Water brigades: How to work for charity and justice

Medical brigades are a common way for students and professionals in high-income countries to spend a short amount of time in low- and middle-income countries and contribute to the health agenda. With the increased attention given to water and sanitation, water brigades are emerging as another option for short-term, mission-specific projects. Experience has shown that medical brigades can do short-term charity work very well, but often lack long-term, justice-oriented goals. As opportunities for water brigades increase, organizations must ensure that their actions support the local health infrastructure rather than undermine it. Medical brigades exist, and water brigades are emerging, because those who have resources feel some desire to help those who lack. This desire is grounded in the ethical concern to be in right relationship with the other. The public health community should provide a way for organizations to think through how water brigades can best contribute to the local health infrastructure. Such a framework meets public health objectives in an ethical way. By focusing both on charity and justice, this presentation provides a series of questions that organizations should attempt to answer before leaving on a short-term brigade.