We all know that lack of clean water is a huge problem throughout the world. Women spend hours a day fetching water from polluted sources and diseases like dysentery, cholera and typhoid fever spread like wildfire, killing millions of people each year.

The people of Liberia are no stranger to these realities. Struggling to rebuild after years of civil war, this often-overlooked country is now battling water pollution problems. In Liberia alone, hundreds of thousands die each year from water-related illness.

Tipping Bucket’s newest project partner World Hope International is dedicated to bringing clean, potable water to where it's most needed and they have their sites set on the village of Zinc Camp in Liberia. Zinc Camp is a subsistence farming community of 1,500 people—only growing enough food to sustain their own life. They rely on rain for their crops and they make several trips a day to a distant water source that is polluted and muddy.

But a new well in Zinc Camp means more than just clean water. Read the "plan" tab to see how it impacts the entire community. If you feel moved like we did, do something about it. Go ahead, change the world.

 

 

Having clean water to drink is essential to healthy, productive life. Many places in Africa have aqueducts of clean water that aren't very deep below the surface. But often, these places don't have the means or technology to access it. Africa Water Is Life is a fundraising and publicity entity that provides the financial means as well as access to drilling technology so that World Hope International can go into villages that need clean water and wells. Africa Water Is Life is an experienced group of young, energetic entrepreneurs who want to use the Tipping Bucket platform to augment their fundraising capability. 

 

Africa Water is Life is a young, energetic group of activists who are geared and ready to promote this issue and this Bucket specifically. They've teamed up with World Hope International who will be drilling the well. WHI also has trained staff in Liberia who are ready to install the wells and train the community members on how to maintain the well. They've also trained the community in best practices of sanitation such as proper hand washing and using clean water buckets etc.

 

Water sources are muddy, and women have to make 3-4 trips daily to fill their buckets. Water sources run dry during the period March to June each year during the dry season.  Hundreds of thousands of Liberians die each year from one of six main water-related diseases typhoid fever, cholera and diarrhea, including poliomyelitis. Safe water and sanitation remain vital to the health, education, employment and wellbeing of Liberians. Providing people with clean, safe water greatly reduces disease and water-borne illness and promotes wellness.

Not only that, but having local, clean water to be used for drinking, cooking and agriculture, the women no longer have to walk hours and hours, miles and miles for water leaving time for school and money-making opportunities. 

 

 

Astonishing statistics reveal that the St. John River district—in which Zinc Camp is located—has a population of 14,874 and only 4 hand pumps, putting the average number of people per hand pump at over 3,000.  In addition, the Comprehensive Food Security and Nutritional Survey in 2006 estimated access to improved water in the Grand Bassa County (in which Zinc Campis located) at a mere 10%. In a survey of 20 communities (including Zinc Camp) conducted in 2009, the overwhelming response to the most pressing need is the provision of safe drinking water. The community has applied for this well. They need fresh water and they are willing to partner with organizations like WHI to make sure that a well will be cared for and fair distribution of water will be supervised. 

 

The communities that receive the wells are trained by local WHI staff on the upkeep and maintenance of the well if parts are needed or it breaks down. It is understood that once installed, the community is responsible for the well. Once the well goes in, WHI staff are in contact with the recipient village to make sure the well continues to function.

 

The wells WHI drill can be as deep as 200 feet below the ground which means they provide safe water and will not dry up like hand dug wells do during the dry season. Deep wells such as these provide water for a village for about 20 years if it is maintained correctly. By giving the community ownership of the well, it will maximize the effect it can have over a long period of time. 

 

 

Amie LoPresti has worked in the live entertainment business for nearly 20 years. After visiting Africa twice in 2008, she wanted to use her background in promotions to do something about the water crisis in the rural villages of Africa where World Hope International is drilling wells. Amie is married with two children and lives in Fishers, Indiana.

Since 2000, David has been working for World Hope International, a faith-based relief and development organization working in 25 different countries around the world. Helping to engage people in his community and across the country he has a passion for working with Africa Water is Life volunteers to help those in need.

Patrick Beckley has 28 years of experience in housing finance, development and management; 17 years with the Government of Sierra Leone; 8 years non-profit experience in developing countries and 3 years with local government. He has served in 29 African countries on housing and community development projects and has extensive travel and work experience in Africa, Asia, Latin America, Europe and USA, working directly with developers, communities, local and central government authorities. Patrick graduated with a Bachelor’s degree from University of Nigeria, Nsukka, a Postgraduate and Advanced Postgraduate Diplomas in Housing Planning and Building from the Institute for Housing Studies, Rotterdam the Netherlands, and a Certificate in Personnel Administration from the University of Sierra Leone. Patrick has served on WHI’s Board of Directors and is currently WHI’s Country Director for Liberia and the of FIRST STEP Special Economic Zone Director in Sierra Leone. As Country Director in Liberia, Patrick directs the World Hope International’s Rural Development Program that covers food security and WASH projects supporting thousands of rural Liberians.

Keith has worked in the area of construction, teaching on college level and development projects in poor countries, including school construction,microfinance, agriculture and livestock. In recent years, his primary focus has been on World Hope International's water well drilling program operating in 5 African countries. Since the start of the program in 2005, more than 500 wells have been completed delivering safe water to 350,000 people. He is married and has three daughters. They lived 7 years in Indonesia and 4 years in Australia before returning to the US in 2004.