Newsletter

Welcome to fall! We hope everyone has been enjoying the change of seasons and staying warm during our slow journey toward winter. This fall edition of the AVFCW newsletter introduces our two new board members—Julia Bazner and Simran Singh. We're excited for them to join the AVFCW mission, and looking forward to applying their knowledge and expertise toward our core vision of clean water and sanitation for all. We are also wishing a fond farewell to longtime volunteer and board member Sue Cicerone.  A big Thank You to Sue Cicerone, retiring volunteer and board member. She has been an important part of AVFCW...

We hope everyone has been staying cool during this sweltering summer! The summer edition of the AVFCW newsletter highlights our core values and mission, as well as updating everyone on the changes in the relationship between AVFCW and CAWST—the Canadian organization we have been partnering with for years to assist in implementing our clean water and sanitation workshops every year. CAWST is a globally well-known organization for Water and Sanitation and our training sessions were always very popular, bringing together implementers, academics, regulators and other government folks from different countries to learn and share. In the last year, CAWST has made a...

The weather is slowly but surely warming up again, and we're excited for the onset of spring! This newsletter highlights an update to our Navajo Nation handwashing station hygiene project, as well as the education initiatives we are supporting in Guatemala. Water is an extremely limited and precious resource in the dry environment of the Eastern Navajo Nation. Of course it is a constant concern for the approximately 30% of Navajo households who do not have running water in their homes and must rely on hauling water to meet their daily water needs for drinking, cooking, bathing and cleaning. In some cases,...

Happy Halloween! We hope you are enjoying the fall weather and festivities, and are still staying safe and happy despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Our current newsletter provides an update on our partnership with the Navajo Nation regarding installing handwashing stations throughout their land. These hygienic upgrades will help to lessen the spread of Coronavirus and other transmissible diseases. The Iyanbito Chapter (of the Navajo Nation) requested individual hand washing stations for the families in their community that lacked access to running water. They felt this would have the most significant impact for their community. AVFCW volunteers went to work to find...

We hope you are enjoying the summer and staying safe, given the ongoing epidemic that seems to not be going anywhere anytime in the near future. This newsletter covers a topic very important to us here at AVFCW—volunteering. More precisely, we are looking for volunteers to assist us with all we do. Are you a student or recent graduate interested in global water and sanitation issues? Are you interested in supporting projects aimed at reducing the global burden of disease associated with water quality or scarcity? As a volunteer you need a passion for helping others, an interest in a specific project...

We hope you have had as wonderful a start to the new year as possible, given the ongoing epidemic, and are staying safe, wherever you are. This newsletter covers the recent handwashing station project we have assisted with in Navajo native American communities in the U.S., as well as spotlighting our new board member, Liz Tierney. In connecting with other non-profits that work in the Nation, we learned that Navajo residents typically live in multi-generational homes. Approximately 30% of residents do not have access to plumbed water inside their homes, and many use community wells to fulfill their household water needs. This...

We hope you and yours are doing as well as can be expected during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The AVFCW team has been busy behind the scenes meeting with each other virtually, seeing how our time and money can best be spent to assist others during the continuing outbreak. This newsletter announces some big news: our founder and Executive Director, Eileen Heasley, will be stepping down from her current role and be transitioning into the role of Chairperson of AVFCW. In her place, current Board Member Nikki Beetsch will be the new Executive Director. Nikki joined AVFCW Board in July of 2018...

We hope you and your loved ones are doing as good as can be expected during the ongoing COVID-19 situation. The AVFCW team has been busy behind the scenes meeting with each other virtually, seeing how our time and money can best be spent to assist others during the outbreak. This newsletter highlights our upcoming speak, Meghanlata Gupta, who will be presenting at the Troy Rotary Club's virtual meeting at 11:45 a.m. on July 29, 2020. ...

We hope you and your loved ones are doing as good as can be expected during the COVID-19 situation affecting most of the globe right now. The AVFCW team has been busy behind the scenes meeting with each other virtually, seeing how our time and money can best be spent to assist others during the outbreak. One way we were directly affected is that we have had to postpone our Spring Workshop until a later date, which we will post on this site as soon as we have a timeline. In the meantime, please check out the latest edition of the AVFCW...

Welcome back to the latest edition of what AVFCW is up to this beautiful fall season. This edition covers water safety plans, and highlights the story of a recent workshop participant from Haiti, Mr. Pierre Petit Frere. At the April Think Tank, Pierre learned about Water Safety Plans as a tool to improve the sustainability of WASH projects. Pierre asked AVFCW to mentor him in creating a WSP for his new project. AVFCW will assist Pierre in creating a WSP to document the goals and objectives of his project, the major deliverables, the timeline, the issues and risks and mitigation strategies,...