We protect disadvantaged people from water-borne disease.

We train local individuals as Safe Water Educators (SWE), who become experts in source and household water testing and point-of-use purification. They visit individuals and families in their homes to test their water and show them that their water is contaminated. SWE’s show how chlorine tablets purify the water and how proper storage allows them to use the water safely. This is a philosophical and behavioral change that requires continued visits, in-home surveys, additional testing, coordination with village leaders, and frequent reminders. We train and manage the SWE’s through this entire process to make sure that these principles are sustainable long term.

• The World Health Organization reports that over 2 billion people worldwide do not have access to safe drinking water.

• In Africa, about 80% of illnesses are linked to poor water and sanitation.

• 60% of the Ghanaian population do not have access to safely managed drinking water services.

• Women and children collect water from community boreholes (wells) and other sources not knowing it is often contaminated with Dysentery, Typhoid, or Cholera by the time it reaches home.

• These preventable diseases are the second leading cause of death in children under five years old.

• Donations fund training materials for Safe Water Educators, water testing kits, Chlorine tablets to teach proper point-of-use purification, school safe water stations and hygiene stations, safe water storage containers, public service announcements, visual aids for group presentations, household survey assessments, and more. • At the beginning of each project, we typically send a small group of volunteers from the US to facilitate the SWE training. These volunteers pay their own way and donate their time.

• A typical project area will protect about 1,000 families (about 5,000 people) and costs about $14,000 over the course of the three-year project. How effective is the BWF methodology?

• 97% of the households that follow the program show no risk of water-borne disease in their household water supplies 1 year after the program starts.

• A 90-95% reduction in both student school and adult workdays lost due to waterborne disease is reported after one year.

• Over 70% of households that go through the program continue to treat their water 1 year later. We are constantly looking for ways to increase this behavioral change.

Teaching individuals how to purify water in their own home is an extremely powerful tool for long term health and self reliance. Point-of-use purification with chlorine offers an immediate solution that is affordable, effective and sustainable. In-home surveys conducted by the SWE’s verify the effectiveness of the initiative and give valuable feedback to individual families, BWF Headquarters, local health, education and opinion leaders.