24-hour Live Planet Water Foundation Event Anchors World Water Day

SIEM REAP, Cambodia and SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., March 20, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Planet Water Foundation, a US-based non-profit organization focused on helping solve the global water poverty crisis, will launch Project 24, a bold initiative to provide 24 rural communities in Siem Reap, Cambodia with clean, safe water during World Water Day, spanning a 24-hour period from March 21-22, 2015.

Project 24 also incorporates a fundraising campaign and live webcast event intended to bring greater awareness of the global water crisis that affects nearly one billion people worldwide. During the 24 hour event, Planet Water Foundation will install and commission 24 clean water filtration systems, one every hour, on the hour, for 24 hours. A project of this scope and scale is unprecedented in Cambodia and Planet Water Foundation's global and in-country teams have been preparing for nearly six months to accomplish their goals of delivering healthy, safe water to a region where residents suffer from waterborne illnesses caused by water impurity and a lack of understanding of modern hygiene behavior.

The lack of clean, safe water contributes to the needless deaths of nearly 4,000 children every day worldwide and severely restricts the productivity and prosperity of villages where water is sourced from contaminated rivers, streams, ponds, and wells. Women and girls often bear the responsibility for gathering water for family uses rather than attending school.

School-age children are the focus for Planet Water Foundation, where the impact of their work translates into hope for a healthy future. The organization provides two primary solutions that change these young lives: community-based AquaTowers that filter source water to remove harmful bacteria and protozoa, and a child-friendly Water-Health and Hygiene Education program that aides in behavior modification to avoid sickness.

In a little more than five years, Planet Water Foundation has provided nearly one-half million people with clean, safe water in 12 countries on two continents. The organization's AquaTower technology provides a sustainable, reliable, and highly effective solution to supplying small rural communities with clean water that changes the lives of village residents. "Our AquaTowers are capable of providing enough clean, healthy water for approximately 1,000 people per day, which is about the size of most rural communities in Cambodia," explains Planet Water Foundation's CEO and Founder Mark Steele.

The Project 24 initiative combines a social media fundraising effort and corporate giving initiative into one live event. Webcasts during the 24-hour period will be viewable on the internet using satellite communication solutions provided through a collaborative effort led by Inmarsat (live satellite network access and resources) along with Cobham SATCOM (satellite broadcast hardware), and AST (support). "Inmarsat is proud to support Planet Water Foundation and its Project 24 initiative.  The unique capabilities and reach of our network and our innovative portfolio of solutions, supported by our partners AST and Cobham SATCOM, will enable this project to be shared with the rest of the world. We hope this footage will help raise awareness of the work Planet Water Foundation is doing in these communities of Cambodia to provide safe and clean water, which most of us take for granted," said Greg Ewert, President, Inmarsat Enterprise, Inmarsat.

A leading advocate of Planet Water Foundation, and a sponsor of Project 24, is Xylem Inc. (NYSE: XYL), which is supporting the concluding 24^th project while its employees, through matching Xylem contribution, are sponsoring the opening project. Since 2010, Xylem Watermark and Planet Water Foundation have partnered to provide clean water and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) education in communities throughout Asia and Latin America. In addition, 210 Xylem employees have volunteered in more than 85 Planet Water Foundation projects – installing community-based water filtration systems and providing education on water-health and hygiene. Xylem Inc. has already committed to continuing their support of Planet Water Foundation in 2015 with a goal of building 46 water towers and bringing clean water and WASH education to 46,000 people across five countries on two continents.

Project 24 is also supported by Children International, a community-based organization that provides resources, programs and services to reduce the burden of poverty on impoverished children and youth, while investing in their potential to help them to them grow up healthy, educated, and prepared to succeed and contribute to society. To date, Children International and Planet Water have built 28 AquaTowers in the Philippines and India, providing clean water and hygiene education to more than 28,000 people.

His Excellency, Secretary of State, Try Meng from the Royal Cambodia will be attending Project 24 closing ceremonies in addition to other dignitaries. Project 24 will conclude with a blessing of the water by local Buddhist monks.

Sesame Workshop character Elmo will also be in attendance during closing ceremonies. Elmo and other Sesame Workshop characters play a significant role in making Planet Water's Water-Health and Hygiene education program an engaging and interactive experience for the beneficiary children. "For 45 years, Sesame Workshop has been reaching children around the world with content that addresses the critical needs in their lives," says Shari Rosenfeld, Vice President, International Projects, Sesame Workshop. "Project 24's mission to deliver clean water to thousands of school children over the course of 24 hours is a unique and important way to help put and keep children on a positive trajectory for a healthy lifetime of learning."

Additional Project 24 corporate sponsorship is provided by: Vibrant Village Foundation, packaged beverage brands H2One and Nakula, textile and garment company Coats, The Palms Residences of Costa Rica, healthcare staffing firm Medical Solutions, natural foods retailers Hi-Health and Sprouts Farmers Market, convenience gasoline and grocery retailer Hallum Stores, website and software developer BizRayTech, and SmallWorld Cafe located in Marbella, Spain.

The live 24-hour webcast will be viewable on the Project 24 website at www.project24live.org beginning at 10 pm Eastern Standard Time, on Saturday March 21, 2015. Individuals interested in supporting Project 24 may make contributions on the Project 24 website. The event is scheduled to conclude at 11:30pm Eastern Standard Time on Sunday, March 22, 2015.

Learn more about Inmarsat: http://www.inmarsat.com
Learn more about Cobham SATCOM: http://www.cobham.com
Learn more about AST: http://www.theastgroup.com
Learn more about Xylem Inc.: http://www.xylemwatermark.com
Learn more about Children International: http://www.children.org
Learn more about Sesame Workshop: http://www.sesameworkshop.org
Learn more about Vibrant Village Foundation: http://www.vibrantvillage.org
Learn more about H2One: http://www.h2one.com
Learn more about Nakula: http://www.nakula.com.au
Learn more about Coats: http://www.coats.com
Learn more about The Palms Residences: http://www.palmscostarica.com
Learn more about Medical Solutions: http://www.medicalsolutions.com
Learn more about Hi-Health: http://www.hihealth.com
Learn more about Sprouts Farmers Markets: http://www.sprouts.com
Learn more about Hallum Stores: http://www.hallumstores.com
Learn more about BizRayTech: https://www.Raybiztech.com
Learn more about SmallWorld Cafe: http://www.smallworldcafe.com

About Planet Water Foundation
Planet Water Foundation is a non-profit organization focused on bringing clean water to the world's most disadvantaged communities through the installation of community-based water filtration systems and the deployment of hygiene education programs. Planet Water has completed nearly 500 projects across 12 countries across the Asia-Pacific Region and Latin America. Planet Water's activities align closely in supporting the goals and objectives of corporations with CSR programs of similar focus, through its well established volunteer and community engagement programs. Planet Water has partnered with JP Morgan, Starbucks, Sesame Workshop, Xylem Inc., Levi Strauss & Co., PepsiCo, Timberland, Children International, and Habitat for Humanity, among others, toward bringing clean, safe water to the world's most disadvantaged communities. 

Video - http://origin-qps.onstreammedia.com/origin/multivu_archive/PRNA/ENR/183407-Project-24-Challenge.mp4

SOURCE Planet Water Foundation