Water is Key
FORMER LEGAL EAGLE FOCUSES ON WORLD WATER ISSUES You may recognize the name or the face from his 32 years as a career prosecutor, most notably as the Los Angeles District Attorney and the face in front of the microphones to millions of Americans during the O.J. Simpson trial. But as Gil Garcetti knows, a second career can be the chance to combine your life skills in unusual and impactful ways. Gil Garcetti has been taking pictures for years, including making time for night and weekend courses to polish his skills, but it wasn't until the end of his legal career in 2001 that he considered full-time work as a photographer. Now his passion is to use his art and the stories the photos can tell to push for an urgent cause: focusing world attention on the issue of safe water.  Gil has gone to West Africa five times since 2001, and his current photo book project, WATER IS KEY: A Better Future for Africa (October 2007, Balcony Press) is about water, health and empowerment of women in that area. Millions of Africans lack access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation. Yet when safe water is available, entire village economies change and the lives of the inhabitants are transformed from disease and malnutrition to hope and success.By partnering with the Pacific Institute, the Carter Center, Conrad Hilton Foundation and WorldVision, Gil has begun to see his  vision come to fruition. Already they have raised enough funds to put in several wells, and are working to complement those village wells with strip irrigation technology and local micro-credit programs. Most of the work of gathering water from miles away each day falls to the women and children, so once their days are freed up from that all-consuming task, they can go to school or begin self-sustaining businesses that help their communities thrive well into the future. By reaching back into his skill set: advocacy, communication and fundraising know-how, along with the ability to work the back rooms of government and politics, Gil brings a unique ability to gather forces for a good cause. His grass roots efforts are part of many local and global initiatives that are geared towards safe and accessible water for all on our fragile planet. Every one of us has a part to play in the protection of our most precious resource. After all, Water Is Key: water is LIFE. Watch this short video to learn more about the situation in Africa and how you can help. Or go to Gil's Water is Key page to donate now and be a part of the effort to bring clean water and a new beginning to a village in need. PARTNERING WITH WELLS BRING HOPE  In 2008, Gil Garcetti spoke to the women of Salon Forum in LA about the dire need for safe water in West Africa. What they heard about the plight of women and girls who toil endlessly to get water touched their hearts, and inspired by Gil's work, they decided to take up this cause. Wells Bring Hope was born. They have partnered with Gil in his efforts, and together with World Vision, Wells Bring Hope is drilling wells in Niger, one of the poorest countries in the world. You can help transform lives too! Learn more about Wells Bring Hope and the different ways you, your school, or your company can help them spread the word and drill more wells in West Africa. Or click here to make a donation now -- and help fulfull their vision of saving lives with safe water. Images (c) 2007 Gil Garcetti; Video Written and Directed by Brad Minnich.  This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License. |
You Can Make a Difference
Donate $100 or more and receive Gil Garcetti's beautiful photo book:  The Pacific Institute is teaming up with Gil on Water Is Key, a campaign to help raise funds for safe-water initiatives in West Africa.100% of the proceeds of this project will go to non-governmental organizations working on the ground to provide water, sanitation, and hygiene improvements to those most in need. Photographs by Gil Garcetti
More Resources
Get educated and take action to help conserve water or facilitate the availability of safe water worldwide with these organizations and links:
    Think globally, but act locally -- conserve water right in your own home and backyard... it all adds up. Be Water Wise is sponsored by the Metropolitan Water District of SoCal -- jump in and take action now, or find out how these successful ideas apply to your community. |
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