Selection criteria for projects
Our criteria for supporting projects are as follows (excerpt):
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We emphasise involving all interested parties (beneficiaries, users, public authorities in the sense of a ‘PPP - public & private partnership’, sponsors, the foundation) – Water for Life is a two-way street; we do not distribute money, we plan, develop and deliver tangible results.
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We work at the same level as interested parties: Mutual transparency, respect, tolerance and "leading by example" are central to the projects.
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The projects that we carry out are monitored and managed by the Board of Directors, even after they are completed and in operation - we do not lose sight of the purpose of the Foundation funds.
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We invest funds in projects with a model character which set an example for third parties. We aim to provide an incentive to ‘help people help themselves’, we do not aim to create dependency.
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Water for Life projects should lead to a significant and demonstrable improvement in the quality of life for people, animals and plants - this is not an exercise which is an end in itself.
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We provide regular updates about the success of projects on our website: we archive accounts for our donors; tracing how funds are used is essential and complete transparency a must.
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Members of the Board of Directors and Advisory Board work without financial compensation, only strictly project related expenditures and those previously approved are reimbursed.
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We invest in projects which have a high chance of sustainability - ‘bottomless pits’ are not our thing.