How did OSDW get started?
Click here to read our story as published by a major
international magazine.
How can you operate with unpaid volunteers?
The work we do inspires a steady flow of motivated volunteers. Many are repeat volunteers who bring their skills back time and again. Some can volunteer part time, others full-time, but all are highly-motivated and work tirelessly. Some are retired and bring a lifetime of relevant experience. There are two benefits to being an all-volunteer charity: our team is highly-motivated and donations can go towards our projects instead of salaries.
To volunteer in any capacity please email us at info@OperationSafeDrinkingWater.org
How can my donation save a child’s life?
A water tank for an indigenous school or village costs $900. Your donation of a smaller amount is combined with those of other donors to provide a life-saving water tank. Tanks are simple, easy to maintain, last for years — and refill every time it rains.
Why don’t the people catch their own water when it rains?
They do, as much as they can with the few plastic jugs they have. But it’s never enough.
I read we can go help install the tank we donate. How does that work?
You cover your own costs and we arrange the installation to fit your schedule. It’s an experience you’ll never forget.
What if it doesn’t rain?
Most deaths from polluted water are in the “rain belts” of Central America and tropical Africa. That rain creates disease-infested puddles thirsty kids drink from.
The same rain that takes lives can save lives if caught, stored and shared.
Do you work with volunteers in America as well as overseas?
Yes. We need volunteers who are well-connected in their local communities to start Operation Safe Drinking Water chapters in their local area and represent us to local civic, social or religious groups. We provide audio/visual tools such as slide shows, brochures and video presentations. If you want to volunteer please contact us at info@OperationSafeDrinkingWater.org
Will my donation go where I designate it?
We make every effort to honor any designation you choose. However, we give our on-the-spot teams a degree of flexibility to respond to emergency needs that may come up. This flexibility can save lives in a crisis.
What are the main diseases from drinking polluted water?
Cholera, dysentery, diarrhea, encephalitis, gastroenteritis, hepatitis, leptospirosis, poliomyelitis, salmonellosis, typhoid fever – among others.
Children who drink polluted water face a lingering disease and agonizing death. Most child deaths can be prevented by simply catching disease-free rainwater.
Where do you get the tanks?
We buy at volume discounts from commercial sources. If tanks are not available we contract with a local company to fabricate or import them.
How do you get them to the indigenous schools or villages?
On dugout canoes, by outboard motor boat and on foot through the rugged jungle with the tank suspended on a pole between two men.
What is your privacy policy?
We’re committed to protecting the privacy and security of visitors to our website.
When you donate online with your credit card, information is secured and processed by Paypal, an industry leader in online security. Your credit card is used only for your designated donation. We do not receive any details about your card. Paypal secures and protects your credit or debit card information.
About Your Email Security:
We do not share or disclose any personal information with anyone. Only our own staff and our authorized agents have access to information such as email addresses provided by visitors to our site.
Privacy of Email Addresses
Our Web site does not automatically record your email address, so we ask for your email address within our site. Your email address is never provided to anyone else. It is only used to keep you informed of our work. You may opt out of email contact at any time.
If at any time you have any privacy or security concerns, please email our Privacy Compliance Office at info@OperationSafeDrinkingWater.org
Can I provide a safe drinking water tank in the name of a loved one who has passed on?
Yes. Some donors make the tank a living memorial to a deceased loved one. Their name is put on the tank.
You can visit the school or village where your tank is installed. You’ll see the difference your tank has made and be received as an honored guest.
