donors will be fostered by more engaging and thoughtful communication, more cost-effective integration of current donation systems, and a myriad of perks to its members.  

Overall, VAVV was able to serve over 7,000 people in 2020 with access to COVID-19 relief resources and a wealth of knowledge and information about effective sanitation services, and it was only made possible by the grace of God and the support of the Vera Aqua Vera Vita family. 

2021 hopes to see major progress in serving multiple new communities, and continuing Phase II developments in Monte Castillo. VAVV will be working to secure a $106,500 grant to repair parts of Monte Castillo’s sanitary sewer system in need of immediate repair, as well as piloting the recently completed W.A.S.H. Education workshop there. As far as future communities, VAVV hopes to know which of the seven communities they will serve first by the end of January. After that, selection of the best solutions for the issues facing the community will be made and preliminary engineering will begin. The hope is to complete construction and commence operations of the solution for the first community’s needs by as early as August of this year, 2021! 

The great philosopher Plato said that the beginning is the most important part of work. With the new year comes change and hope, and with continued support through prayers and donations of the growing Vera Aqua Vera Vita family, VAVV is undoubtedly equipped to help put the global water crisis in the history books!