The Educational Water Pact, a partnership between the Israeli company Y.A Maof and the Pontifical Foundation Scholas Occurrentes, that aims to Solve Water Challenges across the globe, presented their activities in an event in the Vatican with the presence of his holiness Pope Francis himself.
Tuesday, May 31st – Jerusalem, Scholas Occurrentes, a Pontifical Foundation, together with the Israeli company Y.A. Maof, and under the framework of the Educational Water Pact Forum, gained the support and blessing of Pope Francis in an exceptional event.
The Educational Water Pact Forum was born from the common vision of the Pontifical Foundation Scholas Occurrentes and Israeli innovation and project management company Y.A. Maof. Last July, the two signed the pact in Madrid, creating the forum in order to heed the call of the world's most vulnerable, inspired by the ethical challenge of Pope Francis whereby every child in the world should be able to drink a clean glass of water. The Pact aims to find the most optimal solutions by bringing Israeli and international technology and knowledge to the table, in order to address water supply challenges through socio-environmental projects. Y.A. Maof is an entrepreneurial project management company that provides advanced solutions that turn environmental challenges into resources through long-term, sustainable, economically and environmentally beneficial solutions.
On May 19th, an event was held at the Urbaniana University, situated in the Vatican. During this event, 50 children from 11 countries that participated in a venture organized by Scholas Occurrentes, presented projects that promote caring for the earth to Pope Francis. The children were the inaugural class of the Laudato Si school and came from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Spain, Haiti, Italy, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay and Portugal. Their projects were aimed at developing their local communities.
The meeting was also attended by Jose Maria del Corral, President of Scholas Occurrentes, Enrique Palmeyro, World Director of Scholas Occurrentes and Sergio Diaz-Granados, Executive President of CAF (the development bank of Latin America). Bono Vox, the lead singer of U2, who has displayed continuous support for the activities led by Scholas Occurrentes, was also a guest at the event, in addition to other representatives of art, sports, technology and civil society from countries where Scholas has developed their activities such as Ronaldinho Gaucho and Dani Alves.
Ygdal Ach, President and CEO of Y.A. Maof presented during the event current and planned projects of the Educational Water Pact Forum and how their implementation will provide water sustainability solutions in regions of Latin America. As part of his presentation, Mr. Ach demonstrated one of the solutions that has been produced through the fruitful connections of Y.A. Maof with global water technology companies: a water filtration device, three of which were donated and delivered to Mr. Jorge Capitanich, Governor of Chaco, Argentina on behalf of the Educational Water Pact Forum.
Water is the most important resource for sustaining life. However, water is also one of the most lacking resources for many communities, particularly in Latin America. The Educational Water Pact Forum intends to address this problem by implementing projects in different areas of Latin America that provide impact investment solutions. These methods will firstly provide solutions to problems of water pollution and/or scarcity whilst also creating jobs and advancing local education. The projects will thereby improve the quality of life of the local population by giving them access to invaluable resources while also strengthening the local economy.
Two more gatherings are scheduled this year to promote the Water Pact’s goals. The next upcoming meeting is scheduled to take place at the Vatican. It will be the first official meeting of the Pact’s Board of Governors and an opportunity for water industry companies to present their solutions, activities and progress since the launch of the forum, as well as the Educational Water Pact Forum’s standard, which will be officially launched and awarded to eligible companies.
On September 5th-7th, the 7th International Scholas Chairs Congress, in collaboration with the Educational Water Pact Forum, will convene at the Católica Silva Henriquez University in Santiago de Chile to discuss education as the main instrument for social change. The event will bring together professors and researchers from the universities that are members of the Scholas Chairs Program, together with prominent religious, cultural, business, and diplomatic figures, as well as representatives from NGOs, trade unions and governments.
Learn more about the water pact initiative: The Water Pact website.
Read the article about the event that was published on Vatican News.
In order to watch the full recording of the event click on the link below:
About Scholas Occurrentes
Scholas Occurrentes is a Pontifical organization active in 190 countries, present in five continents, founded by Pope Francis to build the “Culture of Encounter.” In the educational field, its network connects more than 450,000 schools and a hundred universities in 35 countries with students from different socioeconomic backgrounds, diverse cultures and religions. It creates synergies and promotes knowledge sharing for the benefit of local communities. In the environmental aspect, Scholas is committed to promoting "integral ecology," meaning a change of habits and a more sustainable lifestyle that will allow humanity to take better care of Earth, our common home, as advocated by the Pope in his encyclical “Laudato Si.”
About Y.A. Maof
Y.A. Maof is an entrepreneurial project management company that provides advanced solutions that turn environmental challenges into resources. It is committed to creating long-term, sustainable economic and environmental benefits guided by the circular economy principles, and its solutions are based on sustainable business models in the fields of water infrastructure and purification, renewable energy, waste and wastewater management.
At the core of its activities, Y.A. Maof creates connections between people and technology, to allow regional decision-makers to pivot and lead their economy, environment, and society. The company accomplishes this by leading powerful global partnerships and facilitating meetings between academic experts, and social and spiritual leaders to promote together scalable, applicable, and innovative solutions.
This article was written in cooperation with Y.A. Maof