You may notice we’ve made some changes…

Welcome to the inaugural edition of Global Waters magazine, USAID’s online publication devoted to the agency’s water-related efforts in the developing world. In order to provide you with more in-depth reporting on our programs and progress, we have expanded our bi-monthly newsletter to a quarterly magazine. Each edition will include more extensive articles about the agency’s efforts to address the water crisis, introduce you to our implementing partners and the beneficiaries of those programs, and offer an inside look at our challenges, successes, and lessons learned as we work with our partners in the field. The magazine should also serve as a useful resource to help our readers locate other water-related publications and activities, both within and outside the agency.

In this edition—

Sadly, this edition comes at a time when famine in the Horn of Africa has reached epic proportions. In this issue, we report on the socio-economic complexities of extreme drought and some of the tools USAID and our partners are developing to monitor and mitigate these harsh conditions, in hopes of minimizing the toll they take on future populations.

On a different note, our story Building Bridges with Water, takes an extensive look at the powerful role water can play in peace-building among groups in conflict who must depend on the sharing of natural resources for their survival.

Our Real Impact interview takes us to Tajikistan to meet three very grateful women who have seen their lives and their families’ welfare vastly improved with the installation of safe, running water in their community, and the health and hygiene education they’ve received from USAID and our partners there.

As part of our expanded format, we are also opening the lines of communication for our readers’ comments and feedback on our Ripple Effect page (see p.29) in hopes that we’ll get to know you and your interests and concerns about the water sector a little better.

We remain committed to transparent and analytical reporting on USAID’s water programs and to sharing insights and information about the agency’s long-term efforts to promote effective, sustainable, and integrated water resources management in the developing world.

The Water Office