Nurses are well aware of the importance of clean water in treating and preventing illness, but may still be shocked by statistics like the fact that 50% of all hospital beds in the world are occupied by people with easily preventable waterborne diseases. Or the fact that a whopping one in eight people on Earth do not have access to safe, clean water!
Unfortunate stats like these are why Medical Solutions will sponsor Planet Water Foundation’s Project 24 again in 2017. In celebration of World Water Day, Wednesday, March 22, 2017, this initiative will bring clean water to 24 communities in just 24 hours by installing school-based water filtration systems within villages in need.
The Medical Solutions team sponsors this annual effort because we are consistently inspired by the hard work and compassion that our Travel Nurses display every day in their quest to save lives. YOU are the inspiration for our company to support this amazing cause!
This year, the Medical Solutions-sponsored water filtration tower will go up at 9 p.m. EST at SDN Cikasungka IV School on the border of Tangerang and Bogor in the Indonesian village of Ranca Asem. The community’s main water source is a deep well that often runs dry, causing people to use unsafe water from a nearby river for drinking, cleaning, cooking, and bathing. The lack of accessibility of clean water has caused frequent skin issues, diarrhea, typhoid, and other issues, as well as creating an obstacle to learning for the village’s children.
“At home we do not have clean water,” says 9-year-old villager Muhamad Fadli Rizky. “To meet the need of drinking water every day, my mother fetches water from the well. When I go to school I bring water from home, but if I forget to bring it, I ask a friend. Sometimes I drink tap water directly, but as a result of drinking water from the faucet, sometimes I feel stomach pains. I have to ignore them because there is no other choice.”
There is a general lack of knowledge in the area regarding water health and hygiene. As a part of Project 24, Planet Water will not only erect the Medical Solutions-sponsored clean water tower, they will also provide crucial water health and hygiene education! Just as Medical Solutions’ sponsorship helped thousands of villagers in 2012, 2015, and 2016, our 2017 effort will benefit Ranca Asem’s population of 2,400 people — including 380 students throughout 600 households.
Please join the Medical Solutions team in taking a moment to be grateful for the easy access to clean water that most of us enjoy in the United States and to learn more about Ranca Asem, Project 24, and Planet Water Foundation.
Thank you for constantly inspiring us, Travel Nurses!