Beyonce’s first tweet in over a year says nothing about the twins or 4:44.
It’s been a big week for Beyonce and her family, with the release of husband JAY-Z’s long awaited 4:44 album and the (rumoured) naming of their twins, a boy and a girl.
Her tweet, posted on June 30, read: ‘Mothers in Burundi want to provide clean, safe water for their children.
The joint campaign, known as #BEYGOOD4BURUNDI, aims to provide drinking water for half a million people in Burundi, Africa.
‘Burundi is one of the most densely populated countries in Africa with nearly half of the population lacking access to clean, safe drinking water,’ reads the description on beyonce.com, ‘BEYGOOD4BURUNDI and UNICEF will support building water supply systems for healthcare facilities and schools, and the drilling of boreholes, wells and springs to bring safe water to districts.’ BeyGood has previously teamed up with the Prince’s Trust, using fan donations to help young people in the UK to access education and employment.
Although Beyonce is not a prolific tweeter, posting just a handful of times in the past, most of her Twitter output is dedicated to her philanthropic work.
Back in 2013, she posted a link to her being interviewed about her humanitarian efforts.
The last few months have no doubt been a mixed bag for Beyonce, with the birth of her twins coinciding with Jay Z’s album – his first in three years, rumoured to have been written in response to Beyonce’s Lemonade album which outlines his infidelity.
Given all this, her continued dedication to charity work is nothing short of admirable.
For those wanting to donate to the #BEYGOODFORBURUNDI campaign, the charity donation link is here.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry, with assistance from technical partners and in collaboration with the Angolan government, has conducted studies and test trials about the viability of the underground water source.
The ministry is currently carrying out pilot projects by supplying water to Eenhana and Omundaungilo constituencies in Ohangwena region from the aquifer to test the quality and quantity of the water.
Fillipus Shilongo, the acting chief regional officer for Ohangwena Regional Council, said the region is pinning its hope on the aquifer to solve the lingering water shortage.
Close to 70 percent of region’s inhabitants in rural areas continue to drink “brown and blackish” water from traditional wells and salty water from borehole, which is not even fit for animal consumption, Shilongo told The Southern Times.
“The water from Oshikunde and Epembe boreholes has been confirmed to contain higher fluoride, which is not suitable for human consumption.
That’s why the Okongo Regional Office is still using water from the tank that we supply them from Eenhana town,” he said.
The aquifer that flows across the borders with Angola is estimated to contain about 20 billion cubic metres of freshwater on the Namibian side.
“Angola knows what is happening in Namibia and we know what is happening in Angola as Ohangwena underground aquifer is of concern and we are working together to carry a similar study on the Angola side and as well as in Botswana,” said Nehemiah.
Nehemiah said the government was going to develop the aquifer in phases based on the budget available from treasury and development partners.
It further recommends that ensuring universal access to safe and affordable drinking water for all by 2030 requires countries of the world to invest in adequate infrastructure, provide sanitation facilities, and encourage hygiene at every level.

Water scarcity in water rich Bhutan.
According to the National Health Survey 2012, the proportion of Bhutan’s population with access to improved drinking water source is 97.7 percent.
However, in some rural parts of our country, people have to depend on rainwater for both drinking and irrigation.
Assessment of rural drinking water quality carried out by the Royal Centre for Disease Control in 2012 showed that only 17 percent of stream water sources and 28 percent of spring water sources were safe for use as drinking water.
Assurance of safe drinking water is still a major challenge in Bhutan.
The residents of Laptsakha village in Punakha, Shumar, Gamung and Gonpung in Pemagatshel, Phangyul in Wangdue, and Kengkhar in Mongar are facing acute shortage of water.
According to a study done by Ugyen Wangchuck Institute for Conversation and Environment Research, climate change, in addition to increasing anthropogenic activities, could impact both quality and quantity of water because climate change in the region is occurring at a greater speed than elsewhere.
Going by a more recent rural water supply inventory, about 13,732 rural households across the country are facing drinking water problem.
When there is no water to drink and to farm, people from villages will be forced to migrate.
Citizens of the country with rich water resource cannot go begging for water to drink.

