WASHINGTON, D.C., March 18, 2016 – On Wednesday, March 23, the U.S. Government’s Millennium Challenge Corporation and WaterAid America will convene development practitioners, thought leaders, and MCC experts for a roundtable discussion on the use and management of one of the world’s most precious resources: water. This discussion will take place on the heels of World Water Day, which will be celebrated globally on Tuesday, March 22 to raise awareness of the hundreds of millions of people around the world who still lack access to safe, clean water.
Wednesday’s event – the second in MCC’s Smart Aid series – will feature MCC experts who will discuss the agency’s work to increase access to clean water and sanitation for people in countries like Cabo Verde, Jordan and Zambia. MCC has invested $2.2 billion in water, sanitation and hygiene-related projects in nine partner countries and leveraged millions more from public-private partnerships. Water and sanitation projects represent 10 percent of MCC’s global investments.
Around the world, women and girls spend about 73 billion hours per year collecting water, which is time away from school, work, and their communities. Access to clean water and adequate sanitation leads to improvements in health, school attendance, productivity, and entrepreneurship, yet almost 2 billion people live without proper access to it.
MCC’s Smart Aid series, launched earlier this month, is designed to promote the sharing of best practices, innovative approaches, and lessons learned across a range of development topics to foster greater collaboration and effectively move aid forward. Since its founding, MCC has sought innovative ways to transform lives and reduce poverty through economic growth.
WHAT:
World Water Day Smart Aid Series Event
WHO:
Kumar Ranganathan, MCC Practice Lead Senior Director, Water, Irrigation and Sanitation
Omar Hopkins, MCC Director, Water, Irrigation and Sanitation
Marycel Tuazon, MCC Associate Director, Water, Irrigation and Sanitation
Sarah Sobdevage, Director of Strategic Partnerships, WaterAid America
WHEN:
Wednesday, March 23, at 2 p.m.
WHERE:
Millennium Challenge Corporation
1099 14th Street N.W., 7th Floor
Washington, D.C. 20005
Learn more about the Smart Aid Series.
Press are invited to attend this event. To confirm attendance, please RSVP to press@mcc.gov.
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The Millennium Challenge Corporation is an innovative and independent U.S. Government agency working to reduce global poverty through economic growth. Created by the U.S. Congress in January 2004, with strong bipartisan support, MCC provides time-limited grants and assistance to countries that demonstrate a commitment to good governance, investments in people and economic freedom. Learn more about MCC at www.mcc.gov.