Three Atlanta attorneys blog as they bring Water-Life-Hope to Haiti

Three attorneys from Atlanta-area communities traveled with the nonprofit Food For The Poor to Haiti, Dec. 5-8, to visit remote communities in desperate need of clean, safe drinking water. During their journey they posted photos and comments on their travel blog at www.waterlifehope.blogspot.com.

Travelers included Edward Buckley (Decatur), Amanda Farahany (Atlanta), and Sheryl McCalla (Avondale Estates).

“In our view, the right to clean drinking water is the most fundamental human right we have,” said Buckley. “The water wells that have already been installed in Haiti have made an extraordinary difference to the people in the communities they serve.”

For eight years, Buckley and his supporters have raised money to drill and install lifesaving water wells throughout Jamaica and Haiti with the assistance of Food For The Poor, the largest international relief and development organization in the United States. The group has funded the construction of more than 100 artesian wells throughout Haiti. Each well provides an average of 5,000 people access to potable water.

“Water is important to life,” blogged McCalla. “Try going a day without clean water, just one. In Grand Boulage, Haiti the closest water source is 5-miles away. According to the UN the impact of diarrhoeal disease on children is greater than the combined impact of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. The provision of improved sanitation and drinking water could reduce diarrhoeal disease by nearly 90 percent.”

When the cholera outbreak was confirmed in Haiti, Buckley donated a water filtration unit to help prevent the spread of the water borne illness. Each water filtration unit has the capacity to purify 10,000 gallons of water a day.

“I thought that it would be worse, but in many ways, it is better,” said Farahany. This was her first trip back to Haiti since the devastating 2010 earthquake.

“There is still great poverty and most don't have access to running water, but there is a lot of progress too,” said Farahany. “There are roads built where there were none before, people have water where there was none before, there are people working and building where there was no real employment before and I see hope for the future of the country there.”

To support their initiative, and provide a village in Haiti with the gift of water, please make checks payable to Food For The Poor and include the special source code “SC# 77518” so your donation may be tracked to the Water-Life-Hope initiative. Donations may be mailed to Food For The Poor, 6401 Lyons Road, Coconut Creek, FL 33073. All gifts are tax-deductible. Online donations can also be made through the charity’s secure website at www.FoodForThePoor.org/water-haiti.

“I saw communities of people who have taken the helping hand and have lifted themselves up,” blogged Farahany. “What I learned is that we are making a difference. That the people who reached out after the earthquake and gave of themselves and their money - have changed Haiti for the better. And that the people of Haiti are not only grateful, but are taking themselves to a higher place because of it.”

Food For The Poor, the largest international relief and development organization in the nation, does much more than feed millions of hungry poor in 17 countries of the Caribbean and Latin America. This interdenominational Christian ministry provides emergency relief assistance, clean water, medicines, educational materials, homes, support for orphans and the aged, skills training and micro-enterprise development assistance, with more than 96 percent of all donations going directly to programs that help the poor. For more information, please visit www.FoodForThePoor.org

Contact:
Jennifer Leigh Oates
Food For The Poor
Public Relations
954-427-2222 x 6054
jennifero@foodforthepoor.com

Water well in Haiti to quench villagers’ thirst, empower women

As a hobbyist quilter, Mary Pat Palombo feels at ease behind her Singer sewing machine. But she still remembers feeling helpless as she watched destitute Nicaraguan women trek for miles in search of water for their families to drink. That life-changing experience, which still brings tears to her eyes, inspired Palombo to sew high-fashion tote bags for the nonprofit Food For The Poor.

Listening to contemporary classical pianist Ann Sweeten, and using bold-colored fabrics with eye-catching patterns, Palombo is determined to channel her talents to empower women by raising funds to have a water well drilled in a remote village in Haiti. Palombo’s tote bags are available for a minimum donation of $70 toward her water project. One hundred percent of proceeds will be donated to Food For The Poor.

“I call my project 'Totes for Water' because I want to empower women who must tote their water long distances to provide for themselves and their families,” said Palombo, who was surprised to learn that one gallon of water weighs 8.35 pounds. “By doing this, I hope to be sharing my faucet with them. Water is the gift that keeps on giving. Water leads to food, hygiene, hydration, farming, jobs and learning.”

To purchase a unique, 18-by-25-inch lined tote bag with mini-zippered purse, please e-mail your order to totesforwater@gmail.com. Fabric swatches, product samples and donation opportunities are available on the charity’s secure website www.foodforthepoor.org/totesforwater. To support the effort, make checks out to Food For The Poor and include a special reference number “SC#75375” so the money can be allocated to Palombo’s water project. Donations less than $70 dollars are also welcome.

“A common chore for female children in developing countries is to collect and carry heavy buckets of water on their heads for their family’s daily needs,” said Robin Mahfood, President/CEO of Food For The Poor. “Often this time-consuming and treacherous task causes girls to miss class and remain uneducated, trapped in a life of poverty.”

In 2008, for Palombo’s 50th birthday, her husband Aldo renovated a Nicaraguan school in her honor. Together with their two daughters, Kimberly and Regina, they traveled to inaugurate the school and meet the beneficiaries. It was during this journey that the Palombo family first realized the importance of water. Women carried buckets to the pump inside the schoolyard because it was the closest access they had to clean water.

“Water is such an essential part of life that we take for granted,” said Aldo Palombo.

Food For The Poor, the third-largest international relief and development organization in the nation, does much more than feed millions of the hungry poor in 17 countries of the Caribbean and Latin America. This interdenominational Christian agency provides emergency relief assistance, clean water, medicines, educational materials, homes, support for orphans and the aged, skills training and micro-enterprise development assistance, with more than 96 percent of all donations going directly to programs that help the poor. For more information, please visit www.FoodForThePoor.org.

Contact:
Jennifer Leigh Oates
Food For The Poor
Public Relations
954-427-2222 x 6054
jennifero@foodforthepoor.com