Let's Turn on the Water for 10,000 People Today!
On the day after Thanksgiving, I find myself thankful
for so many things, but one stands out because it represents so much
more...
Flip a lever on the sink, and I can catch a stream of clean, cool drinking water whenever I'm a little thirsty. So can you more than likely.
It's such a small act, that I totally forget how important it is to my
health and wealth. I'm very fortunate to be able to do this because
only 1 in 6 people in the world have access to clean water!
I'm also thankful for Luke Hutcherson who just returned from a village
in Ghana where he and a small crew implemented a McGuire Purifier to
bring pure water to thousands of people.
We helped! Those of you who purchased any of the products in My
31-Day Birthday celebration helped us donate about $1000 to support this
excellent work. And we will continue to donate 25% of the gross sales
until Nov. 27th.
Luke sent me this note after he returned from Ghana a couple of weeks ago about his next urgent mission...
...We can't save the whole world, but if we can save the life of one small child, it is worth all the effort.
I'm not sure I told you of the urgent need for a purification system near Gambaga. Residents near a certain well, within five miles or so, are drinking water contaminated with Typhoid Fever.
...As prelude to our last installation it was necessary to have meetings (three days) with every group involved, from the highest government official in the area, to the ones who are actually going to maintain and run the systems.
I was touched when the highest ranking official responded to my statement, "If we can help 100 the mission is worthwhile." He responded that if it were only 10, he would back the mission completely. He also, is the one who brought our attention to the contaminated well.
I was not planning to return until May or June 2008, but this is an urgent mission and I will return as soon as sufficient funds are raised, hopefully by mid January or February.
You have given far more than enough already. I thank our Lord for the few, such as yourself, who can do great things if we let Him use us.
No one as fortunate as you or I can give enough...but we can try.
The Need...
The daily recommended amount of water a human should strive to intake is 3.7 liters.
That's nearly 1 gallon of clean drinking water each day per person. Much of that volume comes from fruits, vegetables and other beverages, but a substantial amount must be consumed as clean and pure drinking water.
The "clean" part of that equation is equally - if not more - important than the volume.
According to UNICEF, more than 1 billion people today do not have access to safe water. Another organization, World Vision, says that in the developing world, contaminated water accounts for 80% of all diseases and claims the lives of 5 million children a year.
I'm doing something about it and you can too...read on to find out how...
This is a serious problem that affects you and me.
First, it's immoral that everyone doesn't have access to clean water. But let's throw that out because, well...most people like facts and figures, not feelings...
Fact: Servicing the diseases (which includes malaria, dysentery, E.coli, Typhoid fever) caused by bad water costs our country billions of dollars. And you and I pay for it in our taxes each year. If you're like me, you want to solve problems, not pay a maintenance fee to continue putting up with current problems.
Fact: Water covers 70% of the Earth's surface, but only 1% of that is freshwater, and only 1/3 of that is suitable for consumption.
Fact: Installing the McGuire Purifier system costs hundreds of dollars and services entire villages.
Fact: The cost of creating a clean water infrastructure in third-world countries will increase from $80 billion to more than $180 billion annually over the next 20 years according to The World Panel on Financing Water Infrastructure.
Unfortunately, we can't wait 20 years...we need a simpler solution now...there's one coming...keep reading.
Stats that blew me away...
- Every 8 seconds a child dies of a waterborne disease (United Nations)
- Over 1 billion people today do not have access to safe water (UNICEF)
- More people die each year from unsafe water than from all forms of violence, including war (USA Today)
- One person in six lives without regular access to safe drinking water (UN Sec. Gen. Kofi Annan)
We need a hero. And Luke Hutcherson is ready to fill those shoes. All it takes is desire, a simple mechanical solution, and money.
Luke has the desire. He is dedicating himself to multiple missions to Ghana (for now) to bring clean water purification to small villages that have none.
The McGuire Purification system is the simple solution. The inexpensive chlorine purification system is contained in a small box that can easily be transported anywhere in the world and can deliver 55 gallons of water a minute, enough for 10,000 people a day.
You and I have the money.
From Oct. 9th until Nov. 27th, 25% of the gross sales for all purchases you make from My 31-Day Birthday Celebration will be donated to Luke's project.
As I said in my last blog post, you can make a difference right now in thousands of peoples lives.
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