When water is abundant, the BioSand Filter is an excellent solution. Unfortunately, there are some places where surface water is nonexistent. In those situations, the PlayPump is ideal. Created by PlayPumps International, it has the ability to draw water from more than 300 feet below the surface.
The PlayPump is far more than a simple well. Water is not pumped with a labor-intensive, old-fashioned hand lever. Instead, it harnesses the energy of playing children. Disguised as a brightly colored merry-go-round installed near schools, the PlayPump can produce up to 370 gallons of water an hour. The water is stored in a tank capable of holding more than 600 gallons. Turn the spigot at the base of the pump, and out flows clean drinking water - enough to easily serve over 2,500 individuals.
With the water harvested from the pump, schools have been able to create large-scale food gardens that improve the schools' meal program. "Even if we can provide just one balanced meal to |
Children are having fun on the merry-go-round that is otherwise known as a Playpump. photo | courtesy of Playpumps International |
the children who come from the poorest homes,we know they stand a chance," says Mrs. Ghazi, principal at Basa Primary School. "Each row of vegetables is under the guardianship of a particular class, and the children take tremendous pride in clearing their patch of weeds and watering their precious plants."
Each element of the PlayPump system is meticulously designed. The water tank serves as a billboard to the outlying community. Two sides of the tank are used for public service announcements many of which have HIV/AIDS prevention messages. The remaining two sides of the tower are rented out to advertisers. Marissa Valdez, program manager of PlayPumps International, explains, "Revenues from the sale of the advertising space cover the cost to maintain the PlayPump systems so that the community does not incur any cost." These pumps have creative solutions built right in.
Palesa Mkhabela, 12, attends a school with a PlayPump and dreams of becoming a doctor. He says, "When I become a doctor and can help other people, I will always remember that health starts with clean water." |
Because of microcredit, these girls have clean water in Honduras. photo | courtesy of Waterpartners International
Gandhamani received a watercredit loan for clean drinking water. photo | courtesy of Waterpartners International. |
Communities in the developing world know what they need. Some need a well, filter or pump, but with any of these solutions, the success of microfinance has proven its value. Microcredit allows a community to literally own a project. Using this proven system, WaterPartners International (WPI) has come up with a strategy, referred to as WaterCredit. This approach helps individuals and communities in developing countries implement sustainable solutions for clean drinking water.
WPI works from a simple set of ideas. They provide microloans to villages that do not have the means to obtain them. According to WPI’s Web site, “These loans help finance the upfront cost of water and sanitation systems. Giving people the credit tools they need and allowing them to repay the loans over time empowers them to solve their own water supply needs.”
“In terms of ownership and self-sufficiency, the community or individual owns the water project from the time it is installed,” comments Nicole Wickenhauser, communications manager for WaterPartners International. “Our partner organizations provide the training and technical expertise needed for the owners to properly and independently operate, maintain and repair the water connection throughout its life.”
Those who have received loans have shown incredible responsibility. According to Wickenhauser, “Loan repayments typically run one to three years. In Bangladesh and India the repayment rates have been [more than] 90 percent."
Gandhamani, from India, is a great example of how access to clean water can improve the quality of life. She was able to use a WaterCredit loan in order to have access to clean water at her home. Besides having clean drinking water, she also uses the water for her garden and her banana trees, which provides extra income for her family. As an added benefit, she no longer has to spend time hauling water over long distances, which allows her to spend more time with her family. |
Along with several proven solutions that provide clean drinking water, consumers can have a positive impact on the world’s water crisis. Ethos Water provides consumers with the opportunity to donate to clean water projects in the developing world by merely buying a bottle of water. “For each bottle of Ethos Water purchased in the US, 5 cents is contributed to the Ethos Water Fund at the Starbucks Foundation,” states Peter Thum, founder of Ethos Water. “The mission of Ethos Water is to help children around the world get clean water and to raise awareness of the world water crisis.”
Since its inception in 2002, Ethos Water has committed over $4.2 million USD in grants to its beneficiaries. Thum notes, “Our ability to deliver upon this mission has grown from humble beginnings as a regional start-up company in 2002 to national distribution and sales since Starbucks acquired the brand in 2005 and undertook to scale our social mission.” Ethos Water can be found at Starbucks locations, as well as other retail establishments.
In the village of Cholusnate, Honduras, the residents were forced to gather runoff water during the rainy season. Throughout the dry months of the year, women and children had to trek more than a mile to obtain water. Yet the water that was collected was contaminated. Ethos Water donated funds for a WPI team fix the problem in Cholusnate. Thum reported that the money given was used to build latrines, train plumbers and create a complete water system that sustains the village through the dry season. |
Peter Thum spends time with the children of the rural village of Pinjauan in western Sumatra. Ethos Water supported Mercy Corps to install plumbing, toilets and hand-washing facilities at the school so they no longer have to use a nearby rice field as their 'latrine facility.' photo | courtesy of Ethos Water |
A child enjoys clean drinking water from the new well in Bulgeta, Ethiopia.
The urgency of the water crisis is undeniable. However, with the ingenuity of individuals, communities and organizations, sustainable solutions are implemented because access to safe drinking water is a basic human right.
|
charity:
511 6th Avenue
Suite 196
New York, NY 10011
USA
info@charityis.org
www.charitywater.org
Living Water International
PO Box 35496
Houston, TX 77235
USA
281.261.7984
info@water.cc
www.water.cc
Samaritan’s Purse
20 Hopewell Way NE
Calgary, Alberta
T3J 5H5
Canada
800.663.6500
canada@samaritan.org
www.samaritanspurse.ca
Playpumps International
1717 Rhode Island Avenue NW
Floor 7
Washington, DC 20036
USA
202.292.1775
info@playpumps.org
www.playpumps.org
Waterpartners International
2405 Grand Boulevard
Suite 860, Box 12
Kansas City, MO 64108
USA
913.312.8600
info@water.org
www.water.org
Ethos Water
c/o Starbucks Coffee Company
2401 Utah Avenue S
Seattle, WA 98134
USA
888.88ethos
press@starbucks.com
www.ethoswater.com |
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