273247 Carbon for Water Initiative

Monday, October 29, 2012 : 3:10 PM - 3:30 PM

Alison Hill, MPH , Regional Office for the Americas, Vestergaard-Frendsen, Arlington, VA
     
Vestergaard Frandsen, a humanitarian enterprise that works to improve public health, mitigate environmental impact of development and secure the global food supply, has developed and implemented the first carbon-financed safe drinking water program. This single project provides more than 4.5 million people in Western Kenya with access to safe water and produces more than 2 million tones of carbon offset annually.

This program utilizes an innovative methodology for financing public health that was designed to address some of the major challenges with traditional development aid; volatility of grant funding and sustainability of providing public health services and tools. This method of financing also incorporates a results based payment framework or pay-for-performance that ties program payment to measurable outcome indicators.

Learning Areas:
Environmental health sciences
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Public health or related public policy

Learning Objectives:
Describe a public health financing model design that decreases reliance on traditional development funding, increases sustainability and integrates a pay-for-performance incentive in achieving measurable program gains and health outcomes Explain one example of how carbon markets have been leverages for a large-scale public health program and identify the strengths of the business model that can be adapted to other programs and/or sources of public health finances

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been the program director,implementing and currently managing the LifeStraw Carbon for Water Program in Western Kenya focusing on the provision of a point-of-use water filter to provide 4.5 million Kenyans with safe water financed through international carbon markets. My past experience has been in implementation of infectious disease public health programs and the development of innovative financing solutions.
Any relevant financial relationships? Yes

Name of Organization Clinical/Research Area Type of relationship
Vestergaard Frandsen Managing Director Employment (includes retainer)

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 3351.0: Beyond Business-as-Usual Aid Models: Commercial & Social Entrepreneurship in the Health Sector