On the ‘A’ w/Souleo…
There is a reason Saran Kaba Jones presented her fifth annual WASH gala for FACE Africa at Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers. With its waterfront location overlooking the Hudson River, you’re reminded of the value of water both for its beauty and necessary function in daily life. And yet Jones’ event served to highlight the scarcity of clean water on World Water Day this past Saturday.
According to the United Nations, 768 million people worldwide are without access to improved water sources. One of the most marginalized areas affected by this is Rivercess County, Liberia, where only one-fifth of its 80,000 population has access to clean water. In response, Jones, founder and executive director of FACE Africa, has embarked on an ambitious mission to raise $1.2 million to provide water throughout all of Rivercess via hand-dug wells, maintenance of existing wells and building public latrines.
Fortunately she is not alone in recognizing the problem. The Water for the World Act — which is under review by a committee since being introduced in Congress last August — addresses the inequity of more USAID dollars going to areas with the least need for water and sanitation than those with the greatest need.
“I see it firsthand on the ground,” said Jones. “You have areas isolated in Liberia because it’s not convenient to get to cause of roads and nonexistent communication networks. NGOs target water issues on areas that have access to water and not areas that lack access. So there needs to be emphasis on those neglected and forgotten areas without water, and that’s what we are doing.”
Since 2009, the organization has completed 30 clean water projects in Liberia and it looks like they will complete many more in the future after a successful gala. The event, which was hosted by lively actress-filmmaker, Ebbe Bassey and included guests such as music recording duo Les Nubians, raised $150,000 and received a $100,000 matching grant from Chevron. Plus, FACE Africa recently partnered with Indiegogo for their Women Rock for Clean Water Campaign to also help reach their target goal of $1.2 million.
After 15 years, the Affordable Art Fair has exceeded its goals with more than 1.4 million visitors and $316 million in art sales. What began as an alternative to high-end exclusive fairs has become one of the most popular fairs in the world noted for making art accessible and affordable, with the prices of works ranging from $100-$10,000.
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