What happens when celebrities like Dikembe Mutombo and Whitney Port show up at a charity gala to honor Harlem celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson? We’ll find out this month on 26 March 2011, when FACE Africa hosts its second annual clean water benefit in Boston, Massachusetts.
FACE Africa is an organization that works specifically to bring clean water and improve sanitation in Liberia. In a previous article published on 16 February 2011, WaterWideWeb discussed the impact of the Liberian Civil War on water infrastructure and the post-conflict climate of the country.
In Hydropower to Empower Rural Village in Liberia, WaterWideWeb interviewed Kristin Stroup, energy specialist at the World Bank. Stroup detailed the impact that water, specifically with respect to hydroelectric projects, could improve the post conflict situation in Liberia.
As celebrities walk a different sort of red carpet, they will raise awareness about the significance of water in improving the lives of Liberians. Liberian lives are still severely compromised by years of terror and infrastructural damage by rebel forces.
In Liberia, a civil war destroyed major infrastructure systems that provided clean water, sanitation, and other amenities to local villages. Now, mortality rates from water-borne diseases are soaring.
Celebrities such as Mutombo, Port, and Samuelson are making an impact on the movement to rebuild Liberia. In so doing, lives that are lost from preventable water-borne diseases in Liberia can now be secured.
Healing the wounds from years of war and violence in Liberia will take a concerted effort by local governments and NGOs. But, water is an indisputable facet of this effort of restoring Liberia and protecting its civilians.
Celebrities are stepping up the plate for the FACE Gala and combating infrastructural inequities that threaten to cripple a country. Now that’s something worth walking the red carpet for.
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