This week, as all eyes are on Rio and athletes from around the world, LifeStraw, a leader in safe water technology, is inviting global teams and citizens to get involved, not only as spectators, but also, as active agents of change through The Brazil Project.
Steps away from the new competition arenas, millions of people are living in poverty, and more than 34 million Brazilians and 75 percent of rural schools don’t have access to safe water. To address this problem, LifeStraw established The Brazil Project run through the LifeStraw Safe Water Fund to collect funds to provide high-volume LifeStraw Community water purifiers and safe water education to schools in villages in the northeast region of Brazil, specifically, to the state of Piaui – Caridade do Piaui and Curral Novo do Piaui. People can donate individually or create their own winning teams, register them at The Brazil Project, www.crowdrise.com/TheBrazilProject, then start and promote a fundraiser that runs through the end of August.
In September, after the athletes and spectators have left Brazil, LifeStraw will deploy teams of skilled implementers on the ground and visit schools throughout rural Brazil to deliver and install the LifeStraw Community water purifiers and provide safe water and hygiene education to the school children.
“The Brazil Project addresses a serious problem affecting millions of lives in villages surrounding the competitions in Brazil this month,” said Alison Hill, managing director, LifeStraw. “While the issue of safe water has been highlighted as a result of the games, these daily challenges are a way of life for these communities. Together, we will create our own victories, measured in lives impacted, as we give children a more even playing field, and the potential to become tomorrow’s athletes and leaders.”
The Brazil Project is run by the LifeStraw Safe Water Fund, a project of the New Venture Fund, a 501(c)(3) public charity. The Fund capitalizes on the enormous power of individuals and organizations to drive change. Individuals and groups support safe water programs presented by the Fund by making tax-deductible contributions through the online platform. All programs are implemented by the LifeStraw team or its partners, and utilize LifeStraw Community water purifiers that are independently tested by the World Health Organization, achieving the highest standards of performance. The microbiological water purifiers remove virtually all bacteria, viruses and protozoan parasites from water. They’re durable, long-lasting and require no additional batteries or parts, making them ideal for difficult rural settings.
“LifeStraw has vast experience with small and large-scale water technology distribution, emergency and implementation projects around the world,” continued Hill. “All projects use sophisticated electronic monitoring platforms to track locations, usage and follow-up over time so contributors are able to witness the impact of their actions. To date, safe water programs implemented at schools in Kenya and India have brought sustainable access to safe water to more than 390,000 school age children.”
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