AHEAD WATER PASTEURIZATION PROGRAM

"More than a billion people in the world lack safe drinking water.... About half the people in the developing nations suffer from diseases caused by contaminated water and an estimated 14,000 – 30,000 people die every day from water related diseases – the equivalent of several September 11th tragedies every day, year in and year out – but without media attention."     State of the World, 2002 – World Watch Institute

To tackle the scarcity of fuel sources, AHEAD has turned to the sun to provide the energy needed to power water purification systems in rural communities.  

AHEAD, Inc. has successfully demonstrated a method to test and pasteurize contaminated water using a simple, low-cost solar device, the Cookit. Pasteurization eliminates viruses and bacteria in drinking water. These contaminates are the primary causes of diarrheal diseases, the 2^nd leasing cause of death among children in Tanzania. This program was implemented to teach people how to pasteurize water and save their lives using solar energy, a process that significantly reduces water-borne diseases.

As a result of AHEAD’s work on issues relating to health and the environment, the organization was a recipient of the prestigious Ashden Awards for Renewable Energy awarded by the Whitley Foundation of Great Britain.

AHEAD has sponsored workshops and training sessions in Tanzania for policy makers, administrators, health professionals, university students, secondary school students, development workers, village chiefs, Village Health Workers, village subgroups, Water Groups, women’s groups, village youth groups, and mothers in remote rural villages.  

AHEAD, Inc. and its beneficiaries, i.e., families living in remote rural villages in Meatu and Kisarawe Districts in Tanzania, are grateful for the financial resources from AGI (Alternative Gifts International, New England BioLabs and other donors. These funds have promoted the AHEAD Water Initiative in Tanzania, conducted more than 800 tests on water sources in rural communities and Dar es Salaam, trained more than 300 trainers, and supported the training of many more. To date, more than 100,000 individuals have benefited from the AHEAD Water Initiative.

[ top ]