Providing access to treated water prevents illnesses.
Drinking and cooking with water that is full of bacteria exposes children and families to stomach issues, diarrhea and other waterborne illnesses.
Children under age 5 are especially vulnerable to waterborne illnesses – diarrhea can lead to dehydration, which can cause a child to become extremely ill.
161 million people in the Caribbean and Latin America (1 in 4) do not have adequate access to safe drinking water.
Why is it important for water to be treated?
Global drinking water shortages and the needs of people living in areas without access to treated water makes treating water extremely necessary.
The purpose of a water treatment system is to remove or reduce contaminants from the water source to make the water safe enough to drink.
How a water treatment system revitalizes a remote community:
- Raw water is collected from a local stream, lake, pond or river.
- The raw water is treated with alum within the system to lower turbidity.
- The water travels through the water treatment system to become chlorinated.
- Once chlorinated, the water moves to its distribution point where it is tested and cleared for drinking.
More on water treatment
What is alum? Aluminum sulfate, or alum, is a nontoxic liquid used to purify water.
How does alum work? Alum helps to filter out large and small particles (high turbidity).
What is turbidity? Turbidity is a measure of water treatment that indicates the level of water clarity.
Why is turbidity important? Water cloudiness (high turbidity) indicates the presence of disease-causing organisms like bacteria, parasites and viruses.
Did you know? Even though a glass of water appears clear, that doesn’t mean contaminants aren’t lurking. Chlorination kills any remaining bacteria.
Want a little more detail on the Living Water Treatment System that our longtime partner, Water Mission, installs in many of the countries where Food For The Poor provides help? Learn more about the Living Water Treatment System.
Why enclose a water treatment system?
Protecting a water treatment system with an enclosure is vital to the long life of the system.
Three reasons to build a protective enclosure around a water treatment system:
- Block the sun’s ultraviolet rays, which will break down hoses and PVC piping.
- Keep the system stable during bad weather.
- Deter human tampering.
Learning how a water treatment system works is interesting, but what about the people who benefit from access to treated water?
How does Food For The Poor provide access to water?
Food For The Poor partners with other organizations to address water needs through projects such as the enclosed water treatment system serving the Juan Orlando Hernández community in Honduras.
Bringing water access is an essential part of ensuring that a community can sustain itself in the future.
Food For The Poor and longtime partners CEPUDO and Water Mission teamed up to provide equipment that would afford the community water access.
It began with the construction of an enclosure to allow Water Mission to install the water treatment system.
“This enclosure project has been a great blessing for all of us who live in the community since the water purification system is now protected from rain and mud,” said Rigoberto Flores, one of the community’s 1,470 residents. “We thank CEPUDO and Food For The Poor. This water system will be of great benefit to us from now on. We have faith in God that we will provide drinking water to the whole community. We also thank Water Mission for the aid they provided. We are grateful for your unconditional support!”
Treated water improves lives
For people in the community –who walk miles to work only to arrive home and leave again to walk more miles to collect water – the system is a huge blessing.
See a water treatment enclosure up close!
Click here to watch as a Food For The Poor team member shows the benefits of a new water purification unit in Honduras.
Give access to water today!
You can help Food For The Poor provide treated water for communities in need.
Food For The Poor makes it easy to get involved. Visit our website to discover how you can give a gift and start improving the lives of children and families.
