http://www.nextbillion.net/blogs/2008/05/05/unclogging-the-water-and-sanitation-crisis-vote-now Comments for "Unclogging the Water and Sanitation Crisis - Vote Now!" en http://www.nextbillion.net/blogs/2008/05/05/unclogging-the-water-and-sanitation-crisis-vote-now <img src="http://www.changemakers.net/files/waterlg.jpg" border="0" width="200" height="90" align="right" />As Ana first <a href="/blogs/2008/02/01/unclogging-the-water-and-sanitation-crisis">reported back in February</a>, Ashoka&#39;s <a href="http://www.changemakers.net">Changemakers</a> and the <a href="http://www.globalwaterchallenge.org/home/home.php">Global Water Challenge</a> have partnered to open a worldwide search for ideas and projects with the potential to transform the provision of sanitation and water worldwide.  The search, entitled <a href="http://www.changemakers.net/en-us/competition/waterandsanitation">Unclogging the Water and Sanitation Crisis</a>, began with a call for projects and culminates this Sunday, when voting closes.<br /> <br /> This is a competition through collaboration, meaning that the Changemakers community gets to nominate projects, vet them and vote for the winner.  (If you&#39;ve never heard of Changemakers, check out Leslie Berger&#39;s <a href="http://www.ssireview.org/articles/entry/competing_for_a_change/">concise profile of their work</a> in the Stanford Social Innovation Review.)  <br /> <br /> The water and sanitation competition is coming to a close; 9 finalists have been selected by the community, and voting is open.  If you haven&#39;t already, drop by the Changemakers site and vote - it only takes a few minutes, and your voice actually counts (the winner gets $5,000 cash and is eligible for up to $1 million worth of <a href="http://www.changemakers.net/en-us/node/5798/">Global Water Challenge grants</a>).  <br /> <br /> In an era when most decisions - political, business - are made in back rooms away from our inquiring eyes, Changemakers represents real change.  By opening up the decision making process to anyone with a web connection, they are democratizing (and crowdsourcing) at the base of the pyramid.  Happy voting...<br class="clear" /><p><a href="http://www.nextbillion.net/blogs/2008/05/05/unclogging-the-water-and-sanitation-crisis-vote-now">read more</a></p> http://www.nextbillion.net/blogs/2008/05/05/unclogging-the-water-and-sanitation-crisis-vote-now#comment Health Water Mon, 05 May 2008 09:25:30 -0500 Rob Katz 5499 at http://www.nextbillion.net