Children International and Planet Water Collaborate on Providing People in Poverty With Access to Clean Water
Youth Educate Community on Clean Water Hygiene
Kansas City, MO, October 16, 2013 /3BL Media/ - Giving impoverished people access to clean water is the focus of a three-year collaboration between Children International and Planet Water Foundation. The initiative will bring clean water and hygiene education to impoverished children and community members in areas served by Children International in the Philippines, India and the Dominican Republic.
The collaboration with Planet Water Foundation, and its emphasis on providing impoverished people with access to clean water, supports Children International’s vision - that children graduate as healthy, educated, self-reliant adults with the ability and drive to break free from poverty while improving their own communities – including providing access to clean water and education on water-related health and hygiene issues through training by youth educators.
The primary elements of the collaborative water agreement include:
- Providing access to clean water, for both drinking and washing, for up to 70,000 people through the deployment of AquaTowers in impoverished communities.
- Placing emergency water systems in impoverished areas of the Philippines to be deployed during natural disasters such as the frequent typhoons and flooding to ensure access to clean water.
- Conducting school- and community-based water health and hygiene education.
The innovative collaboration engages members of Children International’s Youth Health Corps in a variety of ways:
- Training as “Water-Health & Hygiene Ambassadors”
- Facilitating community-based water health and hygiene education
- Organizing community events and learning lab activities
- Participating in the deployment of AquaTowers
The activities will provide youth with additional opportunities to learn about the important role clean water and hygiene play in building healthy communities. It will also enable them to further refine their communication and project-management skills – providing additional tools that may better position them for future employment opportunities.
Planet Water Foundation’s founder and CEO Mark Steele: “As one in eight people worldwide do not have access to safe, clean drinking water, Planet Water Foundation is pleased to provide our AquaTower solution to benefit the communities served by Children International.”
Children International’s president Jim Cook: “Children International’s Youth Health Corps program allows young people to become catalysts for change in their own communities. Their direct role in supporting access to clean water and sharing life-saving messaging on health and hygiene will foster improved quality of life for their families, friends and neighbors.”
For information about Children International’s youth programs, read the 2013 Youth Report.
About Children International: Children International prepares children and youth to escape the traps of poverty by supporting their critical needs, building resilience and engaging them in transformative activities. Children International accomplishes this by providing crucial benefits and compassionate care through easily accessible, modern community centers. Children International’s presence, programs and supporters have a positive impact on children, youth, families and communities; provide protection; encourage self-sufficiency; and serve as catalysts for change.
For more information about Children International or to sponsor a child, visit www.children.org.
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About Planet Water Foundation: Planet Water is a U.S.-based, nonprofit organization focused on bringing clean water to the world’s most disadvantaged communities through the installation of community-based water filtration systems and education programs on water-health and hygiene. The organization’s projects are focused on schools, children and rural communities that lack access to clean, safe water. Planet Water has completed projects in 10 countries across the Asia-Pacific region. Information about Planet Water is available at http://www.planet-water.org.
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FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Christy Howard
Public Relations
Children International
Direct: (816) 943-3730
Email: choward@children.org
