Past Campaign
Navajo Project | 2022
Background
When we think of communities without clean water, we think of third world countries. However, the problem is actually much closer to home. For most Americans, water does not receive a second thought… Yet in the US, it’s far from guaranteed. More than 30 million Americans live in places where water infrastructure violates EPA guidelines. Americans who poor or originate from minority communities feel the most impact. The Flint water crisis, which affected thousands of Detroit residents, many who were African American or low income, is not an isolated epidemic. In Navajo Nation, more than 300,000 thousand of residents unknowingly drank in hazardous water tainted with Uranium. Many reservations also lack access to clean water due to outdated or nonexistent water infrastructure. This causes residents to resort to boiling water or bottled water. 58 out of every 1,000 Indigenous households don’t have indoor plumbing. One of the biggest reservations in the U.S., Navajo Nation, faces a diabetes crisis because soda is cheaper than clean drinking water.
Dig Deep
Youth Water Initiative is working with Dig Deep, a human rights nonprofit for our 2022 fundraiser. Their community-led projects bring clean, hot and cold running water into American homes. The organization also invest in research, advocacy, and workforce development to close the Water Gap once and for all. One of Dig Deep’s current projects that we will be working on is called the Navajo Project. The vision of this project is that every American family can achieve equitable access to water and sanitation in our lifetimes, and that by learning to better care for our water resources, we can make them last for future generations. The Navajo Project first develop new water sources and treat, pump, and store the water locally. Then, water is delivered to families that live close to each source.
The Project
Youth Water Initiative, partnered with the Alpha Delta Pi Fraternity at the University of Illinois will be sponsoring running water and solar power for a family. This unit will provide a 1200-gallon water pump, solar panels, punk, sink, a propane water heater, battery unit, drain, plumbing, electrical, and more. This makes a huge difference in the family’s life and quality of living.
Water for All Of Us
Learn more about Dig Deep addresses water rights in the United States