All it takes is a online application, cover letter, resume and letter of recommendation.
If you need a few day extension to get your letter of recommendation in please email [email protected] so that we can make note on your application.
Why Should YOU Apply to be a CWS Fellow?
by Peter Biyam, CWS Project Manager
About CWS
CWS has been working so hard to help in bringing clean water to villagers and making sure the people get to understand how important it is to always drink clean water. If you take a look at the kind of water people were drinking five years ago, they ended up getting diseases from the dirty water. But now, due to our excellent and hard work, our partner villages in the northern region are getting access to clean and healthy water.
About the CWS Fellowship
CWS’ fellowship program is a three-week program whereby fellows come down from all over the world to do work in rural villages in the northern region of Ghana. And throughout these three weeks, the fellows are going to be visiting their new villages to really find out what the people’s problems are. If they find that villages don’t have access to clean water, then they return to these villages to talk to the people, explain how a project will work and then find out whether or not the people really want to work with us. If the people want to work with CWS, then the fellows get the necessary supplies they need, build the treatment center, train women in the village to run the center, and talk to everyone in the village about how important it is to really drink clean and healthy water. The fellows go to every household to talk to them and make sure that each family understands how the center works. When the center starts running, the fellows make sure they get back to the villages to monitor the households and talk to people to see what everyone is thinking about CWS and the center.
Why Should YOU be a CWS Fellow?
I think the CWS fellowship is great. You get to meet all sort of people; children, old men, old women, and you get to see a different life altogether. You get to find out how people build their houses and you get to interrupt with chiefs and elders; you get to hold baby goats (and real babies too!) and get the kind of local dishes you have never tasted before. You get to learn how to carry water on your head the same way people do here. All the translators in CWS are awesome – you get to make cool friendships. Most importantly, you get to help people make a good change in their lives.
We can’t wait to see you fellows in December!
CWS Monitoring: Bucking the Trend
Monitoring and evaluation can often seem like the less glamorous younger sister of exciting implementation, who comes first, steals the show, is effortlessly photographable and charms everyone around her. As a CWS staff member whose job starts when the implementers go home, however, I’m here to tell you that monitoring ensures that implementation becomes something more than superficial AND has a certain charm of her own!
Just a few more Information Sessions
We are down to just a few more information sessions before the Winter Fellowship Application is due. Find out which information session is taking place closest to you and come out and here more about the Fellowship Program.
Thurs. Sept.15 at 4:00pm University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill in the Fedex Global Education Center Room 4003
Thurs. Sept. 15 at 4:30pm Connecticut College in Blaustein Room 212
Thurs. Sept. 15 at 7:00pm & Mon. Sept. 19 at 7:00pm Virginia Tech in Randolph Room Room 212
Sun. Sept. 18 at 5pm Harvard University in the Lamont Library in the Forum Room
Mon. Sept.19 at 6:45pm Yale University in the Anlyan Center outside Room N107
Tues. Sept. 20 at 4:00pm Boston University in the School of Management Room 114
Tues. Sept. 20 at 4:30pm Middlebury College in Hillcrest, Room 103
GT & USC Success!
The Fellowship Information Tour down South is off to a great start! This past Thursday I was in Atlanta at Georgia Tech and had the pleasure of meeting some pretty amazing students. Jasdeep helped coordinate my high tech room. He is a Junior at Georgia Tech and President of the GT Water Alliance, which is a group of students that work to educate students on the global water crisis, while also working to get them involved in various efforts, like CWS’ Fellowship Program. It is so awesome to see such young people be so involved in such a pertinent issue! I am really looking forward to some GT applicants!
This afternoon I was off to University of South Carolina. It was a beautiful day for a nice cruise in my awesome wheels. Can’t miss me that’s for sure!
Next stop my alma mater… Clemson University! I can’t wait to be on my own turf with my Tigers!
Updates From the Field: Shak Reflects (and Kathryn Photographs)
Today we have a very special blog post, written by our wonderful Assistant Project Manager, Shak! Here’s what Shak has to say about the past couple of weeks in the field:
Frequent visits are really helping a lot in the communities.
And I am happy everyone is liking our system.
People [keep] telling us how they are having good changes in health as compared to the past.
And I am happy with our team and our management in the office.
We work according to the moto.
-Shakun Ibrahim, CWS Assistant Project Manager
More Information Session Dates Booked!
CWS is getting ready to pack up and head South to hold more information sessions at universities we would love to see you there!
I could not be more excited to speak to more st
udents about CWS! While I take the South by storm other information sessions will be taking place all over the East Coast held by other Fellow Alum. Check out where we’ll be and come out to learn more about the program and ask questions! Email me, Sam at sderrick@communitywatersolutions, if you are interested in CWS holding an information session at your school and don’t see if on the list! Be a part of this amazing experience and help us get clean drinking water to more villages in Ghana!
