Safe Water Team Expands Clean Water Efforts in Central America

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., March 29, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Safe Water Team (SWT, www.safewaterteam.org) has announced that it has partnered with the Honduras government, Health and Humanitarian Outreach Projects (HHOP), Triple Quest, the Honduran Coffee Growers Association, and Vida Abundante Ministry to implement a large-scale Hydraid® BioSand Water Filter (www.hydraid.org) project in Honduras.

The group of organizations has launched a large scale Hydraid implementation plan in Honduras with the long-term goal of installing 40,000 units during the next five years.  It is believed that there is a need for at least 265,000 filters in the next decade.

The program begins with a 60-day implementation plan, spanning the months of March and April, 2011, and includes the following:

• HHOP, with financial support from SWT, will maintain an inventory of filters, sand, and related installation materials at its warehouse in Choloma, Honduras, and it will supervise a team of trained installers, who will install all the filters in villages around Honduras as directed by the Honduras government.  The installed cost of each filter will be approximately $115.00.
• The organizations will collectively assemble a team of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), which will provide training, education, and follow-up for the filters that are installed in the communities they serve.  The NGOs will assure that the filters are used properly on a long-term basis and Triple Quest and HHOP will provide training and technical support to the NGOs as required.
• The Honduras government will assist HHOP and other team members to keep costs as low as possible.  The government will transport the filters and sand from the HHOP warehouse in Choloma to the location where the filters are being installed.  Additionally, the government will work with HHOP to ensure that all filters can be brought into and out of the country duty-free.
• The SWT will work with HHOP and the United States Navy's Project Handclasp program to have as many filters as possible delivered to Honduras by the Navy to keep transportation costs as low as possible.

Program Funding

The Honduras government is providing direct funding for the project, and SWT is partnered with the Honduras government to develop a funding plan to complement its efforts.  Additional funding will be provided by Rotary clubs, churches, funding from large international funding sources, and contributions from SWT Corporate Social Responsibility partners.

About the Safe Water Team

The Safe Water Team, Inc. is a non-profit humanitarian organization dedicated to connecting strategic Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) partners with resources and opportunities to provide safe drinking water to those in desperate need around the world.  The organization's priority is children.  SWT has a growing list of CSR partners including Amway, Dow, Cascade Engineering, and Litehouse Foods.

For more information, visit www.safewaterteam.org.

SOURCE Safe Water Team