““A lot of times with these overwhelming problems, we can get caught up in the statistics,” she said. “I have to look at it in the face of every person whose home I have been in. You go from house to house and you realize that mothers’ lives are being changed — the entire village’s life is being changed.…”  Read More….

T-Shirt – What if You could Change the World?

Men’s Sizes

XS S M L XL XXL

Women’s Sizes

XS S M L XL XXL

On April 30, 2011 we sent our 10th team to Fiji to spend some time with families in Ba that had received water filters last July and also to install filters in an area of Fiji known as Nasomo, which is near Tavua.  These filters were graciously sponsored by the Fiji Water Foundation and many of our private supporters. The first couple of days we spent following up in Tavarau and Varavau settlements in Ba.  It was so great to see these families again! I’m always amazed at how welcoming people are to our teams. 

We learned a lot about usage of the filters, education needs and follow up strategies.  We have always said that one of the things that makes Give Clean Water different from other water organizations is follow up.  We visit each family multiple times after the water filters has been installed to ensure proper usage and functionality of the filter.  This is KEY to really changing the lives of these families.  Some families need additional education, some need assistance.  We only know this because we follow up.

On Thursday and Friday of our week, we traveled to Tavua to a village called Nasomo where we installed 164 filters, many of which were done in the soaking rain.  It is always amazing to me to watch our teams soaking wet, dirty, mudding and yet having the time of their lives.  We met with some local volunteers who came out and helped with the installations.  It’s beautiful to watch different organizations come and work together to change lives.  The head man of Nasomo was so gracious and welcoming to us all.  We look forward to revisiting Nasomo in July.

Our final days in Fiji, we took our team out to Plantation Island for a little R&R.  Beautiful island, great food, snorkeling, kayaking, massage etc.  Two of our team members went scuba diving for the first time!  All in all a wonderful, rewarding and successful trip.  We look forward to our next trip in July.  If you would like to join us for this trip or a future Give Clean Water trip, visit Upcoming Trips section on our website.

Join GCW, the USO and San Diego Harley Davidson as they host the first annual Cruise into Easter event.  Event will be from 11-3pm at the San Diego Harley Davidson, 5600 Kearney Mesa Road, San Diego, CA.  Easter Egg hunts will be held at 11:30am and 2pm.  Free Admission.  Enjoy jumpies, face painting, Easter Bunny, food, live music and a rock wall, sponsored by Newbreak Church.  There will also be a beer garden and silent auction with proceeds to benefit Give Clean Water, supporting their work to give clean water filters to people in Fiji.  For more information, email Amanda@GiveCleanWater.org.

Each dot on this map represents a home in Tavua Village with documented biographical data of all the family members. This data includes names, ages, schools, occupations, and health status of each person.

The first week of May 2011, the people of Tavua Village will all receive clean drinking water filters. Recently their entire village was inflicted with a Typhoid outbreak due to dirty water. The Fiji Health Department identified Tavua as one of the most “at risk” villages for a repeat of a Typhoid outbreak. This Google Earth snapshot shows the 164 houses of Tavua Village, representing nearly 1,000 people who will all have clean drinking water in May! A team from the USA will partner with Fiji Water and its employees on this grand adventure!

It’s exciting to see these houses on a map, but nothing like the thrill of meeting each family in person! You see…these dots on the maps are much more than a cool photo…they represent real people whose lives are about to be radically changed!

What if you could change the world?

See more pictures

 

On December 3rd, the Ride4Water team said their goodbyes to family and friends and set off from Imperial Beach, CA into Baja Mexico.  They embarked on the 2nd leg of their around the world ride to raise money for clean water filters for Fiji.  The 2nd leg will end in Panama. 

Meet Dane Horak

Dane has joined the Ride4Water team beginning with the 2nd Leg into Baja Mexico. Dane, 31, is a software engineer who quit his high-paying job last month to join his long-time friend Ryan. Dane’s decision followed a great deal of soul searching, through which he determined he wanted to make a difference in the world…and joining the Ride4Water was just the ticket! 

The Ride4Water’s goal is to raise $1 million dollars for GCW asking 10,000 people to each give $100.   Support their cause by donating:

Follow Ryan and Dane via their blog, facebook and twitter

Where is the Ride4Water?  Check it out their trek each day via Garmin Connect

What if you could change the world?  It sounds like a lofty goal, something similar to the dream of world peace…..out of reach, too big, too overwhelming….

BUT…what if you COULD change the world??

 Imagine a day without safe drinking water.  How would you prepare your bowl of morning oatmeal or make a cup of coffee?  How would you brush your teeth? How would you cope with your children being ill simply because of the water they drink?

 Imagine a home, a community, or an entire country, where safe drinking water was unavailable; where children and adults contract typhoid, cholera and other water born diseases because of a lack of safe water to drink. 

 Imagine a country with beautiful, lush, green mountains, ocean views, and the most idyllic landscape.  Imagine that this same country has 55 percent of its population suffering from lack of clean, safe, drinking water. 

 According to the World Health Organization, 1.8 million people die every yea r from diarrheal diseases. Globally it is the leading cause of illness and death. 88% of diarrheal deaths are attributed to unsafe water supply, inadequate sanitation and hygiene.   