-Sam
INFORMATION SESSION DATES & LOCATIONS
Thurs. Sept. 8 at 8:00pm Georgetown University (ICC Rom 108)
Thurs. Sept. 8 at 6:00pm Georgia Tech in Klaus Room 1447
Mon. Sept. 12 at 1:00pm University of South Carolina in Arnold School of Public Health Room 103
Mon. Sept. 12 at 6:00pm University of Virginia in Newcomb’s South Meeting Room (3rd floor of Newcomb)
Tues. Sept. 13 at 4:30pm Clemson University in Edwards Room 304
Tues. Sept. 13 at 2:00pm Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the TPP Lounge (3rd Floor of E40)
Tues. Sept. 13 at University of Illinois in the Campus YMCA
Wed. Sept. 14 at 6:00pm Boston College in Devlin Hall Room 008
Wed. Sept. 14 at 4:30pm for Amherst College, Smith College, Mt. Holyoke, Hampshire College & University of Massachusetts at the Amherst College Career Center
Wed. Sept. 14 at 6:30pm Elon University in the Moseley Center Room 215
Thurs. Sept.15 at 4:00pm University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill in the Fedex Global Education Center Room 4003
Thurs. Sept. 15 at 7:00pm & Mon. Sept. 19 at 7:00pm Virginia Tech in Randolph Room Room 212
Thurs. Sept. 15 at 4:30pm Connecticut College in Blaustein Room 212
Mon. Sept.19 at 6:45pm Yale University in the Anlyan Center outside Room N107
Tues. Sept. 20 at 4:00pm Boston University in the School of Management Room 114
OTHER INFO SESSION DATES TBD
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Middlebury College
- Harvard University
Email me ([email protected]) if you are interested in attending and we’ll let you know when the dates and locations are set
Fellowship Information Session Tour Kickoff at UMD
I kicked off the Fellowship Information Session tour at University of Maryland yesterday. Despite it being my first information session, I kept my nerves in check and had so much fun! I was able to be a part of the first day of class for Professor Coke Farmer’s Global Health class of FRESHmen. And it went great! They thought it was going to be a normal syllabus first day of class and in I cam trying to get them to step out of their comfort zone and come to Ghana—meanwhile they haven’t even gotten comfortable at school! I think it was quite the surprise for them!
The students had been assigned to watch the National Academies a “Running Dry: Call to Action” before class and so, they had a good base-level of knowledge about the global water crisis. After I presented we opened up the floor for questions and they came pouring in. I must have at least 30 questions—the students were completely engaged and I loved it. I am really looking forward to some UMD fellowship applicants!
Talking to the UMD students got me really pumped about all the information sessions to come! Next stop —ATL to meet some Georgia Tech students and I can’t wait!
Below is the National Academies “Running Dry: A Call to Action” that Professor Coke Farmer shared with me. Definitely worth a watch!
-Sam
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3LH_2ur2LE]
Updates From the Field: A First Time for Everything
We have settled into a nice routine here in Tamale. We visit a handful of houses and check up on the treatment center in each village once every week or two. Even in the new villages our faces are familiar by now! And speaking of faces: I am trying my best to get pictures from each village so that those of you at home who remember your community can see how everyone is doing.
The tricky thing about routines, though, is how easily they are broken! This was also definitely a week of firsts as well.
In Kadula, a runaway tractor (incredible mental image) got away from its owner after being ‘bathed’ in the dugout. It ran downhill and (naturally) hit Kadula’s treatment center. Luckily only the stand suffered any damage.
The silver lining to this unfortunate incident is how well the community is doing literal damage control. When I arrived on Tuesday to speak with the chief and elders, they already had a plan for repairs and some new rules for vehicles around the dugout. I will keep you updated on their progress!
In Jagberin, Ayesha and Fulera decided that it was time to clean the polytank, so when we visited on Thursday we talked them through the process. In this split community each village ‘side’ takes a turn filling the blue drums, but this time they both pitched in to get everything cleaned quickly. We were pleasantly surprised to find the center up and running the next day.
– Kathryn
Fellowship Information Sessions this Fall
[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/27626449]
I could NOT be more excited to tour around to different schools this fall! CWS will be in search for fellows to join us this Winter as we bring clean drinking water to 8 more villages! Come to an info session near you to hear more about CWS and ask any questions you may have about the Fellowship Program. Applications due Sept. 26th 5pm EST.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS!!
AUG 31st University of Maryland @ 3pm
SEPT 8th Georgia Tech @ 6pm
SEPT 13th Clemson University @ 6pm
SEPT 14th Boston College @ 6pm
SEPT 15th Univeristy of North Carolina–Chapel Hill @ TBD
SEPT 19th Yale University @ 7pm
**Make sure to continue to follow our blog and facebook for more details on exact locations as dates approach
MORE INFO SESSION DATES TBD:
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Virginia Tech
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University of South Carolina
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Duke University
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Middlebury College
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Amherst College
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Smith College
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Mt. Holyoke College
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Hampshire College
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University of Massachusetts
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Georgetown University
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Elon University
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Johns Hopkins University
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Boston University
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George Washington University
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University of Virginia
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Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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Harvard University
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University of Illinois
If your school isn’t listed please contact me at [email protected] and we will try to book something!