The Interview (finally!)

The very messy and scrambled notes from the meeting are as follows:

We interviewed the Head of Staff in Latin America (Darcy ____?, about 3 people working under her)

• The organization as a whole has approx. 75 staff
• 3 in Europe, 3 in Latin American (Bolivia, Mexico City)

Quote from Darcy: "The world needs band-aids, but..." FWW does not get directly involved (wells, etc.), FWW in more interested in helping *local* leadership so that they can help themselves. "Everything needs to be locally driven or it won't work."
FWW notes that different regions don't work the same way (cultural, political, resource issues)

• ex: colonialism in Africa has encouraged accepting European/American donations instead of creating sustainable measures
  

• possible title for project: Not a Band-aid (?)

focused on sustainability

FWW goes where there's momentum. they won't start something out of nothing
***FWW GOALS AND MISSION***

• encourage transparency, public engagement, sustainable measures that are supported by local leadership, not outsiders
• "organize the organized" like churches, unions, etc. works through pre-existing networks
  

FWW has worked extensively in Bolivia (Cochabamba) with an organization known as La Red Vida (Laredvida.org).

• approximately 1,000,000+ metropolitan population
• Access to water in Northern Cochabamba approx. 90%
• Access to water in Southern Cochabamba less than 50%

La Red Vida:

• FWW works with the Red Vida network, UN, Right to Water (?) groups
• La Red Vida fights privatization (in Bolivia)
• however, often shifts instead from privatization to commercialization, which isn't necessarily better
• La Red Vida and FWW mandate cost recovery (see http://www.waterandfood.ifpri.org/pubs/200311conf/presentations/varelaortega.pdf for more information about cost recovery?)
• " cross subsidization (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross_subsidization, http://www.joycemeng.com/writings/water.pdf)

Privatization:

• WB pushes privatization. Privatization "feeds corruption, brings in outsiders who don't know the community"

FWW and the UN:

• Darcy, speaking for FWW, thinks working with the UN is good. FWW sees the value in the UN and working "democratically" with 144 nation states

With the UN, FWW works on the UN level, the regional level (Red Vida, Water Africa (?)), and at the local level

• Have people sitting on a UN body who work together-->gives Red Vida funding for the "Pups Platform" -->funds an office in Columbia -->facilitates the building of pups/pumps(?) throughout the Americas
  

**FWW notes the powerful tool of sharing knowledge about what works with others who are facing the same water scarcity challenges

**Public-Public Partnerships

• new thing FWW is working on to share the best practives
• policy, management, technology
• between a successful company and a not-so-successful company (mentorship?)
  

Note: look at Uruguay. Consitutionalized public rights to water
For more specifics about Cochabamba email Marcella at Molivera@fwwatch.org
Also, see the fact sheet on the FWW website about human rights to water

notes on Consumer rights/economic failures in United States v. human rights abroad

• people don't think human rights violations exist in the United States. appalachia
• is there a reason?
• the use of language here and abroad

suez, violia