Children's Safe Drinking Water

Providing water to displaced people in Pakistan

Introduction:
Keith Zook, my good friend and long time second in command on P&G’s Children’s Safe Drinking Water program, traveled to Pakistan in August to work with our production plant and social market and disaster relief partners.  This blog entry describes his visits with two of our partners, World Vision and HOPE, that are providing water to displaced people in Pakistan.  Drinking water is critical to these populations as they are forced to move into formal camps, homes and other temporary housing.  In these crowded situations, drinking water many times becomes a major avenue of disease transmission.  The use of PUR packets helps avoid this disease and improves the quality of life of the people.

PSI and FHI Providing Safe Drinking Water for Families with HIV/AIDS

We’ve learned that safe drinking water is critical for people who have HIV/AIDS because they are prone to opportunistic infections from contaminated water that can make them persistently sick and can be fatal.  When an adult is sick or dies from HIV/AIDS, it takes a horrible toll on the children who are more likely to not attend school, more likely to be sick, and even more likely to die. 

PUR where it’s really needed in Ethiopia

I’m in eastern Ethiopia with Henock Gazahegn of PSI.  PSI is doing a great job here in providing safe drinking water with the PUR packets.  We recognized PSI at the Clinton Global Initiative with the Live, Learn and Thrive Partnership Award for providing more than 200 million liters of clean drinking water in Ethiopia and thereby preventing millions of days of diarrheal illness and saving thousands of lives.

Committing to 4 Billion Liters of Clean Water with President Bill Clinton and Celebrating Success

We just participated in the 5th Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) and made our biggest commitment ever.  P&G, through our Children’s Safe Drinking Water Program, is committed to providing 4 billion liters of safe drinking water in the developing world by 2012.  This will prevent an estimated 160 million days of diarrheal illness and save 20,000 lives.  As part of this commitment, we’ll also launched a number of initiatives to raise awareness of the global water crisis and these will reach at least 300 million households. 

Climbing a Mountain to Focus Attention on the Global Water Crisis: PUR Water Filtration Partners with Summit on the Summit:Kilimanjaro and CSDW

Twitter:  @DrGregAllgood

I often feel that I’m climbing a metaphorical mountain in leading our Children’s Safe Drinking Water (CSDW) Program.  We’ve provided 1.6 billion liters of safe drinking water since 2004 and estimate that this has prevented more than 66 million days of diarrhea illness and saved more than 9,000 lives.  But there’s so much more to be done because 4,000 children die every day.  So, while we’re working really hard – it’s a big mountain to climb.  One thing is for sure, we can’t do it alone.

Starting to Tweet , Clinton Global Initiative Case Study on CSDW, and Nursing Editorial

I’ve been asked to start Twittering in addition to blogging.  I’m brand new at this, but I’m intrigued with the idea of “microblogging” via Twitter and of having a dialogue with people interested in our Children’s Safe Drinking Water (CSDW) Program.  You can find me on Twitter @DrGregAllgood.  I’ll tweet during my trips and during other important events related to our CSDW Program.    We’ll be taking part in the Clinton Global Initiative later in September and I’ll start twittering there.  And, I’ll be tweeting from the Dominican Republic and several African countries in the next few weeks. 

UNC Medical School Using PUR for Triple Whammy to Help Mothers Protect their Infants from AIDS

I’m in Malawi to visit the work of one of our newest partners.  We’ve been working with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) for quite some time but with the School of Public Health and the Kenan Flagler Business School.  The Dean of the UNC business school, Jim Dean, introduced me to a human dynamo named Dr. Mike Cohen, who is Associate Vice Chancellor for Global Health, Director of the Institute for Global Health & Infectious Diseases, and Chief of Infectious Diseases. Now, fast-forward to Malawi, where UNC has a long-standing program to prevent mother to child transmission (called PMTCT) of HIV/AIDS and has started using PUR.

PSI and World Vision Having Success in School Programs

I’m back in Malawi.  It’s been more than a year since I visited Malawi.  During my last visit, I visited some of the school programs conducted by World Vision in collaboration with PSI.  On that trip, I was accompanied by the celebrity Joely Richardson and we were both impressed by the school program. 

Interviewing Cholera Patients with World Vision Zimbabwe

I’m looking forward to today because we’re visiting households that have benefitted from use of the PUR packets provided by World Vision in rural Zimbabwe.  We’re headed deep into the rural area.  I’m traveling with Keith Kall, the Executive Director of Corporate Development, and Bwalya Melu, the Interim National Director, of World Vision Zimbabwe.  Keith has flown from the US to experience this massive relief effort with me.

PSI Responds to Cholera in Zimbabwe

I’m sure you’ve heard about the deadly cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe this year.  It made world news.  Thousands of people died.  The deteriorating infrastructure caused by the political unrest in Zimbabwe and the collapsing economy had resulted in horrible water conditions.  There was a call from the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, World Vision, and other humanitarian groups for a response to this cholera crisis.