The Sarphati Sanitation Awards were created in 2013 to honour individuals or organisations having made contributions to global sanitation and public health, notably through entrepreneurship. They are awarded every two years, and named in honour of Samuel Sarphati, a Dutch sanitation engineer. They were created by World Waternet, the Netherlands Water Partnership and Aqua for All, and are endorsed by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs through its Directorate-General for International Cooperation. [1] In 2018 the WSSCC joined them. They are usually awarded during the Amsterdam International Water Week.
Originally a single award, from 2015 the awards were split into the Sarphati Sanitation Award for Lifetime Achievement and the Sarphati Sanitation Award for Promising Entrepreneurs. The latter is accompanied by a €25,000 prize.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), a merging of the William H. Gates Foundation and the Gates Learning Foundation, is an American private foundation founded by Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates. Based in Seattle, Washington, it was launched in 2000 and is reported as of 2020 to be the second largest charitable foundation in the world, holding $49.8 billion in assets. The primary stated goals of the foundation are to enhance healthcare and reduce extreme poverty across the world, and to expand educational opportunities and access to information technology in the U.S. Key individuals of the foundation include Bill Gates, Melinda French Gates, Warren Buffett, chief executive officer Mark Suzman, and Michael Larson.
Sanitation refers to public health conditions related to clean drinking water and adequate treatment and disposal of human excreta and sewage. Preventing human contact with feces is part of sanitation, as is hand washing with soap. Sanitation systems aim to protect human health by providing a clean environment that will stop the transmission of disease, especially through the fecal–oral route. For example, diarrhea, a main cause of malnutrition and stunted growth in children, can be reduced through adequate sanitation. There are many other diseases which are easily transmitted in communities that have low levels of sanitation, such as ascariasis, cholera, hepatitis, polio, schistosomiasis, and trachoma, to name just a few.
Johannes "Joop" Adrianus van den Ende is a Dutch theatrical producer, co-founder of international television production company Endemol and founder/owner of Stage Entertainment, Europe's largest live entertainment company. Stage Entertainment was established in 1998 after being split off from the Live Entertainment Division of Endemol. The company has offices and theatres in eight countries.
Joseph Louis Rotman,, was a noted Canadian businessman and philanthropist. Rotman was the founder, benefactor and member of many successful organizations, such as the Clairvest Group Inc., the Rotman Research Institute, the Rotman School of Management, and the Rotman Institute of Philosophy. Throughout his life, he received three honorary degrees, as well as an induction into the Canadian Business Hall of Fame. He is well-regarded for donating his time and financial assistance to numerous philanthropic causes including the arts, education and healthcare.
Raymond Alexander Muzyka is a Canadian investor, entrepreneur and physician. Originally trained as a medical doctor and practicing as an emergency department and family physician after graduation, he is the co-founder of video game developer BioWare, and was CEO, senior vice president, and general manager of the BioWare label of Electronic Arts. In October 2012 he announced that he was embarking on a 'third career' mentoring and angel investing in technology, new media, medical and social entrepreneurs, and impact investing at ThresholdImpact.
Samuel Sarphati was a Dutch physician and Amsterdam city planner.
Bindeshwar Pathak is an Indian sociologist and social entrepreneur. He is the founder of Sulabh International, an India-based social service organisation which works to promote human rights, environmental sanitation, non-conventional sources of energy, waste management and social reforms through education. He is the Brand Ambassador for Swachh Rail Mission of Indian Railways. His work is considered pioneering in social reform, especially in the field of sanitation and hygiene. He received various national and international awards for his work with this organisation. He was presented with the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award for Excellence in Public Administration, Academics and Management for the year 2017. He was conferred with Padma Bhushan, India's third-highest civilian award in 1991.
Presented annually since 1991, the Stockholm Water Prize is an award that recognizes outstanding achievements in water related activities. Over the past two decades, Stockholm Water Prize Laureates have come from across the world and represented a wide range of professions, disciplines and activities in the field of water.
Philip James is a British entrepreneur and adventurer living in California. He is currently CEO of Penrose Hill, a wine company based in Napa, California that sells through its website Firstleaf.com and through retail. He was also the founding CEO of both Lot18, a private sale site for wine and food, and Snooth, a comparison shopping internet site for wine.
Bavaguthu Raghuram Shetty is an Indian-born businessman who is the founder and acquirer of a number of companies based in the United Arab Emirates, including Abu Dhabi-based NMC Health, Neopharma, BRS Ventures, and Finablr. Shetty's initial interest in 1975 was in hospitals and hospitality and has since diversified into pharmaceuticals, financial services, retail, advertising and information technology. He was included on the Forbes list of India's 100 Richest People in 2015 and was listed as the 42nd richest person in 2020.
The Asian Awards is an annual award ceremony for the global Asian community which takes place in the United Kingdom, with 14 categories that include business, philanthropy, entertainment, culture and sport. Nominees are selected by an independent judging panel initially co-chaired by Baroness Verma and Nat Wei, Baron Wei then from 2014 onwards Karan Bilimoria, Baron Bilimoria.
Founded in 1950 as the Anglo-Israel Chamber of Commerce, UK Israel Business encourages and supports bilateral trade and investment between the UK & Israel. Previously known as the British-Israel Chamber of Commerce, the name UK Israel Business was adopted in 2011 through a merger between the former British-Israel Chamber of Commerce (B-ICC) and Israel Britain Business Council (IBBC).
Joe Madiath is an Indian social entrepreneur. He is the founder and former executive director of Gram Vikas, a non-governmental organisation based in Odisha, India. Gram Vikas uses common concerns for water and sanitation to unite and empower rural communities, including adivasi communities.
Gram Vikas is an Indian non-governmental organisation based in Odisha, and founded in 1979. Gram Vikas works towards enabling rural communities to lead a dignified life. This is done by building capabilities of village communities, strengthening community institutions and mobilising resources. Gram Vikas works on six focus areas which are water, livelihoods, sanitation & hygiene, habitat & technologies, village institutions and education.
The Hult Prize is an annual, year-long competition that crowd-sources ideas from university level students after challenging them to solve a pressing social issue around topics such as food security, water access, energy, and education. It was founded by Ahmad Ashkar and is funded by Bertil Hult, the latter of whom, along with his family – founders of EF Education First – donates US$1 million in seed capital to help the winning team launch a social enterprise.
Camille Dow Baker is a Canadian humanitarian and engineer. She is co-founder of the not-for-profit engineering consultancy Centre for Affordable Water and Sanitation Technology (CAWST). She has held senior positions in the petroleum industry, received national and international honors and was president and CEO of CAWST until September 2011.
Robert Braithwaite was a British entrepreneur, marine engineer and Founder and President of the luxury powerboat manufacturer, alongside John Macklin, Sunseeker.
Gary White is the CEO and co-founder of Water.org and WaterEquity. In 1990, he co-founded WaterPartners an American nonprofit developmental aid organization focused on universal access to safe drinking water and sanitation for people in developing countries. In July 2009, WaterPartners merged with Matt Damon's H2O Africa Foundation to create Water.org.
Holly Lee Tucker is a British entrepreneur, philanthropist, and UK Ambassador for Creative Small Businesses. Tucker is founder and Chief Inspirator of the online marketplace, notonthehighstreet.com; founder of Holly & Co, a small business advice and inspiration platform and co-author of best-selling business books Build a Business From Your Kitchen Table and Shape Up Your Business.
Brianne West is a New Zealand entrepreneur and the founder of Ethique, the world's first zero-waste beauty brand. In 2016 she was named a "Global Thinker" by Foreign Policy magazine.