One Water Project Launches on World Water Day

Did you know one in eight people worldwide lack access to clean water, and that water-related illnesses account for the deaths of 5,000 children every day? Now is a great time to learn more about this critical issue. March 22 is World Water Day, an international celebration of fresh water, organized annually by the United Nations to call attention to water resources worldwide. 

This year, ITVS marks World Water Day with the launch of a special media project. A collaboration between the University of Miami and ITVS International, with support from the Knight Foundation, the One Water Project is dedicated to coverage of water issues and solutions through international public television broadcasts and the Web. Public television partners in Bahrain, Colombia, India and South Africa have joined the One Water effort, each creating a half-hour program about water from a local perspective. 

These partners will be airing their productions alongside a University of Miami-produced documentary, 1H20, which examines the global water crisis using a non-verbal and universally accessible approach to storytelling. An accompanying 1H20 Web site showcases the work of international journalists with articles, video, blog posts and resources about the water crisis. 

Check out the site and enter the 1H20 video contest––One Take––which launches on March 22. One Take, invites participants to submit a two-minute video monologue in response to the question: “Is water a basic human right?” Videos will be accepted in any language and the winner will be awarded U.S. $500. There will also be a prize for the qualifying entry that gets translated into the most number of languages using translation functionality created by DotSub.com. A series of online video contests are scheduled to take place over the next year in an effort to facilitate a global discussion about the world water crisis. 

For inspiration, watch the clips below from our international broadcast partners in Colombia and South Africa.