PlayPumps International announced that its 100-day grassroots campaign raised more than $1.5 million to donate 111 PlayPump water systems to communities in sub-Saharan Africa, which will improve the lives of a quarter million people by providing them with fresh drinking water. The organization announced its "100 Pumps in 100 Days" challenge as part of World Water Day on March 22, 2007, as an extension of the global campaign announced last fall to bring 4,000 PlayPump systems to ten sub-Saharan African countries.
The PlayPump water system consists of a child's merry-go-round attached to a water pump and storage tank that delivers clean water from deep underground via a tap. These systems provide clean drinking water and educational messages to schools and communities in Africa.
"In Africa, clean water can make the difference between prosperity and poverty, wellness and disease, illiteracy and education," tennis star and PlayPumps International spokesperson Nicole Vaidisova said. "The urgency represented by the '100 Pumps in 100 Days' campaign has now been matched by the generosity of donors who understand that the presence of a PlayPump water system in a village can be the foundation to a better future."
Generous organizations and individuals helped PlayPumps International not only meet its goal of 100 pumps in 100 days, but exceed it. Schools, places of worship, foundations and individuals fueled their own grassroots campaigns.
PlayPumps International is pursuing its goal of implementing 4,000 PlayPump systems in ten sub-Saharan countries by 2010 by finding new and creative ways to educate and inspire others to help the cause. The group is now exploring the world of online social networking to achieve their goal by becoming part of Facebook's "Causes" application. This fall, the group will kick off their "KnowH2O!" campaign to teach students about the global water crisis and ways they can help solve the problem.
Source: PlayPumps International
