DENVER, CO, Dec. 16, 2010 -- Water For People announced today the three winners of their video contest highlighting sanitation, toilet successes and failures, and innovations. Videographers nationwide tapped into their loo creativity during Water For People's Support a Movement video competition. Winners are Kara Sherman from Columbus, Ohio; Gabriel Priestley, a student at the University of New Mexico; and the Gudauskas sisters in Auburn, Alabama with videos on the taboo topic.
Sherman wrote and produced an original song titled "Think About Poop" -- a catchy tune challenging listeners to do more than just "flush it away." The video presents the disturbing statistics of sanitation-related illness and death in the developing world, and highlights Water For People's mobile monitoring tool, FLOW, or Field Level Operations Watch, as an instrument to ensure solutions are functioning properly to best prevent and increase in these numbers.
"A friend told me about the Support a Movement video competition, and suggested that I enter a creative music video. Before exploring the Water For People website, I was unaware of the tragic plight of people without proper sanitation facilities. This exposure inspired me to write a song about poop that could help explain the functions of Water For People and FLOW. I believe that music can be one of the best ways to raise awareness and connect with others," said Sherman.
The Support a Movement video competition challenged people to take time to think about toilets and sanitation, or lack thereof, and to share their thoughts with others. The entries received were creative, innovative, and collaborative, not unlike Water For People's approach to combating the world's sanitation crisis in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
University of New Mexico student, Gabriel Priestley, created his video "Like Nothin' Else" and said it was an eye-opener. "I heard of the contest through an email sent by my video productions teacher here at the University of New Mexico. I brainstormed ideas for awhile on what I could do to enter this contest; I've never entered a video contest before. Then I remembered what happened one cold night in the Jemez mountains. I felt terrible and needed to explode! During the actual event I would have given anything for a toilet. It makes my heart sad that people who are the same as me across the world do not have the ability to use a proper toilet. During the making and post-production of this video I really did gain a deeper appreciation of our sanitation system."
In Auburn, Alabama, three sisters collaborated on their video project titled "Three Miles from a Toilet." Said Lydia Gudauskas, the oldest sister, "Making this video was a lot of fun. I never realized how much more advanced our sanitation process is in America until we entered this contest. I really hope our video will make a difference."
Water For People's impact in developing countries is magnified through collaborative efforts with in-country governments, local businesses, and communities to develop and implement innovative, sustainable clean water and sanitation solutions. By asking the tough questions and having the hard conversations, Water For People strives to change conventional norms of philanthropy and focus on transparent, proven, and replicable success for its projects. Support a Movement contest participants have helped to spark some much-needed conversations about sanitation.
Each winner will be awarded $500 from sponsor Image Brew, LLC. Image Brew will also donate another $500 on behalf of each winner to Water For People. Winners can be seen at www.waterforpeople.org/tribute.
For more information about Water For People, contact Eileen Lambert at [email protected] or visit the website at www.waterforpeople.org.
About Water For People
Water For People is a leading international nonprofit humanitarian organization dedicated to creating sustainable safe drinking water resources, improved sanitation facilities, and hygiene education programs in the developing world; it currently operates in 11 countries in Africa, Asia, Central America, and South America. The organization's unique business-oriented approach empowers local communities to plan, build, finance, maintain, and operate their own safe water and sanitation services. Water For People succeeds in its mission by placing long-lasting solutions and 100% coverage of a region at the forefront of its strategy. It fosters entrepreneurism and innovations, which are adaptable and replicable worldwide to water and sanitation problems, and monitors its work for 10 years post implementation to validate program sustainability. For more information visit www.waterforpeople.org.
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