Water Missions International Ships Ten Water Purification Systems to Honduras
Charleston, SC, December 14, 2005 --(PR.com)-- On December 16, 2005, Water Missions International (WMI) will ship ten water purification systems to Honduras. The systems will be installed in rural communities of 1,000 or more people to provide a sustainable source of clean, safe water. AstenJohnson, St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church in Annapolis, Maryland, and an individual donor each funded one system. Extol, Inc. of Zeeland, Michigan funded two systems. Five systems were made possible by a grant from USAID.
Contaminated water causes numerous diseases, including cholera, typhoid, and parasitic infections, all of which can cause life-threatening diarrhea. The World Health Organization says that globally, 1.8 million people die from diarrheal disease each year. Of these, 90% are children under age five, mostly in developing countries.
Diarrhea from unsafe water is a primary contributor to the high mortality rate for young children in Honduras, where 40 out of every 1,000 children die before reaching age five.
"Safe water is so vital to the health of individuals and to the health of entire communities," said WMI President and co-founder Molly Greene. "Aside from the fact that water is a fundamental human right, and no one, especially children, should die from a lack of safe water, in sheer economic terms, water is incredibly important.
"When you have a community where a quarter or even half of the children are too sick to attend school, you’re going to have problems in the future. You’re going to have a large population of young adults who haven’t received an education, who don’t have the life skills to be productively employed. It’s a cycle of poverty. Clean water truly helps to break that cycle," said Greene.
Poverty is a major issue in Honduras. According to the World Bank, 63% of Hondurans live in poverty, and 45% are extremely poor. In rural areas, 63% of the population lives in extreme poverty. In 2003, the average household income was $970. Anti-poverty measures were taking hold in the 1990s until 1998, when Hurricane Mitch’s widespread devastation reversed the fledgling improvements. Mitch killed about 5,600 people and caused almost $1 billion in damage. While poverty is now on the decline, it is still higher than it was prior to Mitch.
Water Missions International was started in 1998 as a result of Hurricane Mitch. "We’ve seen drastic improvements in the communities where we work, but it’s a process, and there’s still a lot of work to do there," said Greene. "WMI is committed to working in Honduras for as long as we’re needed."
About WMI:
Water Missions International is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit, Christian engineering organization, providing safe water in developing countries and disaster areas without regard to political or religious association, age, or ethnicity. Since 1998, WMI has worked in 22 countries to provide access to safe water to over a million people.
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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Contaminated water causes numerous diseases, including cholera, typhoid, and parasitic infections, all of which can cause life-threatening diarrhea. The World Health Organization says that globally, 1.8 million people die from diarrheal disease each year. Of these, 90% are children under age five, mostly in developing countries.
Diarrhea from unsafe water is a primary contributor to the high mortality rate for young children in Honduras, where 40 out of every 1,000 children die before reaching age five.
"Safe water is so vital to the health of individuals and to the health of entire communities," said WMI President and co-founder Molly Greene. "Aside from the fact that water is a fundamental human right, and no one, especially children, should die from a lack of safe water, in sheer economic terms, water is incredibly important.
"When you have a community where a quarter or even half of the children are too sick to attend school, you’re going to have problems in the future. You’re going to have a large population of young adults who haven’t received an education, who don’t have the life skills to be productively employed. It’s a cycle of poverty. Clean water truly helps to break that cycle," said Greene.
Poverty is a major issue in Honduras. According to the World Bank, 63% of Hondurans live in poverty, and 45% are extremely poor. In rural areas, 63% of the population lives in extreme poverty. In 2003, the average household income was $970. Anti-poverty measures were taking hold in the 1990s until 1998, when Hurricane Mitch’s widespread devastation reversed the fledgling improvements. Mitch killed about 5,600 people and caused almost $1 billion in damage. While poverty is now on the decline, it is still higher than it was prior to Mitch.
Water Missions International was started in 1998 as a result of Hurricane Mitch. "We’ve seen drastic improvements in the communities where we work, but it’s a process, and there’s still a lot of work to do there," said Greene. "WMI is committed to working in Honduras for as long as we’re needed."
About WMI:
Water Missions International is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit, Christian engineering organization, providing safe water in developing countries and disaster areas without regard to political or religious association, age, or ethnicity. Since 1998, WMI has worked in 22 countries to provide access to safe water to over a million people.
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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