Water for Life, Not for Profit

Three activists share their experiences in the worldwide fight against water privatization from Nicaragua to Stockton, California Special Guest Speaker from Nicaragua Guadalupe Sequeira Guadalupe Sequeira has been involved in numerous struggles for social justice. She has been involved in the struggles to roll back the price hikes in basic public services and in union actions against the rise in the cost of the "basket" of basic food and other needs. She has worked as a volunteer with the National Consumers' Defense Network and participates actively in the team that trains the legal educators, most especially in the Campaign against Water Privatization. Dezaraye Bagalayos Organizer, Stockton, CA Dezaraye has been leading the charge to protect Stockton's public water system from being taken over by global corporations that look a lot like Enron. This 20-year, $600 million contract is Thames Water's ticket to privatizing water and wastewater treatment services in the US, where more than 85% of the people are served by a public utility. Dezaraye will report back from the World Water Forum in Kyoto, Japan where she joined with international activists to demand that water be treated as a human right, not a commodity. Juliette Beck Organizer, Public Citizen's Water for All Juliette Beck joined the staff of Public Citizen's West Coast office in July, 2002 to spearhead the California Water for All Campaign which aims to protect the world's water from corporate takeover. For the last eight years, Juliette has organized grassroots coalitions to challenge corporate globalization and advance the rights of workers, communities and the environment.