Viva con Agua

VIVA CON AGUA

Alive with Water 

We live in a world in which 663 million people do not have access to clean drinking water. Polluted water isn’t just dirty; it is deadly. About 1.8 million die every year of diarrheal diseases like cholera. Tens of millions of others are seriously sickened by a host of water related illnesses, many of which are easily preventable.

Viva con Agua (alive with water) is a Hamburg based organization that is committed to establish access to clean drinking water and basic sanitation for all humans worldwide. They use creative and innovative activities to raise awareness for the global issues Water, Sanitation and Hygiene and raise funds for water projects around the globe. 
In 2005, the 25-year-old soccer player Benjamin Adrion travelled to Cuba for a training camp with his club, FC St. Pauli. In Cuba, Benjamin saw the poor supply of fresh drinking water and sanitary facilities. A year later, Viva con Agua was founded in Hamburg. Benjamin quickly found enthusiastic supporters amongst his friends and colleagues, as well as German musicians, actors and other prominent figures. However, the young founder knew little of how to run an NGO and realize successful projects. He thus decided to team up with the German World Hunger Aid (Welthungerhilfe), one of the biggest German NGOs working in the field of developmental cooperation and emergency aid. The German World Hunger Aid holds the Seal of Approval for NGOs (as well as Viva con Agua) awarded by the German Institute for Social Questions and in 2014, it was named the most transparent German NGO. Since the very beginning, all projects are being implemented in partnership with the German World Hunger Aid. Together, both organizations believe in the basic principle of help towards self – help. They work together with local partner organizations to support the efforts of people in developing countries gain access to clean drinking water and provide for themselves on a sustainable basis.

Currently, Viva con Agua conducts WASH projects, which is short for the project components Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, in these eight countries: Guatemala, Nepal, India, Malawi, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda and Mozambique. The projects are based on the principle that all three components have to be taken into consideration to achieve a sustainable provision of services. Each project is realized according to an individual concept. Viva con Aqua creates access to potable and safe water as well as improved sanitary facilities. It also provides post monitoring and maintenance of the water systems. It furthermore improves municipal waste disposal and realization of pilot measures to sustainably dispose faeces. In order to increase the water accessibility, rural communities receive clean drinking water through deep wells equipped with hand pumps. Rain catchments are created to supply animals.

In 2016, Viva con Agua received 2.56 million € of donations. 1.62 million € were private donations and 830.000 € were public donations. Membership fees (counted to the overall sum of donations) where at 125.000 €. Viva con Agua uses 83% of their money for the WASH projects, whereas 17% is used for administrative purposes.

Viva con Agua understands that the cause they are supporting is a very serious one, however they do not compromise fun, passion and a contagious joy for their work while raising awareness and donations. They constantly come up with new ideas and concepts to motivate people to become part of this social process that is rooted in positive change. One of the initiative’s initial principal source of revenue is probably collecting returnable cups at festivals and other large-scale events. Voluntary helpers ask visitors not to return their empty cups to the drinks stalls but put them instead in a Viva con Agua bin – thus donating the deposit. In the summer of 2016, these micro level donations brought in about 375.000 € While our 100 dollar might not seem the world, Viva con Agua was able to raise more than quarter of a million Euros, „with just a few small donations“.

Since 2010, the Viva con Agua Company has also marketed its own brand of mineral water, which is sold in cooperation with regional water bottlers. Most people in Germany from 18 to 25 will know what Viva con Aqua is and have probably donated numerous cups at their last concert visit. Viva con Agua has truly been present at any music festival or concert that I have ever went to. However, the “older generation” is not necessarily present at these events and thus is a lot harder to reach for the NGO. Selling Viva con Agua water is an opportunity to reach a different audience, which so far has not been part of the Viva con Agua cosmos. Viva con Agua places a strong effort on sustainability and conscious consumption and thus makes sure to advertise for drinking tab water whenever possible. However, when drinking tab water is not an option, they want to create a sensible alternative with their water. 60% of the profits go to water projects of the Viva con Agua NGO, while 40% go to the Viva con Agua Company (LLC). The Viva con Agua Company operates as a so-called social business, i.e. a company that seeks to solve the social and ecological problems facing society. When Viva con Agua looked for investors for their new company, they found investors who where willing to forego any future profits. All of the profits going to the company are directed directly into financing new social business projects.

Benjamin Adrion was just 28 years old when he received the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in 2009, an award conferred in recognition of special services rendered for the common good.