Portland's First World Water Day Celebration Will Benefit Water For All

Portland Roasting Coffee Company hosts March event that will help provide fresh, clean water via unique water pump technologies to African countries most in need, like the coffee growers in Ethiopia.

(PORTLAND, Ore.) - Water For All announced today that it will expand into Ethiopia by donating Fun Pump water pumps sponsored by Portland Roasting Coffee Company.

On Sunday, March 22, 2009, Portland Roasting is spearheading the first World Water Day Celebration in Portland, Ore., to increase awareness of and concern for the more than 1 billion people worldwide who do not have access to clean water, and to raise funds to install as many pumps as possible in Ethiopia.

"A central component of our business is to make a positive difference in the lives and communities of the coffee growers we work with," said Mark Stell, president of Portland Roasting.

"Having easy access to clean water is essential to good health and a good quality of life. By working with Water For All to install a merry-go-round water pump, we will make an immediate and sustainable improvement in Ethiopia."

The daylong World Water Day Celebration at Portland's World Trade Center Plaza (25 SW Salmon St.) will include a 3-mile walk along the Willamette River beginning at 1 p.m.; 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. screenings of "Flow," the 2008 award-winning documentary about world water issues; and live music by the Seattle band, Creme Tangerine.

Together with its partners,
Water For All has donated clean
water technologies to nine countries:
South Africa, Swaziland, Mozambique,
Zambia, Lesotho, Kenya, Tanzania,
Malawi and Zimbabwe.

Capping the day's events will be the World Water Day Concert Series beginning at 6 p.m., featuring Portland singer-songwriter Stephanie Schneiderman and the Pete Krebs Trio.

Created by the United Nations, International World Water Day is held annually on March 22 as a means of focusing attention on the importance of freshwater and advocating for the sustainable management of freshwater resources. Worldwide, millions of women and children spend several hours per day collecting water from distant, and often polluted sources.

The 3-mile walk in Portland will provide participants an opportunity to experience what millions of African women and children do on a daily basis to secure water for drinking, eating and washing.

Proceeds from all the events will benefit Water For All, a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing clean water to families in sub-Saharan Africa.

"While we have supporters around the world, Portland Roasting is the first to combine a highly visible, educational and entertaining event and invite the whole community to participate," said Jill Rademacher, president of Water For All.

"Creating greater awareness of the world's water crisis will benefit many people around the world."

To date, Water For All has donated more than 1,000 pumps and 2,000 purifiers to rural and peri-urban communities in sub-Saharan Africa, improving the health and wellbeing of many thousands of people. Access to safe water reduces water borne diseases and eases the burden on women and girls in rural communities.

It is estimated that more than 1 billion people worldwide do not have access to clean drinking water. Water For All and its network of partners assess beneficiary communities and collectively decide which technology is the most appropriate solution for that particular setting.

As part of Water For All's customized approach, the organization works with local communities and in-country advisors to assess each school or community's water needs and determine which water technology is most appropriate. Water For All uses a range of water technologies such as merry-go-round pumps, wind powered pumps, solar pumps, hand pumps and purification systems.

Water For All and its network of partners assess beneficiary communities and collectively decide which technology is the most appropriate solution for that particular setting.

Water For All continually re-evaluates water technology offerings and seeks out new and innovative solutions. Water For All's Fun Pump is an appropriate option for primary schools as it provides both access to water and an opportunity for children to play. As children spin on the merry-go-round, clean water pumps into a storage tank and a simple tap makes it easy to draw water.

In 2009, the organization will also begin to donate pumps in Ethiopia and Uganda while continuing to explore new regions.

Water For All is a nonprofit organization based in Johannesburg, which has provided access to clean water to hundreds of schools and communities throughout Africa since 2004.

Source: PRNewswire