Alabama Working for WASH
Briefing Prepared for ___________
Improving Access to Clean Water Is at the Top of Americans’ Global Health Priorities
People in the state of Alabama are leading the effort to solve the global safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) challenge. There are numerous faith-based, civic, and academic initiatives for WASH underway throughout the state. The top programs in the state include:
a) Members of the Church at Tuscaloosa distribute water filtration systems on mission trips to Haiti and the Dominican Republic to address water security issues.
b) A Fairhope High School student launched her own campaign, “Running for Water,” and raised $2,700 for clean water in Honduras after hearing Bob Callahan of the Rotary Club of Fairhope speak about Rotary water projects.
c) The Rotary Club of Mobile collaborated with New Life International, Rotary Club of Fairhope, Mobile Sunrise Club, District 6880, and the San Pedro Club (District 4250) to raise $65,000 to fund 16 clean water purification systems throughout Honduras.
d) Gadsden-based non-profit, Clean Water for the Children, has been working in Togo since 2004 to build new water wells, repair existing wells, and promote community development by constructing latrines and educating communities on the importance of hygiene for disease prevention.
Other notable efforts include:
Rotary Clubs in Alabama
· Rotary Club of Fairhope
o Rotarian Bob Callahan organized and participated in several trips with other Rotarians that installed water purifiers in areas that lacked access to clean water
o Bob Callahan shared his experience working on Rotary water projects in Honduras with International Baccalaureate students at Fairhope High School
· Rotary Club of Madison
o Hosts annual island-themed Parrots of the Caribbean community event that raises funds to support Rotary’s international service projects in Honduras and the international Rotary Foundation missions
· Alabaster-Pelham Rotary Club
o Partners with the Boaz Rotary Club to finance fresh water wells in Africa that increase access to clean water
o Hosts annual “A Southern Christmas Bazaar” community event that raises funds to support community and international service projects
· Rotary Club of Greater Huntsville
o Collaborated with the Kampala East Uganda Rotary Club to construct a community composting latrine with four toilets and a water catchment system in Central Uganda
· Birmingham Sunrise Rotary Club
o Hosts annual Gridiron Gala event that has raised money to support a clean water project in Ecuador
o Partnered with the Rotary Club of Ambato and the Rotary Foundation and funded a $37,000 project that provided an indigenous community of 600 people (180 homes) with a water purification and distribution system in Ecuador
o Rotarians David Dowd and Mike Quillen attended the Ecuador Project Fair and assessed current international projects that need Rotary club funding, including Water Pasteurization Instruments (WAPI) that Rotarians build and train communities to use for water purification and waterborne disease prevention
· Tuscaloosa Morning Rotary Club
o Supports Neverthirst clean water projects in India, including wells, household rainwater collection, piped water systems, and bio-sand filtration systems
o Rotarian Brian Winters travels to Uganda annually on mission trips with Capstone Church and raises funds to support clean water projects
o Developing an international service project that will provide clean water in India
· Rotary Club of Foley
o Donated $1,000 to the clean water and community garden construction project in The Gambia that increased water access for rural Gambians
Faith-Based Organizations in Alabama
· Christ Chapel, Florence
o “Adopted” a village and financially supported a deep-water well in Zambia through Water 282
· Capstone Church, Tuscaloosa
o Sponsors short-term mission trips that increase water access in Uganda and the Dominican Republic by building wells and distributing water filters
· Mission Firefly, Huntsville
o Sponsors quarterly trips to Guatemala to supply water filters, water pumps and purification systems that bring clean water to rural villages
· Water for Nations, Foley
o Provides clean, safe water to communities in its well drilling efforts across Kenya
· Christchurch XP, Montgomery
o Provides safe water for community members in Nigeria through mission trips
· Clanton First United Methodist Church
o Raised over $30,000 for Water 282 that supported the construction of deep-water wells in Zambia
· First Presbyterian Church, Birmingham
o Funded the installation of a clean water system in rural Mexico in partnership with Living Waters for the World as part of Synod of Living Waters
· First Baptist Church of Meridianville
o Donated $10,000 to Mission Firefly to support the installation of water purification system in Guatemala
o Raising $50,000 for water projects through car washes, southern gospel performances, and T-shirt sales organized by the student church members
· Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church, Hueytown
o Taught children in the church’s Vacation Bible School about the need for clean water in South America and Madagascar
o Launched an awareness campaign about the water crisis, gave out water bottles, and collected funds for Pure Water, Pure Love initiatives
Schools & Universities in Alabama
· The Altamont School, Birmingham
o Partnered with Running Water and Forestview Middle School to raise $1,980 in the 2013-2014 school year that supported the construction of new latrines at a primary school in Nicaragua
· University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Engineering
o Works to create engineering solutions to global challenges like water and sanitation through academic, research, and outreach programs in Sweden, France, Egypt, Zambia, and India
o Students in the Engineers Without Borders Chapter traveled to Zambia and constructed a training center that houses educators who teach community members about water purification and sustainable agriculture
· Auburn University Engineers Without Borders Chapter
o Partnered with the Southern Institute for Appropriate Technology to bring a rural community in Bolivia an irrigation system, hydroponics system, and solar shower
o
WASH-Related Organizations in Alabama
· Alabama & Mississippi Section of the American Water Works Association, Birmingham
o Participates in Water for People initiatives aimed at bringing clean water and sanitation to communities in need across the globe
· maji:hope
o Founded by three Baldwin County families who saw the need to address water-related diseases in rural Tanzania
o Installed solar panels, a pump, and a 10,000 liter water tank for a village in Central Tanzania
o Drilled a borehole, installed solar panels and a solar pump, and built a water tank and distribution tap in their Lamara Project on the Kenya-Tanzania border
· All African People’s Development and Empowerment Project, Huntsville
o Launched African Village Survival Initiative that educated communities about sanitation and promoted the use of rainwater harvesting and simple water purification techniques
· Water282, Montgomery
o Provides communities with sanitation and hygiene trainings
o Establishes water committees that monitor water sources and trains community members on pump repair
o Linked remote Zambian villages in need of clean water with American organizations through the efforts of founder and CEO Jacob Eubanks, a native of Florence, Alabama
· Neverthirst, Birmingham
o Provided 300,000 people with a safe water source throughout South Sudan, India, The Sudan, and Cambodia
o Sponsors the Workout of the Day (WOD) for Water Campaign, founded by Forrest Walden, that raises awareness on the need for clean water globally and raises funds to support water projects
For more information, please contact John Oldfield at WASH Advocates:
202.293.4049 Updated: December 2015