Giving the Gift of Clean Water this Christmas
International Aid’s Safe Water Campaign Aims to Provide 300,000 Life-Saving Water Filters to Families throughout Developing World
SPRING LAKE, Mich., Dec. 21, 2007 - Leading humanitarian healthcare agency International Aid today announced the launch of its “1 Filter, 1 Family” safe water campaign, which calls on churches, other humanitarian groups and individuals to help address the growing worldwide health crisis caused by waterborne illness. As part of the campaign, International Aid is providing safe water-related information and resources at the agency’s newly launched website, www.HydrAid.org.
More than one billion people lack access to safe water, and nearly 5,000 children die each day from a host of water-related diseases; worldwide, the total death toll from dirty water is a staggering four million people each year. For $32, International Aid will provide one of the agency’s innovative HydrAid™ BioSand Water Filters to a family in the developing world. A single filter unit will meet all of a family’s daily water needs, including drinking, bathing and washing clothes, for more than 10 years.
Beginning this Christmas, as a key initial step in the campaign, International Aid is reaching out to its thousands of church partners nationwide, asking them to participate in the 1 Filter, 1 Family effort by encouraging each family in each congregation to donate one HydrAid™ filter for a family in need. International Aid noted that if only a small fraction of America’s 300,000 churches participated, the agency could distribute enough filters to significantly reduce the problem of contaminated water in the developing world.
The centerpiece of International Aid’s safe water campaign is the HydrAid™ filter, a lightweight, plastic device that involves a proven filtration method called BioSand currently used in more than 70 countries worldwide - typically in a 300-pound concrete format. At just seven pounds, with no mechanical or electrical components, the HydrAid™ filter marks a dramatic improvement on the existing concrete systems, as it can be easily transported in rough and remote terrain. Most importantly, the BioSand method has been shown to remove 100 percent of parasites and up to 90 percent of bacteria and viruses from water.
“Since announcing our global safe water goals earlier this year, we’ve already made great strides. International Aid is currently in the process of installing more than 10,000 HydrAid™ filters around the world for those in need,” said Myles Fish, International Aid’s president and CEO. “This holiday season, we hope churches, youth groups and individuals across the nation will join us in taking this effort to the next level by giving one of the greatest gifts of all: a healthy life and the gift of clean water.”
The initial phase of the 1 Filter, 1 Family campaign kicked off on Dec. 2 and will run through Dec. 31, 2007. International Aid’s total, multi-year campaign goal is to raise the funds necessary to produce and distribute 300,000 of these life-saving filters worldwide. To participate, interested churches and organizations are encouraged to visit www.HydrAid.org.
Fish added: “Our proposition is simple. This holiday season, for just $32, your family can provide another family a sustainable source of safe drinking water for a decade or more. It’s the equivalent of many people’s water bill for a month, or forgoing a coffee or bottle of water for 30 days. Most importantly, when you support the HydrAid filter campaign, you are truly helping to save lives.”
About International Aid
International Aid is a leading Christian relief and development agency that provides and supports solutions in healthcare. Over the past decade, International Aid has responded to more than 100 man-made and natural disasters - including 9/11, Katrina and other major U.S. hurricanes, the South Asian tsunami and Pakistan earthquake - and has delivered more than $500 million in relief supplies to 170 countries. In addition to its high-profile relief work, International Aid is heavily involved in multiple development efforts focused in the areas of community-based healthcare; disease treatment and prevention; and leveraging the agency’s network of ministry partners to provide products, equipment and knowledge-based services to people in need worldwide.
About HydrAid™
The HydrAid™ BioSand Water Filter was developed in partnership with Grand Rapids, Mich.-based Cascade Engineering, the manufacturer of the unit. Visit www.HydrAid.org.
Editor’s Note: Attached photo shows International Aid billboard announcing Christmas 2007 safe water campaign.