Biography:

Director, Partnerships

Living Water International

www.water.cc

Michael Plato serves on the Living Water International Partnerships Team and directs LWI’s efforts in Washington, DC. In his role, Michael works to represent LWI policy expertise and learn from the best practices of other WASH orgs. He has been with LWI since April 2010. Prior to joining LWI, Michael served with the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, a US Government agency, working on economic development policy in Africa and post-conflict states. During his four years with OPIC, Michael served and traveled extensively as a US Diplomat, working with foreign governments and policy-makers to represent the interests of the US Government and sponsored projects

Abstract - The Importance of Community Participation and Input for A Successful Water Supply Project:

Living Water International (LWI) will speak on the necessity of community participation and input for successful water supply projects in the developing world. Utilizing experience and examples from LWI’s work in 29 countries, LWI will speak to the need for community participation in site selection, technology choice, and buy-in to providing water for their community, all with the goal of providing a long-term solution, and increasing the sustainable of the water supply.