What’s next in the Delta Tunnels fight?.
The California State Water Resources Board has to give the permit for the water.
Proponents say those who buy water from the State Water Project and federal Central Valley Project will pay for the tunnels.
“What you didn’t see in the biological report released is a report from Westlands Water District that they thought it was such a great deal for them or that it is affordable.” Mrs. Barrigan-Parrilla added that her organization has heard that the president of the Kern County Water Agency said that he believes his agency will get a million acre-feet of additional water from the Delta tunnels.
(See link below for more information on the Monterey deal) Where is the Twin Tunnel Process Now?
“This includes Metropolitan Water of Southern California, a wholesale water agency that sells to water agencies throughout California.” Others are the Santa Clara Valley Water District in the Silicon Valley, Westlands Water District, and Kern County Water Agency.
She said that there has been no definite announced plan of how to pay for the twin tunnels project, touted by the governor.
“We’re now going to be going to all the EIR scoping meetings and writing comments at the same time we’re running around trying to stop a vote (at the water districts) and getting ready for Phase II permit for the tunnels at the State Water Resources Board hearings.
“But they have to prove there will be no legal injury to people who own water rights (between Hood and Tracy).” Phase II will be environmental where Restore the Delta will emphasize people who fish in the Delta for cultural reasons, farmworker groups, Indian tribes impacted, and people who recreate in the Delta and the negative economic impacts of the tunnel construction for more than 10 years.
She said her organization is blessed with good local coverage but things have changed in Southern California with new ownership of major newspapers.

Lake Erie could see severe algae bloom.
Research projections suggest Lake Erie’s algae bloom severity could be higher than last year but not as severe as 2015 after wet weather in May led to large phosphorus loads.
Jordan Dale at the National Weather Service in White Lake Township said the climate prediction center has forecast July precipitation to be close to the 3.37-inch average.
Bloom predictions are less than what occurred in 2015, when Lake Erie saw the most severe blooms in recent history.
The toxic blooms led to a three-day ban on drinking water from Lake Erie after toxins were detected in East Toledo and Point Place.
“We’re not seeing a ton of progress yet.
All signs are pointing toward a relatively severe level of bloom this year,” Brammeier said.
“Whether you have a severe toxic bloom and whether you see an impact on the water supply depends on where that bloom is located,” he said.
Last week, the Ohio Lake Erie Commission was charged with reducing phosphorus into western Lake Erie by 40 percent over 10 years.
The NOAA/National Center for Water Quality Research report found that cumulative total loads for bioavailable phosphorus, which lends to rapid algal growth, for the Maumee at the Ohio city of Waterville, “is highly likely to be lower than either 2011 or 2015.

Those who deprive you of water belong in jail, not government Note to editors: the following remarks were delivered today by DA Leader, Mmusi Maimane, in Zinyoka Village, King William’s Town, Eastern Cape.
But even worse than a failure to deliver clean water is the deliberate withholding or sabotage of a community’s water supply for political purposes.
But almost two years later they remain your only source of clean water, with the regular taps standing dry more often than not.
It is equally suspicious that the water in your municipal taps seems to flow in the build-up to elections, but then stops shortly afterwards.
Anyone who deliberately deprives people of this basic human right deserves to be in jail, not government.
The people of Zinyoka Village certainly don’t.
You deserve a government with policies and programmes that will open opportunities for you and your children right here in Zinyoka Village.
My fellow South Africans, the future of this country will not involve the ANC.
If you want a government that brings real development and jobs to the Eastern Cape, a government that fixes rural schools so your children have a chance in life, a government that spends every cent of the people’s money on the people, then you will have to choose this government yourself.
Instead, look at what the DA has done where we already govern.

The Rotary Club of Accra Dzorwulu, a member of the Rotary International District 9102, has been helping to change lives, by providing clean water and sanitation and supporting education in communities.
In the 2016/17 Rotary Year, Rotary Club of Accra-Dzorwulu has carried out various projects including the refurbishment of a canteen block for the Dzorwulu A&B Primary School.
The floor of the canteen had deep cracks which was resurfaced; painting done, with louvres and mosquito nets replaced, carpet laid, and plumbing works fixed, as well as the provision of sinks for the kids to wash their hands.
The club has also earlier this Rotary Year carried out a clean-up exercise in the school and donated litter bins to the school.
At the Presidential Ball held earlier in the Rotary Year, the club pledged to raise adequate funds to pay for kids who have various degrees of CLP, in order to put a smile on their faces.
On a visit to the Dodowa District Hospital where some of the patients were undergoing treatment, Dr Kwame Abrokwaa Yankyera and Dr Brainerd Anane of the Graft Foundation expressed their selfless desire to help the kids with cleft lip and palate whose parents cannot afford a surgery to correct the anomaly.
The borehole project was constructed right near the Methodist LA Primary/Middle School, to give access to the schoolchildren to get clean water for their use.
The club has since handed over the project to the chief of the village through his queen mother and Nkosuohemaa, who have been advised to maintain the facility well to serve the purpose for which it was constructed.
However, the club could not achieve our targets as was expected.
The President concluded that, “For us at Rotary Club of Accra-Dzorwulu, we will continue to give our best to support and urge all others to come to the table with us”.

