Water For People announced the 2010 Rosenthal Million Dollar Challenge: IMPACT2.
For the third consecutive year, New Orleans-based philanthropists Stephen and Sandy Rosenthal donated $500,000 to Water For People, challenging others to match their investment in support of Water For People’s mission to end global water poverty.
Funds raised through IMPACT2 will be used to further Water For People’s work in Africa, Asia and Central and South America. Its unique approach includes leveraging donor dollars with community, government and partner investments; utilizing basic free-market business principles; empowering social entrepreneurs; training in operations, maintenance and finance; and monitoring annually for 10 years.
“Our family foundation has made several major gifts to Water For People over the last few years. Our due diligence has revealed a well-run, transparent and honest organization,” said Stephen Rosenthal. “We are impressed by their monitoring and evaluation; the results are compelling. This tangible proof of sustainability shows that our money and time are well invested.”
“We are thrilled to be the recipient of the Rosenthal family’s continued support and look forward to once again meeting this challenge,” said Wende Valentine, Water For People assistant director of individual major gifts. “Our success in the past two years allowed us to leverage the financial and physical support of local, regional, and national partner organizations to build long-lasting solutions for communities around the world. Through the IMPACT2 challenge, we will continue to leverage each dollar raised to multiply results.”
“Around the world, developing countries are littered with broken wells and abandoned latrines,” Rosenthal said. “Clean water and safe sanitation are truly compelling needs. However, it does little good to meet these needs if systems quickly break; if girls have to return to a life of carrying water and babies continue dying from preventable waterborne illnesses. That’s why we support Water For People. The organization goes beyond just counting how many people have services that first year. They place greater emphasis on how long those systems last—if they are truly sustainable in future years.”
To learn more about the campaign, visit http://www.waterforpeople.org/milliondollarchallenge.
Source: Water For People
