How Your Next Glass Of Water Can MakeA Difference (NAPSA)—By donating $1 or more for tap water at participat- ing restaurants during World Water Week, you can help provide clean water to children around the world. “The lack of sanitary and accessible water is one of the leading causes of preventable deaths for children throughout the world and access to clean tap water is some- thing Americans often take for granted,” said Caryl Stern, presi- dent and CEO, U.S. Fund for UNICEF. Nearly 900 million people do not have access to clean water and nearly half of those people are children. Young children are the first to get sick and die from waterborne and sanitation-related illnesses including diarrheal diseases and malaria. With $1, one child can be provided with access to safe, clean water for 40 days. In the last three years, the UNICEF Tap Project has raised nearly $1.5 million in the U.S. and has helped to provide clean water to millions of children around the world. Last year, more than 1,500 restaurants in 40 states and more than 3,100 volunteers participated in the national campaign. The project is the first of its kind, an award-winning, national grassroots effort, offering individuals and restaurants across the nation a simple and effective way to make a difference in a child’s life. National supporters include Giorgio Armani men’s fragrance, Acqua Di Gio for Men, Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., as well as online dining sites OpenTable.com, SeamlessWeb.com, Zagat.com and Yelp.com. Thesites promote the project through Web advertising, electronic communications to their members and, in the case of Zagat.com building and hosting a microsite listing all Zagat- rated restaurants participating in the project. Several leading creative advertising agencies will create pro bono ad campaigns to place the project on everything from Tshirts and taxi tops to billboards and major landmarks. unicef TAP PROJECT, Over the past 15 years, more than a billion people have gained access to improved drinking water. Last year, thousands of restaurants, dining patrons, students and volunteers, along with corporate, community, celebrity and local gov- ernment supporters, raised over $819,000 for the UNIcEF Tap Project, giving millions of children water in nations with the greatest need. Haiti was one. Through campaigns like the UNIcEF Tap Project, UNICEF was there for Haiti before the earthquake and will continue to be there, implementing long-term, sustainable water and sanitation solutions that are desperately needed. All money raised via the 2010 project will once again be allocated to countries and areas identified as among the most in need. Those countries include Togo, Central African Republic, Vietnam, Guatemala and, of course, Haiti. UNICEF works in more than 150 countries around the world to improve access to safe water and sanitation facilities in schools and communities, and to promote safe hygiene practices. Over the past 15 years, more than a billion people gained access to improved drinking water and sanitation facilities thanks to the organization’s efforts. Every day, 24,000 children die of preventable causes, and the organization is committed to making that numberzero. For more information or to register as a volunteer, visit www.tapproject.org.
