Feb. 17, 2015 -- In an effort to help fight Ebola in West Africa, a coalition involving a variety of organizations, including the McWane Foundation, Coca-Cola Africa Foundation, WaterHealth International, and Global Environment & Technology Foundation, recently launched a new water treatment facility in Liberia.
The WaterHealth Centre, located in Bomi County, provides 22 million liters of clean, safe, WHO-quality water to existing Ebola treatment units across the region for drinking, sanitation and washing hands and clothes. This effort to fight the disease is part of the Replenish Africa Initiative (RAIN), which aims to provide clean water and sanitation access to two million people by the end of the year.
An absence of reliable water and wastewater infrastructure has contributed to a chronic lack of clean water in the area, and as much as 52 gallons of water are currently needed per day to treat every Ebola patient. While the disease continues to inflict a tragic toll in West Africa, the delivery and storage of this water remains a critical weapon in fighting against it.
"Clean, safe, reliable drinking water isn't a luxury -- it's a necessity, particularly when treating a disease like Ebola," said G. Ruffner Page, Jr., McWane president. "While Ebola isn't on the front pages anymore, it's a crisis that continues to claim hundreds of lives each with more than 124 new cases in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone recorded in the first week of February alone. I'm grateful we are working together with a team of such committed partners."
This is the latest in continuing efforts by the coalition to deliver safe water where it is most needed. Water infrastructure helps prevent the spread of devastating illness and supports broader efforts at disease eradication and prevention. Likewise, McWane contributed $100,000 and its many services last year to help deliver water to frontline health clinics in Monrovia, the capital of Liberia -- a focal point of the Ebola outbreak.
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About McWane
McWane Inc., is a family business based in Birmingham, Ala., with iron foundries across the U.S. and the world. In addition, its companies build wireless network switches and monitoring equipment. McWane's divisions focus on the safe, environmentally friendly manufacturing of ductile iron pipe, fittings, hydrants, and valves. These and other products provide the backbone of vital water distribution and wastewater treatment systems for communities across the globe. For more information, visit www.mcwane.com.
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