Arizona Water for All: Building a partner network
As part of the Arizona Water Innovation Initiative, a multi-year partnership with the state led by Arizona State University’s Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory in collaboration with the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering and Center for Global Health, Arizona Water for All (AW4A) staff and researchers work with Arizona’s most water-insecure households and communities to improve both water security and engagement in water decision making.
Water insecurity is defined as a lack of safe, reliable, sufficient and affordable water for a thriving life. Being water-insecure means that people and communities have inadequate or inequitable access to water for drinking or basic sanitation. We estimate thousands of households across the state of Arizona go without reliable water access each day.
To work toward water security for Arizona’s most water-insecure communities, AW4A goals are to: (1) promote empowerment and participation in community water decision making, (2) deploy proven water security solutions, such as fit-to-purpose technologies, and (3) advance measurement and monitoring of household water insecurity.
Under our first goal to promote community engagement in water decision making, AW4A is establishing a partner network of organizations that have worked alongside water-insecure communities for decades because it is vital that our team operate with community-informed practices and seek out trusting, reciprocal relationships. This on-the-ground relationship building is how we are creating the framework for meaningful long-term work informed directly by community needs.
AW4A staff have met with over 100 organizations in the last six months to expand our network and create a road map of the scope of work already underway to address Arizona's water concerns and challenges. During our initial outreach, we met with Water for People, an international organization that promotes the development of high-quality drinking water and sanitation services, accessible to all and sustained by strong communities, businesses and governments.
“Water for People is excited to be developing and pushing forward a new domestic WASH – or water, sanitation and hygiene – program that will work toward closing the access gap that affects millions of people throughout the US,” says Chris Friemund, US Program Manager for Water for People. “We are excited to be collaborating with Arizona Water for All as we examine the work already taking place on the ground throughout Arizona and collectively move to accomplish our shared goals and priorities.”
In addition to expanding our network and connecting with like-minded organizations with shared priorities, AW4A will be co-hosting a Youth Water Leadership Institute during the Fall of 2024 to engage with historically underserved community members in southern Arizona.
Our core partners for this project include Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), which is excited to bring water leadership workshops to underserved youth in Arizona, and Rural Communities Assistance Partnership, which has provided technical assistance and expertise to rural communities in the Southwest for decades. Both organizations have successfully implemented water leadership institutes in California in years past, and they have necessary resources and knowledge needed to make Arizona’s first iteration of the program impactful for community members.
“EDF is honored to be collaborating with Arizona Water for All and Rural Community Assistance Corporation to implement the Youth Water Leadership Institute in Arizona,” says Mariana Rivera-Torres, EDF’s manager of Climate Resilient Water Systems. “Our partnership will allow us to shape a meaningful program to bring together youth from communities disproportionately impacted by water issues, sharing with them information and tools to lead, bring about positive change and shape the future of water in their communities.”
AW4A team participated in the Southwest Adaptation Forum - A Gathering of Sustainability Practitioners and Tribal Communities in February 2024.
Building relationships that allow organizations to work together to holistically address community member’s needs is crucial to shaping Arizona’s water future. By leveraging one another’s resources, we are able to make the biggest impact possible in minimizing water insecurity statewide.
AW4A has been able to collaborate with incredibly valuable water organizations, while simultaneously using our network to expand the interests represented in the Arizona Water Innovation Initiative’s consideration of water insecurity. Our planned Community Water Forum in Nogales, Arizona during Spring 2024 will bring together local government officials, schoolteachers, students and other community members to build a framework for addressing the water concerns of local communities in Southern Arizona.
Anyone who is on the ground and working directly with community members has valuable insight and knowledge that can shift the direction of scope of work, both this year and beyond. We have met with policymakers, social justice organizations, environmental educators and researchers, and look forward to continuing to expand the network to uplift underserved communities.
Please reach out to our community research analyst Daniela Sherrill (ldsherri@asu.edu) to collaborate on future projects and join us in securing sustained water access for Arizonans statewide.
About the author: Daniela Sherrill is the community researcher for Arizona Water for All. She received her bachelor’s degree in sustainability with a minor in civic engagement from Northern Arizona University in 2020. Before joining AW4A, she worked in Tucson as a community organizer for campaigns that raised the minimum wage for workers across the state. She hopes to use her community organizing and engagement experience to cultivate lasting empowerment within Arizona’s most water-insecure communities.
Water security Public engagement