As editor of With Haiti suffering through a recent cholera outbreak, some companies with plastics ties are working to help out by empowering Haitians to properly treat their drinking water.
Deep Springs International, a Grove City, Pa.-based non-profit organization, was on the ground in Haiti for three years before the earthquake hit, helping to improve the health of the population by distributing safe water storage containers and liquid chlorine solution.
As the cholera epidemic continues to spread, DSI has responded by providing chlorine solution for the water distribution network in St. Marc and 353 schools in the Artibonite region - the epicenter of the outbreak - as well as 16 other communities where DSI previously had established programs.
DSI's corporate partners secured funds for the distribution of 900 additional gallons of liquid chlorine solution and 500,000 solid chlorine tablets. The partners include Lanxess Corp., Nova Chemicals and PPG Industries.
Following the January earthquake, Lanxess allowed Jeff Ritter, who works in the company's procurement department, to dedicate all his time to the relief effort. Since then,
- Lanxess has donated about $250,000 to help fund DSI's project, providing over 20,000 household water purification systems as well as tablets and other supplies that produced 20 million gallons of safe water for the relief effort.
- Nova Chemicals donated two containers of high density polyethylene, which will allow DSI to manufacture nearly 30,000 water purification systems in Haiti. Nova, through its Inspirion Ventures subsidiary, also is donating four collapsible containers store the systems in remote areas.
- PPG Industries provided more than 2,750 pounds of Accu-Tab tablets to treat water supplies.
To date, DSI has helped more than 450,000 individuals and 50,000 children under the age of five to benefit from clean drinking water. To date, according to the company, the project saved the lives of more than 100 children, who otherwise would have died of diarrheal-related dehydration. For more information, visit www.deepspringsinternational.org.