Teaching my Kids the Power of Clean Water #PowerofClean

Cleaning the house. These are three words that irritate me on a daily basis. I get ferklempt cleaning up after others, day in and day out. However as a mom, I feel a level of responsibility towards my family to keep them and our home clean. Do I like washing clothes and dishes day in, day out? Not really but as much as a feminist I am, it simply has little to do keeping my family clean. Whether it’s regular hand washing, making sure that our kitchen surfaces are free from germs or simply washing clothes, I make an effort to keep our lives clean so we can all stay healthy.

Did you know that there is one basic key to keeping my family healthy? It’s the power of clean water. Clean water leads to improved health, education, and economic opportunity. Having clean water to drink means children are not ill from the diseases and viruses caused by dirty water, so they can grow strong and healthy. It also means that when children are no longer sick, they can regularly attend school, which gives them a better education. When my husband and I no longer are sick ourselves, or have to take care of sick children, we can both work and earn a regular income to provide stability for their families.

Statistics show that clean water has an important link to health. While it might not be the same illnesses we suffer from in the U.S., there are many bacteria, viruses and parasites that are found in dirty drinking water. Sadly, nearly a billion people are challenged to find clean drinking water every day. Whether it’s here in the U.S., or around the world, having the essentials be clean is important to all of us, especially clean drinking water. Every day, millions of families don’t have clean water to drink. Contaminated water kills more children than HIV/AIDS and malaria combined.

Here is a glimpse of the current state of the global water crisis:

• 750 million people lack access to clean water.
• 82% of those who lack access to water live in rural areas.
• Diarrhea caused by inadequate hygiene/drinking water kills an estimated 842,000 people ever year.
• 2,300 people are dying every day from diarrhea.
• Major water conservation issues are also taking place in the U.S.; California announced a mandatory 25% cutback in water consumption in all cities in response to their current drought.

As a result of these alarming numbers, companies around the world are stepping up and making commitments to water and sustainability issues. Procter & Gamble is one such company who has taken a stance on water and is committed to providing water to those living in developing nations.

I’ve teamed up with P&G on this post to talk about the power of clean water. P&G believes in sharing our cleaning innovation with the people who need it most, and I’m impressed with their mission. For more than 175 years, P&G has been devoted to developing cleaning innovation through our brands such as, Tide, Bounty, Pantene and Crest. P&G scientists used the research behind laundry detergent to invent the P&G Purifier of Water, which packs the power of a water treatment plant into a packet the size of a tea bag.

Since 2004, P&G has been helping to save lives by providing clean drinking water to families through the Children’s Safe Drinking Water (CSDW) Program. In 2004, P&G created the CSDW Program, which has provided clean water to families in over 75 countries through a network of more than 150 partners. CSDW has provided more than 9 billion liters of clean drinking water, and they are committed to delivering 15 billion liters of clean water by 2020.

P&G scientists used the research behind laundry detergent to invent P&G Purifier of Water packets more than 15 years ago in partnership with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Company, which has a strong history of cleaning performance with brands such as Tide, Dawn and Swiffer, used its innovative capability to pack the power of a water treatment plant into a packet the size of a tea bag. The technology is simple to use: with only a bucket, a spoon, a cloth and a small P&G packet, people can purify 10 liters of dirty water in 30 minutes, enough drinking water for a family of five for one day. Since 2004, P&G has worked with more than 150 partners to distribute the packets during emergencies and to those who lack clean water every day.

P&G sent me a trial kit to try out. Within 30 minutes, I transformed a bucket of dirty water into fresh, useable clean waterP&G Purifier of Water packets. I poured brown water into a bucket by adding packets of white powder called “P&G Purifier of Water” (formerly PUR). After slow stirring, the water began to turn clear and the dirt and goop dropped to the bottom. Then I filtered the water through cloths, waited 20 minutes and voila…clean water.

Since the program started more than a decade ago, P&G and its network of global partners have delivered nine billion liters of clean water to those in need. P&G will launch more than 25 new projects over the next five years to bring clean drinking water to more of the world’s most vulnerable groups including malnourished children, people living with HIV/AIDS, families living in rural areas that do not have safe drinking water and victims of natural disasters. Despite progress in the number of people with access to safe drinking water, the United Nations recognizes there is more work to be done and has made universal coverage for safe drinking water one of its 17 Sustainable Development Goals to be adopted later this month at the UN General Assembly.

Learn more about the program by watching this video:

The Power of Clean Giveaway

Watch the”Power of Clean Water” video and comment afterwards. One randomly selected reader will receive a P&G product basket (value of at least $50) and a $30 donation in their honor to provide clean water for a family in need for one year.

Winner will be selected randomly. This giveaway will end on Wednesday, September 30th at 9am EST. Winner will be posted here, on the Culture Mom Facebook page and via email and will have 24 hours to accept their prize.

If you want to help, you can donate to the program at csdw.org. A small amount makes a big difference. It costs about 10 cents to share a P&G packet with a family in a developing country, and each one provides enough drinking water for a family of five for an entire day.

• $7.50 provides enough water for a year for a child
• $30 provides enough water for an entire family for a year

 

Disclosure: I’m participating in this campaign on behalf of P&G and The Motherhood.