WINNERS!

Congratulations to our Winners!
Laura Parker and Michelle Walker have won our auction and raffle.

Thank You to all for participating.
Almost $14,000 was raised, providing 2800 people with a long term clean water solution!

In some way everyone was a winner!

Join Mike Colon, Jim Davis-Hicks and twelve other amazing photographers on a once in a lifetime photo adventure! Shoot designer gowns on location in Tanzania to benefit Thirst Relief. Help build and deliver life saving Thirst Relief Bio-Sand Water Filters. See some of the most beautiful wildlife on the planet on an African Safari! Top it off with Grace Ormonde Wedding Style Magazine featuring the whole trip in her Spring/Summer 2010 issue!

Two Seats, Two Ways to Win.

Trip Dates July 13-23, 2009.

For Details Go to : http://thirstrelief.shootq.com



VOID WHERE PROHIBITED
Federal and state laws restrict the online sale of Tanzanian Benefit Shoot raffle entries and the online Tanzanian Benefit Shoot auction to only those state or local residents who specifically meet the requirements as set forth in the applicable statutes, regulations, and terms and conditions that apply to the raffle and the auction and Thirst Relief does not currently allow raffle entry purchases or auction entries outside the scope of these restrictions. Raffle entries are reserved on a limited basis. Thirst Relief does not allow any illegal participation in the Tanzanian Benefit Shoot raffle nor the auction. Proceeds of the raffle and the auction benefit Thirst Relief International, Inc. Raffle winners will be selected by random drawing and all participants have an equal opportunity to win. Raffle winners will be notified by Thirst Relief at the address provided. Must be a U.S. resident and 18 years of age or older to participate and to win any raffle and/or auction prize. This is not a solicitation. This is for informational purposes only.

Matching Challenge of $12,500.00

Right now through June 30th, Thirst Relief has been given a matching challenge.

Dollar for dollar up to $12,500.00. So give now and select "matching challenge" to make your giving count for double!

GIVE HERE x2!!

The recession hits Thirst Relief's projects

Thirst Relief partners with Life and Water Development Group--Cameroon (LWDG--Cameroon) to provide safe water and improved health for people living in this West African nation. Since we began working together in 2008, we have served more than 6,000 people and installed more than 600 filters.

Thirst Relief is LWDG's main, dependable partner as its founder Peter Njodzeka implements water, sanitation, and hygiene projects on a monthly basis and manages a staff of technicians and assistants. A couple months back, the growth in his monthly activities enabled him to move his family into a larger combined apartment/office space. It is a much better living space for his family, especially his young son who had been getting sick because of the unsanitary conditions around their previous apartment.

Now, the economy is drastically impacting Thirst Relief's finances, and we aren't able to continue supporting the same level of work with Peter and our other partners. In fact, we are having to shut some projects down entirely as our normal flow of funding has slowed. And Peter has been relying on this project funding to feed and house his family, not to mention pay his employees. Without funding, we won't be able to continue a new project aimed at providing safe water, latrines, and hygiene education to young school children in Kumbo province.

If you think of it, please send your thoughts and prayers toward Thirst Relief and LWDG and if you count yourself among the lucky people with a job, would you consider giving a gift to our projects? Whatever we raise will go straight to supporting them.

I have to say I've never worked in an economy like this. Each day brings its bad news, but what is hardest is knowing that our world's most vulnerable people--children, the poor, widows, orphans--and those who dedicate their lives to serving them are absorbing the real impact of this crisis. The ones who can least afford it in the first place.

Flow: the documentary

Last night Thirst Relief had the privilege of attending a screening of the documentary Flow at Studio 35 in Clintonville, sponsored by Green Columbus. Flow is an examination of the state of our world's water supplies and the debate raging over whether water can be bought and sold or should be considered a community resource owned by all. The film examines events in the United States and also other countries like Bolivia, India, and South Africa.

After the screening, Thirst Relief shared briefly with those attending about our programs and the way we are partnering to make a difference, one community at a time. It was a great event, and exciting to see 300 people or so packed into a room and getting stirred up about the need for everyone, everywhere to have access to safe water.

While Flow definitely takes a certain angle on the issue of water privatization, it is worth seeing regardless of your personal position. I encourage you to get a copy on DVD and watch it soon; I think you'll find yourself angered, educated, inspired, and moved to think deeply about the complexity of how to provide the basic resource of safe water for our world's citizens.

--Carol

Cholera = preventable, water-related disease

You may have seen on the news that there is an ongoing cholera epidemic in Zimbabwe. Now it has spread beyond Zimbabwe's borders to South Africa, Zambia, Malawi, and Swaziland. So far more than 70,000 people have been infected, and more than 3,000 have died since last August.

So, what is cholera anyway? Since you asked, here is what the World Health Organization has to say:

"Cholera is an acute intestinal infection caused by ingestion of food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. It has a short incubation period, from less than one day to five days, and produces an enterotoxin that causes a copious, painless, watery diarrhoea that can quickly lead to severe dehydration and death if treatment is not promptly given."

One of the most common causes of cholera outbreaks is poor sanitation, for example, when floods cause waste from latrines to wash into people's drinking water. Thirst Relief and its partners are working with communities to ensure their drinking water remains uncontaminated by human waste.

Here are some recent photos from the village of Kakula in the Kasempa region of Zambia. Thirst's partner repaired a well that had broken. Prior to receiving this help, the community had been forced to gather water from the unprotected spring pictured below. Imagine all the ways this open hole in the ground could be contaminated:
Here is a picture of the repaired well, its first gush of water pouring forth after the repair. Technicians follow up their repairs by testing the water to ensure it is safe for consumption.

Awesome, right?

The Auctions Have Closed!

Thanks for helping us raise $25,392.08.

That saves 6,595 lives!

The photo community has once again shown themselves strong by supporting the Thirst Relief Mentor Benefit Auction!

I am amazed at the level of generosity shown especially by the mentors! Many of you gave not just your 90 minute mentor session but also dvds, albums, photo shoots, workshop seats and more! Simply amazing. Thank you.

And thank you to all of you who bid! Once you make your payment your mentor will be given your contact information and they will contact you shortly.

Be sure to come by the Thirst Relief booth at WPPI #1565 and say hi. Also, some of your favorite photographers will be hanging around our booth so feel free to come by and visit you can also buy a Thirst Relief Shirt, bring $20 cash so we can get you sporting our colors around the show!

Lastly, Mike Colon and Jim Davis-Hicks will be making a big announcement at WPPI about an international workshop to benefit Thirst Relief so be sure to stop by the booth #1565 and inquire! It wont just be a workshop but an experience that will change your life and you just might get published in "Grace Ormonde, Wedding Style" magazine since we'll be doing a shoot for her while we are there!