The Power Of Partnerships: WWIF Completes First Phase Of Bagliga, Ghana Project – Dow Continues Their Support

In collaboration with Safe Water Team (SWT) and its partner Safe Water Ghana Inc. Wishing Well International Foundation (WWIF) was able to implement the first phase of its project in Bagliga, Ghana. The 100- family project was partly funded by the children of St. Paul Lutheran School in Boca Raton, Florida who, in addition to providing clean, safe drinking water to the village, are busy collecting uniforms for donation to villages throughout the world where WWIF maintains a presence. WWIF is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization bringing clean, safe drinking water to developing areas. WWIF is also a member of the Water Quality Association (WQA) and it is supported and operated by other WQA members and other non-member companies.

Efforts to provide clean, safe drinking water to developing areas around the world got a boost recently when The Dow Chemical Company donated its eighth shipment of plastic resin for use in Hydraid BioSand water filters to its partner, non-profit Safe Water Team, Inc. (www.safewaterteam.org). SWT, through collaboration with organizations such as Wishing Well International Foundation and others, has been able to implement large-scale water filter projects in developing countries like Honduras, Haiti, Dominican Republic and Ghana. Its unique relationship with Project Handclasp and the United States Navy has also resulted in the implementation of pilot projects in many other countries.

When Dow joined the team in 2008, the company committed to donating two million pounds of resin, enough to make 300,000 filters. Already, Dow has shipped more than 600,000 pounds of resin. "Dow is proud to be a part of an effort that is, literally, a lifesaver for so many people," said Bo Miller, Director of Corporate Citizenship at Dow. “The approach of the Safe Water Team fits perfectly with our goals to collaborate with multiple partners to do more good in the world, and this effort is a perfect fit with our citizenship priorities.”

On behalf of the Safe Water Team and its partners, the Wishing Well International Foundation would like to thank Dow for their generous support. “Dow’s support allows us to purchase the filter for less money and that in itself increases our ability to impact more people by reinvesting the savings. Every little bit helps and we encourage other companies to get involved in one of the many programs we have” said WWIF Founder Guillermo Guzman.

For more information on how to become involved, Follow This Link. To donate a Hydraid filter or a portion thereof, visit www.active.com/donate/HydraidFilter. One filter provides clean, safe drinking water for a family of four.

Hydraid water filters offer a simple, clean alternative (www.hydraid.org). The eight-pound plastic filter can provide a family of four with up to 50 gallons a day of clean water. The filter uses gravity, so it requires no power, has no moving parts to replace and lasts about 10 years. It removes more than 99.9 percent of parasites and more than 90 percent of all bacteria and viruses in water. Each filter can be installed in most countries for less than $1 (USD) per person per year,” said Wendell Christoff, President of the Safe Water Team.

"This is a great example of harnessing the power of scientific knowledge and discovery to help make the world a better place," said Mike Moran, North America Sales Director for Dow Performance Plastics. “We’re pleased that our resin is part of the Hydraid filter application and look forward to continuing to fulfill our commitment to Hydraid and the families in these emerging regions.”

More than 50,000 Hydraid filters have been distributed around the world since 2006. Joining Dow on the Safe Water Team are Triple Quest, Cascade Engineering, Amway Corporation, Litehouse Foods and Wolverine Worldwide amongst others.