The Rural Community Assistance Partnership Incorporated (RCAP) has been awarded $150,000 from Global Water Challenge (GWC). The funding will expand efforts to build leadership capacity in underserved rural communities by supporting participation in the Water Leadership Institute’s workshops and eliminating financial and logistical barriers that may prevent individuals from participating.
“Global Water Challenge is committed to removing barriers to last-mile clean water access in the United States and across the world, said Monica Ellis, CEO of Global Water Challenge. “Cultivating and quipping local champions with the skills to serve their communities with clean water access is a key strategy for reaching those at the last mile.”
GWC’s funding will enable individuals from disadvantaged rural communities to attend a series of leadership workshops focused on strengthening water system governance, operations and community engagement. Participants who complete at least 75% of the sessions will receive a direct financial stipend upon graduation of the Institute, easing the financial and logistical barriers that may otherwise prevent participation of these sessions participants will take the knowledge and experience they achieved from participation in the Water Leadership Institute to strengthen the capacity of rural water systems within their own communities. GWC and RCAP anticipate that up to 50 rural communities will be positively reached with improved capacity from this support.
“This initiative directly invests in the people, the human capital, who are on the front lines of ensuring clean and safe water in their communities,” said Olga Morales-Pate, CEO of RCAP. “Removing barriers to participation and prioritizing local, emerging leaders bolsters our mission to ensure long-term solutions for rural water challenges and improves the quality of life of rural community residents.”
Funding for this program was made possible through the generosity of the Kohler Trust for Clean Water (KTCW), with the mission to help people get the quantity and quality of water they need using solutions that minimize impact on the environment and build community resiliency to the impacts of climate change. KTCW selected GWC to manage programming, including this key initiative with RCAP, that will drive last-mile water access in high-need American communities.
To learn more about RCAP’s mission and impact, visit rcap.org. To learn more about GWC, visit globalwaterchallenge.org.
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