September 21, 2006

New York, 09/20/06 - Today, U.S. First Lady Laura Bush announced a groundbreaking $60 million alliance with Tanzania and nine other sub-Saharan African countries to bring the benefits of clean drinking water to up to 10 million people by 2010.

Announcing the innovative water system, dozens of which will be put into place in clinic and schools around Tanzania, the First Lady explained, “PlayPumps are children’s merry-go-rounds attached to a water pump and a storage tank. When the wheel turns, clean drinking water is produced. PlayPumps are fueled by a limitless energy source: children at play.”

The United States Government, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), will provide a combined $10 million to this alliance over three years. This will directly support the provision and installation of PlayPump water systems in many schools, health centers and HIV-affected communities in Tanzania.

Lack of clean water is one of the biggest health challenges facing Tanzania today. Across Africa, millions die each year from preventable waterborne illnesses and up to half the region’s population at any one time suffers from diseases related to unsafe drinking water and poor sanitation.

According to Mrs. Bush, “Around the world, more than a billion people do not have safe water to drink, or to use to keep themselves and their homes clean. A child dies every 15 seconds from illnesses related to unsafe water. Without clean water, people suffering from HIV and AIDS can’t take their antiretroviral medicines safely and easily, and their weakened immune systems are exposed to dangerous water-borne diseases.”