First Nation Goods Announces Clean Water Initiative
TORONTO, ON, CANADA, MARCH 2, 2022 /EINPRESSWIRE.COM/ — THE ORGANIZATION IS SEEKING PARTNERS TO BRING CLEAN WATER TO INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES IN CANADA.
First Nation Goods, a company offering a wide range of services and products to Indigenous people and communities in Canada, announces the Clean Water For All initiative. The effort seeks to promote and provide access to clean water for Indigenous communities.
First Nation Goods promotes the right of Indigenous communities to self-govern and achieve basic human rights as set forth in the UN Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. It believes the path to helping achieve this is by providing clean water and proper sanitation techniques to all First Nations. The company partners with TrueNorthAid, SDWF (Safe Water Drinking Foundation) and Water First. Together, they support the four core values of the Clean Water For All initiative:
Everyone has a right to safe and clean water.
The water crisis in Indigenous communities in Canada is unacceptable.
Skills training is critical to building sustainable solutions to water challenges in First Nation communities.
Collaborative programs with First Nations communities should integrate Indigenous values, knowledge, customs, and traditions at every opportunity.
“We don’t accept the water crisis in these communities,” says a spokesperson for First Nation Goods.
Boil water advisories in these communities are commonplace, even in one of the most water-rich countries in the world. In 2015, 126 First Nations were placed under a drinking water advisory. As of 2021, 33 nations remained under the advisory.
Concerned citizens and organizations, including First Nation Goods, note that the Canadian government has yet to fulfill its promise of providing the necessary funding to establish water and sanitation treatment systems. To make up for the lack of funding, the government has proposed using public-private partnerships (P3s) to address the issue.
Opponents of P3s note that such partnerships are typically costly and often lead to the privatization of water. This still leaves local communities vulnerable because they have no control over water services. This has become more important due to COVID-19 and the lingering pandemic.
First Nation Goods also seeks to expand its partnership base with other businesses and nonprofits that serve and/or care about First Nation communities. The initiative needs to provide financial and volunteer support to educate and train communities on safe water techniques and encourage the development of high-quality drinking water and sanitation services. Advocates willing to pressure government officials to fulfill promises to help make clean water available to all First Nation communities and create a “Boil Water Advisory” free Canada are also needed.
