One Drop Foundation
Encyclopedia
The ONE DROP Foundation—an initiative of Guy Laliberté, Founder of Cirque du Soleil
®—is a non-governmental organization
(NGO) established on October 29, 2007, in Montreal
, Canada
. Its mission is to fight poverty worldwide by supporting access to water and raising individual and community awareness of the need to mobilize so that safe water is accessible to all, in sufficient quantity, today and tomorrow. Its distinctive approach is based on social arts and popular education. ONE DROP seeks to be an agent of change and influence in the world.
® and its Cirque du Monde program, ONE DROP uses circus arts, folklore, popular theatre, music, dance and visual arts to raise awareness of water-related issues, promote the sharing of wealth and encourage people to take action, in both the South and the North.
ONE DROP has developed a unique and entertaining approach to touring projects rooted in community participation. Incorporating the arts into educational initiatives has proven to be an effective means of achieving sustainable change.
For its projects, ONE DROP has designed an approach that it calls “tripod approach,” as it is based on three complementary components: a technical
component, a microfinance
component and a social arts and popular education
component.
Since ONE DROP’s beginning in 2007, $41 million dollars is the amount raised and pledged. With these generous donations, the foundation had given some 25,000 people access to water all across the globe.
Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil , is a Canadian entertainment company, self-described as a "dramatic mix of circus arts and street entertainment." Based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul in 1984 by two former street performers, Guy...
®—is a non-governmental organization
Non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
(NGO) established on October 29, 2007, in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Its mission is to fight poverty worldwide by supporting access to water and raising individual and community awareness of the need to mobilize so that safe water is accessible to all, in sufficient quantity, today and tomorrow. Its distinctive approach is based on social arts and popular education. ONE DROP seeks to be an agent of change and influence in the world.
The approach
Convinced that a comprehensive, planetary approach is required to pursue its mission, ONE DROP works on three levels:- Making water accessible to those deprived of this resource;
- Raising awareness among individuals and communities of water-related issues, the need to mobilize and the importance of adopting responsible water-management practices;
- Helping put water at the heart of public debate and international agendas.
Arts and culture
Inspired by Cirque du SoleilCirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil , is a Canadian entertainment company, self-described as a "dramatic mix of circus arts and street entertainment." Based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul in 1984 by two former street performers, Guy...
® and its Cirque du Monde program, ONE DROP uses circus arts, folklore, popular theatre, music, dance and visual arts to raise awareness of water-related issues, promote the sharing of wealth and encourage people to take action, in both the South and the North.
ONE DROP has developed a unique and entertaining approach to touring projects rooted in community participation. Incorporating the arts into educational initiatives has proven to be an effective means of achieving sustainable change.
Developing countries
ONE DROP carries out projects to give impoverished communities in developing countries.For its projects, ONE DROP has designed an approach that it calls “tripod approach,” as it is based on three complementary components: a technical
Technical
Technical may refer to:*Technical , a fighting vehicle based on a pickup truck*Technical analysis, a discipline for forecasting the future direction of prices through the study of past market data*Technical drawing, also known as drafting...
component, a microfinance
Microfinance
Microfinance is the provision of financial services to low-income clients or solidarity lending groups including consumers and the self-employed, who traditionally lack access to banking and related services....
component and a social arts and popular education
Popular education
Popular education is a concept grounded in notions of class, political struggle, and social transformation. The term is a translation from the Spanish educación popular or the Portuguese educação popular and rather than the English usage as when describing a 'popular television program,' popular...
component.
- The technicalTechnicalTechnical may refer to:*Technical , a fighting vehicle based on a pickup truck*Technical analysis, a discipline for forecasting the future direction of prices through the study of past market data*Technical drawing, also known as drafting...
component is aimed at improving access to water and promoting responsible water management and preservation principles; - The microfinanceMicrofinanceMicrofinance is the provision of financial services to low-income clients or solidarity lending groups including consumers and the self-employed, who traditionally lack access to banking and related services....
component is aimed at granting loans to populations who already have better access to water so they may start productive revenue-generating activities, thus ensuring project sustainability; - The social artsARtsaRts, which stands for analog Real time synthesizer, is an audio framework that is no longer under development. It is best known for previously being used in KDE to simulate an analog synthesizer....
and popular educationPopular educationPopular education is a concept grounded in notions of class, political struggle, and social transformation. The term is a translation from the Spanish educación popular or the Portuguese educação popular and rather than the English usage as when describing a 'popular television program,' popular...
component is designed to raise collective awareness as well as educate and mobilize the population on water-related issues.
Developed countries
In developed countries, ONE DROP’s playful, educational and inspiring activities are aimed at raising individual and community awareness of water-related issues, both on a local and international level, and of the need to mobilize. In addition, these activities not only urge each and every one to use water responsibly, as this resource is crucial to the survival of all life forms on Earth, they also play a role in putting the issue of water at the heart of public debate.Donations
Guy Laliberté, founder of Cirque du Soleil, has undertaken to donate $100 million to the organization over 25 years.Since ONE DROP’s beginning in 2007, $41 million dollars is the amount raised and pledged. With these generous donations, the foundation had given some 25,000 people access to water all across the globe.