Variety Children's Lifeline Partners with Water Missions International for Hurricane Katrina Relief
Variety Lifeline Pledges to Match $250,000 in Donations
Charleston, SC, September 08, 2005 --(PR.com)-- California-based medical charity Variety Children's Lifeline has pledged to match the next $250,000 in donations received by Water Missions International (WMI) for Hurricane Katrina relief. The $500,000 that this initiative can raise would fund water purification units to provide clean, safe water for tens of thousands of hurricane survivors.
Lifeline last partnered with WMI for tsunami relief, funding 59 Living Water(TM) Treatment Systems in Sri Lanka and Indonesia to provide safe water for over 175,000 people.
Founded in 1982 with the mission to help medically needy children in developing countries, Lifeline considered the devastation caused by the tsunami to be so great as to fit its general purpose of safeguarding the health of children throughout the world. The unprecedented destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina similarly fits into Lifeline’s mission to preserve the health of vulnerable children.
Salah Hassanein, Chair of the Variety Lifeline Katrina Relief Fund said, "The reports from the Centers for Disease Control and the report of the EPA team sent in to assess the situation confirmed that over 1,000 drinking water systems in Mississippi, Louisiana, and parts of Alabama have been affected by the hurricane. Providing clean water to the victims of the disaster will prevent the spread of disease. In a relatively small way, WMI and Lifeline are responding to the immediate needs of the afflicted in these areas. We have no choice."
"Clean water is the first defense against disease," said WMI president and co-founder Molly F. Greene. "Something as simple as washing hands with pure water and soap cuts down on cases of diarrhea by half."
At least 6,000 hurricane survivors now have a source of safe water, as a WMI team installed two water purification systems along the Mississippi Gulf Coast on Wednesday, September 7.
Chris Peterson, a volunteer pilot who flew the team into Stennis Space Center reported, "Very few structures were spared from damage. You could see it from the air from as far east as Mobile, Alabama. Trees are snapped in half, bridges are severely damaged, and there is debris everywhere you look," he said.
"But," he continued, "the spirit here is amazing. Although the people are deeply saddened by the situation, they’re ready to start the recovery process. Neighbors are helping neighbors, and everyone we’ve met has been very optimistic."
"Cooperation is key in a relief effort," observed Molly Greene, a Mississippi native. "You have to have the support of the local population, whether you’re in Sri Lanka or Indonesia or on the United States Gulf Coast. It’s equally important for relief organizations to work together, which is why we’re so thankful that Variety Children’s Lifeline has partnered with us during this crisis."
To date, WMI has shipped eleven Living Water(TM) Treatment Systems (LWTS) and two LWTS(TM)/Reverse Osmosis units to Mississippi and Louisiana. Each system can purify enough water for 4,000 people.
About Water Missions International:
Water Missions International is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit, Christian engineering organization, providing clean-water and sanitation solutions in developing countries and disaster areas, without regard to political or religious association, age, or ethnicity. WMI has worked in 18 countries in partnership with churches, foundations, and civic groups, including Rotary International, United Methodist Committee on Relief, Samaritan’s Purse, International Aid, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, International Medical Health Organization, International Development & Relief Board, Adventist Development & Relief Agency, and Episcopal Relief & Development.
WMI is registered as a Private Voluntary Organization with the United States Agency for International Development and is also a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, an organization that monitors the financial activities of Christian nonprofit organizations and assists in developing and maintaining standards of accountability.
Tax-deductible donations can be sent to: Water Missions International, P.O. Box 31258, Charleston, SC 29417, or by credit card online at www.watermissions.org.
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Lifeline last partnered with WMI for tsunami relief, funding 59 Living Water(TM) Treatment Systems in Sri Lanka and Indonesia to provide safe water for over 175,000 people.
Founded in 1982 with the mission to help medically needy children in developing countries, Lifeline considered the devastation caused by the tsunami to be so great as to fit its general purpose of safeguarding the health of children throughout the world. The unprecedented destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina similarly fits into Lifeline’s mission to preserve the health of vulnerable children.
Salah Hassanein, Chair of the Variety Lifeline Katrina Relief Fund said, "The reports from the Centers for Disease Control and the report of the EPA team sent in to assess the situation confirmed that over 1,000 drinking water systems in Mississippi, Louisiana, and parts of Alabama have been affected by the hurricane. Providing clean water to the victims of the disaster will prevent the spread of disease. In a relatively small way, WMI and Lifeline are responding to the immediate needs of the afflicted in these areas. We have no choice."
"Clean water is the first defense against disease," said WMI president and co-founder Molly F. Greene. "Something as simple as washing hands with pure water and soap cuts down on cases of diarrhea by half."
At least 6,000 hurricane survivors now have a source of safe water, as a WMI team installed two water purification systems along the Mississippi Gulf Coast on Wednesday, September 7.
Chris Peterson, a volunteer pilot who flew the team into Stennis Space Center reported, "Very few structures were spared from damage. You could see it from the air from as far east as Mobile, Alabama. Trees are snapped in half, bridges are severely damaged, and there is debris everywhere you look," he said.
"But," he continued, "the spirit here is amazing. Although the people are deeply saddened by the situation, they’re ready to start the recovery process. Neighbors are helping neighbors, and everyone we’ve met has been very optimistic."
"Cooperation is key in a relief effort," observed Molly Greene, a Mississippi native. "You have to have the support of the local population, whether you’re in Sri Lanka or Indonesia or on the United States Gulf Coast. It’s equally important for relief organizations to work together, which is why we’re so thankful that Variety Children’s Lifeline has partnered with us during this crisis."
To date, WMI has shipped eleven Living Water(TM) Treatment Systems (LWTS) and two LWTS(TM)/Reverse Osmosis units to Mississippi and Louisiana. Each system can purify enough water for 4,000 people.
About Water Missions International:
Water Missions International is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit, Christian engineering organization, providing clean-water and sanitation solutions in developing countries and disaster areas, without regard to political or religious association, age, or ethnicity. WMI has worked in 18 countries in partnership with churches, foundations, and civic groups, including Rotary International, United Methodist Committee on Relief, Samaritan’s Purse, International Aid, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, International Medical Health Organization, International Development & Relief Board, Adventist Development & Relief Agency, and Episcopal Relief & Development.
WMI is registered as a Private Voluntary Organization with the United States Agency for International Development and is also a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, an organization that monitors the financial activities of Christian nonprofit organizations and assists in developing and maintaining standards of accountability.
Tax-deductible donations can be sent to: Water Missions International, P.O. Box 31258, Charleston, SC 29417, or by credit card online at www.watermissions.org.
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Contact
Water Missions International
Lelani Rowland
843-769-7395
www.watermissions.org
Lelani Rowland
843-769-7395
www.watermissions.org
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