Clear targets to improve water sanitation worldwide
Thames Water’s Chief Executive Martin Baggs reflects on the work the organisation has done with charity WaterAid, explaining how engagement and sustainability is as important as fundraising.
There are lots of similarities between being in politics and running a large business, although they are not always obvious.
Sometimes it is about recognising your wider responsibilities, not forgetting your background and realising where you can really make a difference, even when it is outside of the day job. Sometimes it is about the local community and sometimes further afield; sometimes you can have an indirect influence, and sometimes you can engage a whole range of people.
It really works when you bring it all together and to me that is where WaterAid comes in – that fantastic charity that does so much for so many. The UK water industry founded WaterAid in 1981. Every day we see how crucial clean water and sanitation are to people’s lives – a basic that we so often take for granted here in the UK.
Having been in the water industry for 30 years, I can reflect back on when I started as a young engineer and my first introduction to WaterAid. The charity and its cause was introduced there as a given in my first week. It was a part of the company and people felt a connection to it. It was a combination of realising that millions of people around the world have no access to what we take for granted every day of the week, together with the fact that you could make a huge difference to people’s lives in a very direct way.
How did this happen? It was the “Blue Peter” effect, taking a group of people with something very close to their heart, taking an achievable goal with a clear target, and showing them the difference that could be made. We had a thermometer at the end of the office so we could see what we were aiming for and where the money was going – everything we did in that team went towards hitting that target.
That memory and the link to WaterAid have stayed with me throughout my career. It still shocks me that in today’s world one in three people still don’t have access to a toilet and one in ten have no access to a safe water source. This is why I have remained a solid supporter, but the basic philosophy for me has not changed. Be clear on the target, know what you are aiming for, see where the money is going and keep everyone engaged – that is what makes it sustainable.
I have seen WaterAid grow from strength to strength and I have had the pleasure of being involved in many very large and hugely successful fundraising events. But success is not just about raising money, to me it is more about engagement and sustainability. It is about being able to look people in the eye and being able to tell them first-hand where the money is going and the difference it will make. Being an engineer, the surprise to me was that it is not all about laying pipes, digging wells or building toilet blocks – the most important investment of all is education. Without the education, the villages and towns that need the help will not understand the root cause of the problems and will not own the solutions. So the engagement is key at both ends of the process – from the fundraising through to the delivery.
Working on specific projects from start to finish has also really helped supporters realise the real life changes they can bring about. This year, at Thames Water we turned our focus to one of the world’s poorest countries, Malawi, where more than 1.5 million people don’t have access to safe drinking water and 60 per cent of the population go without proper toilet facilities. This four-year project will see Thames Water and WaterAid Malawi working in partnership to transform two towns, Mponela and Kasungu, through providing access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene. This July, four Thames Water experts also visited Malawi to discover first-hand what support the water company can offer to best help improve facilities.
I have had the privilege of visiting some of the WaterAid’s projects overseas and it really is a life-changing experience. I have also had the privilege of leading the largest water company in the UK and in doing so taking the early lessons of WaterAid with me. Throwing money into a charity bucket is all too easy and something we see and do every day. The success for Thames Water supporting WaterAid has been to stick to the basics: have total line of sight for every pound that is raised and build the link and relationship from the fundraisers to the teams on the ground. To make it sustainable, you need to make it part of the way you work and engage as many people as possible. It is not all about huge fundraising events and big productions – ultimately it is about people knowing they can make a difference – and by the way, having a bit of fun at the same time.
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