Nonprofit Provides Clean Water in Haiti Through Buckets of Life
PITTSBURGH – Nov. 27, 2013 – Deep Springs International, a nonprofit organization that addresses the safe drinking water crisis in Haiti, announced that they are launching a new program called Buckets of Life on Dec. 3, 2013, known as “Giving Tuesday.”
“Giving Tuesday is the new official opening day of the giving season, following Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and celebrating how Americans can do more with their wallets than just shop,” says Michael Ritter, CEO and Co-founder of Deep Springs International. “This year Giving Tuesday will jump-start the season of giving for over 7,250 charities, and we believe that this is the best day of the year to kick-off our new Buckets of Life program.”
A Bucket of Life is a simple, sustainable and affordable way for the poorest of the poor in Haiti to purify their own drinking water, regardless of its contaminated source. It is a simple five-gallon bucket with a lid to keep out dirt, and a tap for sanitary dispensing.
At just $34 for the bucket system and three year’s worth of chlorine subsidy and education, the Bucket of Life makes a unique alternative Christmas gift. Donors can honor a friend or loved one with the gift of clean, life-saving water for a struggling family in Haiti whose only concern during the holidays will likely be survival. Donors have the option to personalize a Bucket of Life with a gift card at http://deepspringsinternational.org/Home/BucketsofLife.aspx.
Low tech by design – The Bucket of Life has few moving parts, no complicated filters to clean or replace, and requires no electricity. All it takes is a capful of locally produced chlorine solution for a family to have five gallons of clean water. To assure sustainability, local health agents earn an income by distributing the chlorine product. The Agents – equipped with chlorine test kits – visit families or communities to train in proper hygiene and system usage and to re-fill chlorine bottles.
There are currently about 900,000 families in rural Haiti who lack access to clean and safe drinking water. That is nearly half the entire population of the country, which is still considered the poorest in the western hemisphere. Over 8,500 lives have been lost in Haiti to cholera, a completely preventable water-borne disease. The Bucket of Life is a key tool in the arsenal to fight this deadly disease, which has now spread to the Dominican Republic on the other side of the island.
Deep Springs International has been working to provide safe drinking water in Haiti since 2006, working through the 2010 earthquake and the 2011 cholera epidemic. They estimate that they have saved 3,000 lives since 2006 with their water treatment systems.
Join Deep Springs International in the effort to fight cholera and bring safe drinking water to Haiti. To learn more, go to www.DeepSpringsInternational.org. For more information, contact Steve Bostian at 828.773.7242 or partnership@DeepSpringsInternational.org.
