CKI and UNICEF join together to help provide the most basic element to life: clean water and sanitation.

Worldwide, nearly 1.1 billion people lack access to safe drinking water, and two in five people are without basic sanitation. For us, that’s hard to imagine since nearly everything we use, everything we buy or eat, has utilized clean and controlled water by the gallon. But in the majority of countries in Africa, Asia and the Americas, lack of water has created in some countries a state of emergency. 20% of the global population is subject to the increased poverty, high child mortality rates, depressed education levels and political instability that often come along with water crisis. Out of the 2.2 million unsafe drinking water deaths in 2004, 90% were children under the age of five, and a lack of clean, safe drinking water is estimated to kill an outrageous 4,500 children per day.

At a cost of only six cents a mixture of sugar & salt called oral rehydration salts (ORS) offers the most effective & cheapest way to save lives during episodes of dehydration.

Through a new partnership, CKI members will raise funds for the Six Cents Initiative. By raising even a small donation, CKI members can help save a child by helping them get the rehydrating salts they need to survive the diseases they often acquire through drinking contaminated waters. If CKI can raise US$500,000 over the years, UNICEF will be able to purchase ALL of the following:

-100,000 sachets of Oral Rehydration Salts (ORS) to help children combat dehydration 65,000 collapsible water containers for transporting and storing 10 liters of water
-10,000 small scale micro-filter intended to provide safe drinking water in schools
-1,000 basic family water kits for families to use during an emergency situation.

Raise just SIX CENTS & you can save a child from severe dehydration. Raise more & save more. More money means putting more preventative measures into place so that no kids are forced to drink contaminated water.

About CKI: Founded as a sponsored program of Kiwanis International in 1955, Circle K International is the world's premier collegiate service organization with a membership of over 13,000 in 17 nations on more than 500 campuses worldwide that promotes fellowship, leadership, and service.

Our Mission: Its mission is to develop college and university students into responsible citizens and leaders with a lifelong commitment to serving the children of the world.

Our Focus: The CKI Service Initiative, Focusing on the Future: Children, was designed to involve all CKI members in projects that address the problems and issues that face children worldwide, ages six-13. Through personal interaction and public awareness, CKI members are enabling children to develop the skills and ideals necessary to be successful.

Read more about how six cents can save a child’s life.

Visit the UNICEF site for more information.

Website: http://www.circlek.org
Tags: CKI, Collegiate, Global Crises, Health, Kiwanis-family, sanitation, service, UNICEF, water