A Single Drop Inc. Executive Director Gemma Bulos. Photo submitted.

As I write this, I’m sitting in the Philippines where A Single Drop opened its first satellite office, A Single Drop for Safe Water.  We’ve had the most amazing Annual Learning Exchange pulling in our staff from all over the Philippines and our Africa Program Manager to come together and share stories from the field for learning and inspiration.  When mobilizing such passionate and persistent people together for one cause to ensure that all people have access to clean water and sanitation, it’s not difficult to believe that we have impacted over 125,000 people in less than four years.

What may be difficult to believe is that this mission to bring community-driven sustainable clean water and sanitation solutions to the 1.2 million who lack access and the 3-5 million who die per year from water related disease, started with a song.

As a pre-school teacher and professional singer in NYC who was supposed to be in the World  Trade Center on 9/11, I would never have dreamed I would be doing what I am doing now.  I wrote “We Rise,” a rousing inspirational anthem in response to the tragedy. It was the single drop that began this wave of purpose and vision to promote peace through collaboration and water equity.  From the mobilization of the unprecedented global peace movement called the Million Voice Choir in celebration of peace through clean water, emerged the mission of actually bringing clean water to the poorest of the poor. Thanks to Queen Latifah and CoverGirl for awarding me the CG Vibes Award honoring a Woman Changing the World Through Music, I was able to seed fund our programs here in the Philippines.

In less than 4 years A Single Drop has:

• Helped over 125,000 people in the Philippines and 7 countries in Africa have clean water and sanitation
• Created an award winning community self-reliance model to help communities resolve their own water issues using environmentally and financially sustainable practices
• Won numerous social entrepreneur awards from Schwab Foundation, Echoing Green and Ernst & Young for our innovative solution to improve community health, alleviate poverty and create economic opportunity for the under-served
• Built an unprecedented self-reliant country office in the Philippines that is supported through professional fees and not donations
• Through our Women Water Stewards Program, co-designed the Global Women’s Water Initiatives Women and Water Training sponsoring women from 11 countries in Africa
• Introduced innovative technologies like the Portable Microbiology Lab, a breakthrough in water testing in the developing world that requires no expensive equipment or labs
• Mobilizing the first Humanitarian Response Consortium in the Philippines to spearhead First Response in emergencies, considering the Philippines is the most disaster prone region in all of South East Asia

But just as A Single Drop needs others to make a wave, our success has not been without the amazing support of organizations like GiveMN which provides us such an incredible opportunity to share our work alongside so many inspiring organizations.  The online tools for create multiple fundraising campaigns, processing donations and the generous support of funding partners who are currently covering 100 percent of all transaction fees demonstrates a true commitment from GiveMN to ensure that non-profits like ours are supported and have the opportunity to succeed!  And, what a fantastic forum to be able to find partners, collaborators and teachers!  It brings such hope knowing that there are so many people right in your own backyard who have found their purpose and followed their hearts!