An Education First approach to safe water interventions
Thirst-Ed
Doing good til the last drop
In a world where a child dies every 15 seconds from diseases associated with lack of access to safe drinking water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene, Thirst-Aid's goal is to make knowledge of household water treatment and proper hygiene as common as how to cook rice or fry an egg.
* Education
* Applicable technology
* Community based action
* Partnerships
Thirst-Aid
Safe water advocates
Education...Innovation...Integration
Thirst-Aid inspires the drive for safe drinking water to come from within populations through education, social marketing and the introduction of applicable technology.
Thirst-Aid promotes education and knowledge as the principal tools for safe-water intervention, inspiring the drive for improved water quality to come from within the community prior to the introduction of safe-water technologies.
Thirst-Aid provides the currency for community buy-in by issuing Certificates of Knowledge upon successful completion of the Thirst-Aid educational program. These certificates serve as legal tender that can be later used for the purchase of safe-water technologies.
Increasing the sustained use of household water treatment products and methods results in long-term program savings that more than offset the minor costs of implementing the Thirst-Aid educational component as a preliminary step to the introduction of safe-water technologies.
One last benefit of the Thirst-Aid program is that it is education based. Education provides rewards that go well beyond the subject matter, increasing self-esteem among participants and inspiring further learning. Education cannot be taken by corrupt officials or converted to cash and used for other purposes. Education is easily transferred and carried and doesn't get left behind when people move.
