Visualizing the Need for Clean Water
Hello Vera Aqua Vera Vita Family,
We take our slogan, “Together we can give True Water True Life,” very seriously because we mean what we say! When we work together we can accomplish far more than we can alone. This reality is true in all aspects of our organization from the support of our generous donors & sponsors to the gift of time of our volunteers and interns to the many incredible partners with which we have had the pleasure of collaborating.
From the beginning, VAVV has strived to leverage partners throughout the private & public sector to build our capacity as an organization, improve our designs, tell our story, improve our operations, and provide critical expertise on topics such as strategic planning, fundraising, and project & program delivery. Earlier this year, we were able to do just that by enaging a new partner from the world of data analytics and visualization by the name of Viz for Social Good, an organization that brings together skilled volunteers in the data viz community to visualize impact and tell stories for nonprofits using data.
Our partnership with Viz for Social Good has allowed us to better understand and tell the story of the need for clean water. Back on March 25, 2021, VAVV concluded a 2-month long collaborative project with Viz for Social Good in which volunteers prepared a total of 18 unique visualizations telling the story of the need for clean water in the Piura Region of Peru and beyond through the lens of seven communities that VAVV has committed to bring clean water to over the next few years.
The base data from which these wonderful visualizations were created comes from the comprehensive assessment surveys that the Vera Aqua Vera Vita team implemented to understand the needs of the people in these communities and subsequently evaluate them via the proprietary VAVV Scorecard Tool for the purposes of building a prioritized order in which to serve the communities. With these visualizations, the ability to convey the importance and need for clean water to our donors and internally to the VAVV team becomes easier and grants us the knowledge and confidence we need to continue to fulfill our mission.
For instance did you know that 50% of the people in Cerro de Leones (population 550) suffer chronic affects from a water related illness and that 5% of the people in that same community die from water related illnesses? However, don’t let these statistics worry you because for every $3,000 we raise we can bring clean water to 1/9th of the people in that community. Visualize this information in of one our favorite visualizations prepared by Tomo Tamura & Isaac Pato. If you are looking for something a bit more simple but just as interactive then check out this great visualization prepared by Emma Noyes. And if you’re feeling inspired and want to check all of them out then look no further than right here. Learn more about the communities we are currently serving and will soon be serving by visiting the Our Work page on our website.
Speaking on behalf of Vera Aqua Vera Vita and the people we serve, we are abundantly grateful for the collaborative partnership we had with Viz for Social Good and in particular way for the many talented volunteers that gave the gift of their time, attention, and talents to help us further emphasize the importance of our work! I want to give a special thanks to Vanitha Lucas over at Viz for Social Good for making our first project with them such a smooth process. If you are nonprofit looking to better visualize your data then look no further than Viz for Social Good; they will do a fantastic job for you! In addition, I would like to recognize two folks in particular on the VAVV team, Ricardo Arbulu Guerra and Meghan Johnson, for the gift of their time in helping to gather and prepare the base data that is the foundation for all of the visualizations prepared.
If you have any questions about our work, the people we serve, or partnerships, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
“Never doubt that a small group of people can change the world, indeed, it is the only thing that ever has!” - Margaret Mead
p.s. Will you help us envision a world where death, hardship, and poverty caused by lack of access to clean water and improved sanitation are no more? The data visualized in the incredible interactive graphics reference above spotlights the need and indicates the impact your gift can make. I invite you to consider Giving the Gift of True Water True Life today!
