LOVELAND, CO, Jan. 7, 2010 -- According to UNICEF, nearly one-third of the people in the rural areas of Bolivia do not have access to safe and reliable water sources. A strong proponent of global water quality, Hach Company made a $15,000 donation of water testing supplies to Water For People, a non-profit international humanitarian organization, to assist their Bolivia Water Quality project in November. This was a pilot project to determine how to best support countries needing basic water quality monitoring. Based on the success in Bolivia, in December, Hach donated an additional $26,000 in water testing supplies to Water For People for similar projects in Rwanda and Malawi that will occur in 2010.
As part of Water For People's World Water Corps® program, a team of ten water quality expert volunteers joined local Bolivia partners to collect and analyze water quality samples in November. Prior to the trip, Hach provided products and Hach Technical Training Center training. Onsite in Bolivia, the team trained local partners, tested the physical chemistry of the water, and also monitored for E. coli and fecal coliforms, both indicators of pathogenic contamination. The Hach products will remain in Bolivia to continually monitor water quality on a sustained basis.
"Hach is proud to bring our expertise and heritage in water quality testing to countries in need of safe drinking water," Derek Walker, Hach Global Product Manager explained. "We worked closely with Water For People and the Bolivia team to develop the best set of solutions for this monitoring project and have learned from this pilot to further refine the requirements for products and training. We plan to utilize this experience to provide solutions for other areas of the world in 2010."
"The purpose is to examine and confirm the new water projects are supplying safe, potable water to beneficiaries in these regions," Andrew Britton, World Water Corps Manager, said. "The World Water Corps Bolivia Water Quality project is the first thorough water quality assessment in the majority of the municipalities where Water For People has facilitated the development of water projects in Bolivia."
"The donation from Hach allowed us as World Water Corps volunteers to conduct our mission with confidence," Virginia Godoy, the team lead on the Bolivia project, continued. "This equipment gave Water For People staff and partners valuable insight into the quality of water resources in local communities."
About Hach Company
For over 60 years, Hach Company (www.hach.com) has been developing innovative solutions used to test the quality of water, liquids and air. Manufactured and distributed worldwide, Hach systems are designed to simplify analysis by offering sophisticated on-line instrumentation, accurate portable laboratory equipment, high-quality prepared reagents, complete easy-to-follow methods, and life-time technical support. Hach is a wholly owned subsidiary of Danaher Corporation (www.danaher.com), a fortune 500 leader.
About Water For People
Founded in 1991, Water For People (www.waterforpeople.org) is a Denver-based private, nonprofit international humanitarian organization that supports the development of sustainable safe drinking water resources and improved sanitation facilities in developing countries. The nongovernmental organization is distinguished by its focus on local private sector development, inter-organization collaboration, social entrepreneurship, and the engagement of stakeholders, which combine together to achieve sustainability. The organization has active water, sanitation, and hygiene education programs in 10 countries in Africa, Asia, and Central and South America.
###