In the United States and other developed countries, we take for granted the ability to turn our water facet on and have safe, bacteria free water at our finger tips. We forget that many developing countries, even those that we often vacation to, do not have the means or the infrastructure to provide families with safe water to drink.  The lack of clean water is gaining awareness around the world.  Organizations have been established, bloggers are getting active on Blog Action Day and the U.N. has dedicated March 22^nd of each year as World Water Day in an effort to raise awareness.  But, what is awareness without action? 

Fiji is a country of immense beauty with truly amazing and good-hearted people, but they lack the infrastructure to provide all their citizens with access to clean drinking water.  In the past year, Fiji has been hit with devastating tropical storms and flooding.  Families have been left without running water and often have to drink from contaminated rivers or wells.  This has resulted in a recent outbreak of typhoid and other illnesses attributed to unsafe drinking water.  Stomach ailments are an every day occurrence to many children and families in Fiji. These outbreaks can be stopped by providing safe, bacteria free water to every family.

Now imagine being a part of a group of dedicated individuals sharing their time, money, and resources, to ensure that everybody on earth has access to clean drinking water.

 Give Clean Water, a non-profit organization, was established in 2008 with a mission to provide clean, safe drinking water to all on earth who need it.  Since that time we have worked with volunteers, organizations like FIJI Water Foundation and private donors to install 1700 clean water filters in Fiji, giving clean water to over 10,000 people. Our goal is to partner with like minded individuals and organizations to put a clean water filter in the home of every family who does not have access to adequate drinking water.  

Lives are being changed! In October 2009, Give Clean Water worked with FIJI Water volunteers to give clean water to every home in the villages of Sasa and Natunuku, two villages severely affected by the flooding.  Today, the filters continue to keep the people of Sasa and Natunuku healthy – protecting them, from a recent outbreak of typhoid fever. 

As described by a nurse who lives in Sasa: “This has been an immense help to us. We often have water cuts, and have to walk to get water from the family down the road. During the floods, we only had the river. Now we can use this filter to drink from the river or from rain we collect. I will encourage everyone to use this.”

The filter placed in the family’s home removes 99.999% of all bacteria, protozoa, and cysts like E. coli, cholera and typhoid. With the installation of this filter in a home, no matter the water source, a family can always have access to clean, bacteria free drinking water.

In 2010, we partnered with Convoy of Hope, Behr Paint and Newbreak to provide over 2,700 filters to victims of the Haiti earthquake and will once again partner with volunteers and organizations, including the FIJI Water Foundation, to pursue our goal of installing 3,000-5,000 filters in Fiji this year. 

You CAN change the world …. Participate in a trip to Fiji to assist Give Clean Water and the FIJI Water Foundation in giving the gift of clean water to Fiji, donate a filter for a family ($100 per family or $5,000 for an entire village) or simply spread the word about our efforts!  With your help, we will change the entire country of Fiji in the next ten years!  And if we can change one country, why not the world?

Ryan and Davin arrived in Colorado on Friday.  They’ve had quite the journey so far facing crazy head winds and wet roads.   Thank you to all who have been following them on Facebook and Twitter and especially those who have donated to support their cause.  Their goal is that 10,000 people would donated $100 to give clean water to those in need.

A Special Thank you to the folks at Oak Crest for giving Ryan and Davin a place to stay.  Your generosity is much appreciated!

Many have been asking about the Ride4Water trek to California.  Here is an updated itinerary.  We’ll be having a celebration in Flagstaff, AZ on October 8th with our sponsor Simple Shoes as well as in San Diego, CA on October 16th. 

On Sept 1st, Ryan Delamater and Davin Anderson will embark on an 18-month, 6 continent bike ride to raise awareness and funding for Give Clean Water.  The duo will begin the trip from Hudson, Ohio with a plan to end in Fiji by April 2012. The goal is to raise $1 million by asking 10,000 individuals to donate $100.  The Ride4Water funds will provide 45,000 Fijians access to clean water. 

It was Delamater who conceived of the Ride4Water. As he was wrapping up graduate school this past year, he began pondering his next chapter in life. It was then that the seed was planted.

“I thought, why not marry my love of bicycles with serving others?” recalls Delamater.  “And what better way to serve than bringing clean water to people in need?”

Dalamater, 36, is the owner of a real estate leasing company, and a former youth pastor. He is also an avid, long-distance cyclist. His past feats have included a 6,000 mile trek across upper North America to bring attention to Ugandan teenagers being drafted into the military. Delamater recently earned his master’s degree in Counseling from Ashland University. 

He invited Anderson, 29 – a friend and fellow cyclist – to join him on the Ride4Water. He was thrilled with the Ride4Water idea – and resigned from his job as a restaurant manager to join Delamater.

The two have sold the bulk of their collective possessions to cover expenses for the trek. They plan to pedal their way through six continents and 40 countries, traveling 31,000 miles. The first leg of the trip, Sept. 1 – October 15, will be from Ohio to California. From there, they will journey South from Mexico to Argentina. Next, they will fly out to Africa where they will ride up the west coast into Europe. From there they travel east to Hong Kong. They then go to Australia and when they finish riding they plan on flying to Fiji to meet some of the people they helped get clean water for.

If you would like to support the Ride4Water you can donated to the cause:

 

Spread the word through Facebook & Twitter (@Ride4Water).