Global Water

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GLOBAL WATER was founded in 1982 by former U.S. Ambassador John McDonald and Dr. Peter Bourne to help save the lives of people in developing countries that are lost due to unclean water. Dr. Peter Bourne was the United Nations Assistant Secretary General in charge of the International Drinking Water and Sanitation Decade until 1980 when Ambassador McDonald was assigned as U.S. Coordinator for the United Nations Decade on Drinking Water and Sanitation.

As Ambassador McDonald tells it: "Nothing I had ever seen in my life prepared me for the day I landed in Africa. I saw villages where people trekked miles in the hot sun just to get clean water for the day. But even more tragic were the children I saw suffering from the lack of clean water. Many seemed to be just hours from death, and others had lost their vision to trachoma, an easily preventable disease caused by contaminated water."

Rather than providing short-term supplies like food and bottled water that are used up, GLOBAL WATER focuses on permanent solutions to a region's water needs with two main programs:-

1) drilling new wells to pump clean water; and

2) purifying and storage of existing sources of water.

A handout fills a stomach for a few hours. Global Water works to teach entire villages how to have clean, healthy water forever.

GLOBAL WATER is an international non-profit, non-sectarian, non-governmental organization. By emphasizing volunteer help, GLOBAL WATER serves as a vehicle for caring individuals to get involved in the world-wide effort to provide clean drinking water for developing countries.

Articles by Global Water

Global Water Project Lists

  • Global Water Projects List »
    Global Water's Rural Outreach Water Supply Program is a significant departure from typical humanitarian projects in developing countries. However, over the years Global Water has worked on numerous water supply projects around the world in a variety of capacities. Here is a partial list of Global Water's on-going and previous projects:

Waste Water

  • What is Waste Water, and why treat it? »
    We consider wastewater treatment as a water use because it is so interconnected with the other uses of water. Much of the water used by homes, industries, and businesses must be treated before it is released back to the environment.

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