My name is Vivianne Kiriinya. I am a UN Volunteer Communications Specialist with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) since May 2024. I am based in my home country, Kenya and I serve with the Early Warning and Assessment Division under the World Water Quality Alliance (WWQA). These are some of my reflections.
We need water to survive.
Just as much as we need air, sunlight and food.
As a Communications Specialist, my main task is to ensure that the work of WWQA is given the attention it deserves. In addition, I raise awareness of clean drinking water in communities.
How do I do that?
Through creative outreach — success stories, social media, the corporate website, and more.
Water is a basic human right and everyone needs to be part of the conversation.
My specific task includes managing the social media pages for the WWQA and ensuring it has a broad audience. I feel social media is a powerful way to encourage people to think about water conservation.
I also edit the website, work on the newsletter, and through posts clearly explain the role and impact of WWQA's work on the importance of water quality.
Clean water needs a collective effort of everyone including scientists, researchers, politicians, water professionals, artists, and citizens, and especially the younger generation.
Moreover, reliable and accessible data is essential. And converting the data into actionable points.
WWQA is coordinated by UNEP, its members, and its governing bodies. It comprises of 16 different workstreams located in various parts of the world and includes local water forums. These forums are crucial because they make sure local communities are involved in decision-making about water quality. A workstream of the alliance is called Citizen Science Initiative, which trains young people to become scientists.
An aspect of my volunteer assignment is telling stories of such collaborations between the WWQA and local water forums. Success stories give people hope that something is being done to make clean water accessible to everyone, and that science and technology are also being used for the bigger picture.
Water quality is not just about clean water, it also means less pollution and more land restoration. When we push for better water quality, we're also advocating for planting more trees to help with purification.
I am proud that my work contributes to advocacy efforts on water.
After all, water is life. It is that simple.