Water for Everyone: Taking Action Together

At the ONE DROP Foundation’s launch on October 29, 2007, Guy Laliberté spoke about his dream of mobilizing as many people as possible to ensure that everyone has access to safe water, now and in the future. Already, His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco, Oxfam International Executive Director Jeremy Hobbs, and Royal Bank of Canada President and CEO Gordon Nixon have signed partnerships with the Foundation.

Through Oxfam-Québec, the Oxfam International family has been working with the ONE DROP Foundation since 2005. As a leader in the field of humanitarian development, Oxfam has been participating in a three-year pilot project in Nicaragua, helping to select projects and put them into practice.

For its part, RBC has committed to providing $10 million over 10 years to support ONE DROP projects in Canada and abroad. ONE DROP is the first grant recipient under the RBC Blue Water™ Project, which supports initiatives that improve access to water, enhance conservation, protect watersheds and promote education. This is the largest donation ever given to a single organization in RBC’s 138-year history.

The Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, which tackles issues related to climate change, biodiversity and water, is the first international organization to sign a cooperative agreement with ONE DROP.

Cirque du Soleil employees take action

Inspired by the Cirque du Soleil creative approach and Cirque du Monde, its international program that assists street kids and at-risk youth, the ONE DROP Foundation uses the circus arts, folklore, popular theatre, music, dance and the visual arts to educate local communities, foster community participation and raise awareness about water issues.

That special brand of creativity was reflected at the Foundation’s launch. An immense human portrait (See video) was created to illustrate the connection between the unique ripple effect created by a single drop as it strikes the water’s surface and the power we all have as individuals. As part of the event, a human chain was formed to bring water from the St. Lawrence River to Cirque du Soleil headquarters, where the ONE DROP movement was born. That human chain inspired Cirque du Soleil employees from Montreal to Brasilia, Nagoya to Toronto and Antwerp to Las Vegas to rally to the cause, demonstrating that by cooperating and pooling their efforts, we all have the power to change the world.