Beyoncé Tweeted for the First Time in Over A Year—and It’s for a Really Good Cause.
She doesn’t do many traditional magazine interviews; she’ll only talk at an awards show if she’s accepting an award; and although her site is updated regularly, she doesn’t use much social media, except for Instagram.
So when she does say something, you better believe we’re paying attention.
And on Friday, Queen B issued her first tweet in more than a year.
(Be patient: twinformation will come when Bey wants us to have it, and our bets are definitely on Insta for that, not Twitter.)
And of course, though we mere mortals use Twitter to document our dumbest thoughts and half-bakedest jokes, Beyoncé uses hers to raise money for important causes, like making sure the children and families of Burundi—a small nation in Africa bordering Rwanda, Tanzania, and Democratic Republic of Congo—have access to clean drinking water.
Her foundation, BeyGood4Burundi, is partnering with UNICEF to "support building water supply systems for healthcare facilities and schools, and the drilling of boreholes, wells and springs to bring safe water to districts," according to Beyonce.com.
The link in Bey’s tweet sends you to a page where you can make a donation or buy a T-shirt (the proceeds from which go to the cause).
It’s worth noting that B’s account only has 10 tweets total, the majority of which are about charitable causes—although before this weekend, the most recent tweet announced the arrival of Lemonade.
It’s no surprise the star hasn’t had a ton of time to spend on social media: she’s spent the better part of the past year pregnant with twins (who are probably named Rumi and Sir) and helping her husband Jay-Z with his just-dropped new album 4:44.

A non-profit organization is helping Haiti with sanitation and waste treatment, as the country has endured massive earthquakes and hurricanes while facing ineffective governance.
But after two years of political turmoil, the poorest country in the Americas still lacks development on access to drinking water, sanitation and transport infrastructure.
“The priority within the government in terms of water and sanitation, it’s right now a low priority.
So they’re not able to make the kind of the kind of investments that would be really helpful and have a huge impact,” Nick Preneta, director of strategy for the Sustainable Organic Integrated Livelihoods, or SOIL, told KGOU’s World Views.
“We look specifically at urban areas where we do everything from produce the toilet and market and sell it to servicing and treatment,” Preneta said.
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The organization would collect the full buckets and transport the waste to its compost sites, where the waste is transformed into nutrient-rich compost.
“We have a member of our team that comes by each house to collect the filled containers, which are sealed, and then gives them a clean one with that cover material which as we call it bonne odeur, which means ‘smell good’ or ‘good smelling,’” Preneta said.
Over 75 percent of Haiti’s population lacks access to safe sanitation.

WASHINGTON – The Trump administration today signed off on making $15 million available to Genesee County officials to fight the aftereffects of lead contamination in Flint’s drinking water on women, children and families.
The funding — which was authorized in legislation passed late last year by Congress and signed into law by then-President Barack Obama — will go to the county’s Healthy Start Program, which provides prenatal care, medical screening, and nutrition and other services.
Congress passed more than $120 million in funding for Flint in response to the drinking water crisis there.
Lead levels in the drinking water rose sharply beginning in 2014 after the city switched water supplies and the state failed to require corrosion controls to keep lead from leaching from old water pipes throughout Flint.
International attention was focused on Flint after it was learned that lead levels in children’s blood had spiked after the change in the water.
It can remain in a person’s body for decades.
The Genesee County Healthy Start Program will use the funding provided via the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to identify children exposed to contaminated water to assess their health needs, as well as to make health and nutrition services more available and take other actions as needed.
The announcement by HHS did not detail specific existing or new programs the funding will go toward or include any information for impacted families, but the Genesee County Health Department can be reached at 810-257-3612 or online at http://gchd.us/services/maternalinfant-services/healthy-start.
"Healthy Start funding will go a long way toward helping Flint families and children mitigate the effects of lead poisoning by expanding access to health care and child development services," Kildee said.
© 2017 Detroit Free Press