Drinking Water for India

Vital Stats

Rujul Z

Plainsboro, NJ

  • people helped55000
  • People Doing It 450

The Problem

I visited India in January '07 and had the opportunity to visit a remote village, Paras. I saw villagers carrying water for kilometers just to fulfill their basic daily needs. In the U.S., we just walk to the sink and turn the tap on. I was astounded and realized how much we truly take for granted. I returned to the U.S. and decided that I had to help solve the water crisis in India. One in five children- nearly 400 million- have no access to safe drinking water. Each day, 4,500 children die because they lack access to safe drinking water and sanitation. That is about 1.5 million children an year. These staggering facts speak for themselves. With the help of my friend, Kevin Petrovic, we found out that the best way we could help was by building tube-wells. We started clubs at local schools to spread awareness about the situation and fundraise for our cause. We currently have over 450 students involved across 23 schools throughout the US, and we are actively adding new schools.

Plan of Action

I started Drinking Water for India, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with my friend Kevin Petrovic, to build tube-wells in rural Indian villages. Our mission is two-fold. Our goals are: I. To build tube-wells in remote Indian villages. There, villagers have to walk, sometimes for miles, to reach their nearest water source. Frequently the water is muddy and not even clean. Drinking Water for India strives to change this by building tube-wells in such villages. Each tube well costs about $1,000 and helps an average of 1,800 villagers over a period of at least ten years (that’s 55¢ per villager!). So far, we have built 31 wells, and have helped over 55,000 villagers by giving them access to clean water (3 more wells are currently being built). We also educate villagers to harvest excess rainwater and have built 10 rainwater-harvesting catchments near our wells. II. To inspire and motivate fellow students in New Jersey and across the U.S. to recognize the many hardships communities face in developing countries. We want them to pause and consider that someone just like them, living halfway across the world, may be leading a much harsher, tougher life. We strive to instill empathy in local students and empower them to make an impact on villagers living across the world. So far, we have involved 23 schools (over 450 students) in our cause. We strive to spread awareness about the water crisis and, most importantly, reinforce the value of helping those in need. As a student-led charity, we can help those in need in India by leveraging the immense potential of other youth. We not only intend to help Indian villagers, but also to reinforce the value of community service in the minds of students across the U.S. Most other organizations aim to provide access to clean water in other countries, on a commercial basis; we, however, spread awareness about the water crisis to American youth, and motivate them to help those in need around the world. We strongly believe that students can make a great difference—and that’s why we’ve expended most of our efforts involving schools across the U.S.
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Environment
Water Conservation

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