Lifewater international
Encyclopedia
Lifewater International is a Christian
non-profit development
organization concerned with providing safe water, sanitation
, and hygiene
education to people in Africa
, Asia
, and Latin America
. Lifewater's strategy comes from the belief that the solutions to the global water and sanitation crisis emerge from local communities. Lifewater trains qualified volunteer field trainers in shallow well drilling
, hand pump
repair, biosand filtration, sanitation, community health through hygiene, and WASH in schools. Field trainers are then sent to other countries along with Lifewater staff members to train Lifewater’s international partners, who implement sustainable projects in their own communities. Lifewater promotes long-term change by equipping nationals with the skills needed to ensure safe water and improved community health.
to promote water sanitation to those in need in the late 1960s. Over time, these small family trips grew to include other water professionals. As a result of the success of these trips, William Ashe officially developed the Lifewater name in 1977. In 1984 Lifewater became a registered California
non-profit and in 1986 was granted rights as a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) corporation by the IRS. Currently Lifewater is headquartered in San Luis Obispo, California and employs a full-time staff of 15. Over the past few decades Lifewater has sent over 300 qualified field trainers to work in over 40 countries, helping to serve millions of people with safe water and improved health.
, Uganda
, Zambia
, Kenya
, Ethiopia
, the Dominican Republic, and Ecuador
. The clean water Lifewater provides goes beyond measures of health. Clean water sources close to home provide women and children with the opportunity to go to school
rather than hike hours a day to provide water for their families. Clean water provides babies born to HIV
mothers the chance to drink formula
rather than get infected through their mothers’ breast milk
. Further fighting against AIDS
, clean water is a necessity to give those already infected a chance of survival by improving their health and making their medications more effective. According to Dr Lee Jong-Wook of the World Health Organization
,
Lifewater is a member of the Millennium Water Alliance (MWA), a coalition of water development organizations dedicated to joining efforts to raise awareness
of the need for safe water and sanitation around the world. It is certified by the Evangelical Council of Financial Accountability (ECFA) and has the highest, four-star rating on Charity Navigator
, America's largest and most utilized independent evaluator of charities.
s, churches
, corporate giving, foundations, and the federal government
. See the links below to learn more about some of these funding partners. Lifewater is also a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability.
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
non-profit development
Regional development
Regional development is the provision of aid and other assistance to regions which are less economically developed. Regional development may be domestic or international in nature...
organization concerned with providing safe water, sanitation
Sanitation
Sanitation is the hygienic means of promoting health through prevention of human contact with the hazards of wastes. Hazards can be either physical, microbiological, biological or chemical agents of disease. Wastes that can cause health problems are human and animal feces, solid wastes, domestic...
, and hygiene
Hygiene
Hygiene refers to the set of practices perceived by a community to be associated with the preservation of health and healthy living. While in modern medical sciences there is a set of standards of hygiene recommended for different situations, what is considered hygienic or not can vary between...
education to people in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, and Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
. Lifewater's strategy comes from the belief that the solutions to the global water and sanitation crisis emerge from local communities. Lifewater trains qualified volunteer field trainers in shallow well drilling
Well drilling
Well drilling is the process of drilling a hole in the ground for the extraction of a natural resource such as ground water, natural gas, or petroleum...
, hand pump
Hand pump
Hand pumps are manually operated pumps; they use human power and mechanical advantage to move fluids or air from one place to another. They are widely used in every country in the world for a variety of industrial, marine, irrigation and leisure activities...
repair, biosand filtration, sanitation, community health through hygiene, and WASH in schools. Field trainers are then sent to other countries along with Lifewater staff members to train Lifewater’s international partners, who implement sustainable projects in their own communities. Lifewater promotes long-term change by equipping nationals with the skills needed to ensure safe water and improved community health.
History
Lifewater was founded by William A. Ashe in 1977. Owner of a water pump business, the Ashe family started taking trips to MexicoMexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
to promote water sanitation to those in need in the late 1960s. Over time, these small family trips grew to include other water professionals. As a result of the success of these trips, William Ashe officially developed the Lifewater name in 1977. In 1984 Lifewater became a registered California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
non-profit and in 1986 was granted rights as a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) corporation by the IRS. Currently Lifewater is headquartered in San Luis Obispo, California and employs a full-time staff of 15. Over the past few decades Lifewater has sent over 300 qualified field trainers to work in over 40 countries, helping to serve millions of people with safe water and improved health.
Projects and the need for water
Lifewater is currently working in Central Asia, LaosLaos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
, Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
, Zambia
Zambia
Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
, Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
, the Dominican Republic, and Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
. The clean water Lifewater provides goes beyond measures of health. Clean water sources close to home provide women and children with the opportunity to go to school
School
A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
rather than hike hours a day to provide water for their families. Clean water provides babies born to HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
mothers the chance to drink formula
Formula
In mathematics, a formula is an entity constructed using the symbols and formation rules of a given logical language....
rather than get infected through their mothers’ breast milk
Breast milk
Breast milk, more specifically human milk, is the milk produced by the breasts of a human female for her infant offspring...
. Further fighting against AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
, clean water is a necessity to give those already infected a chance of survival by improving their health and making their medications more effective. According to Dr Lee Jong-Wook of the World Health Organization
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...
,
Lifewater is a member of the Millennium Water Alliance (MWA), a coalition of water development organizations dedicated to joining efforts to raise awareness
Awareness
Awareness is the state or ability to perceive, to feel, or to be conscious of events, objects or sensory patterns. In this level of consciousness, sense data can be confirmed by an observer without necessarily implying understanding. More broadly, it is the state or quality of being aware of...
of the need for safe water and sanitation around the world. It is certified by the Evangelical Council of Financial Accountability (ECFA) and has the highest, four-star rating on Charity Navigator
Charity Navigator
Charity Navigator is an independent, non-profit organization that evaluates American charities. Its stated goal is "to advance a more efficient and responsive philanthropic marketplace by evaluating the financial health of America's largest charities."-About:...
, America's largest and most utilized independent evaluator of charities.
Funding
Lifewater projects are funded by individual donorDonation
A donation is a gift given by physical or legal persons, typically for charitable purposes and/or to benefit a cause. A donation may take various forms, including cash, services, new or used goods including clothing, toys, food, and vehicles...
s, churches
Church Body
A local church is a Christian religious organization that meets in a particular location. Many are formally organized, with constitutions and by-laws, maintain offices, are served by pastors or lay leaders, and, in nations where this is permissible, often seek seek non-profit corporate status...
, corporate giving, foundations, and the federal government
Federal government
The federal government is the common government of a federation. The structure of federal governments varies from institution to institution. Based on a broad definition of a basic federal political system, there are two or more levels of government that exist within an established territory and...
. See the links below to learn more about some of these funding partners. Lifewater is also a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability.