Triple Quest today announced that its alliance with Grand Rapids, Mich.-based NGO Global Sustainable Partnerships, Inc. (GSP) has enabled the distribution of an initial 30 Hydraid® BioSand filters in 10 Tanzanian primary and secondary schools. The installation of the filters means that more than 8,000 students and teachers will gain long-term access to safe drinking water while at school, helping relieve the enormous burden of diarrheal disease and other life-threatening illnesses caused by the lack of access to clean water at these Tanzanian schools.

The arrival of the Hydraid® filter to Tanzania follows the formation of a new collaboration earlier this year involving GSP and Tanzanian government authorities. The goal of this collaboration is the installation of more than 3,600 Hydraid® filters throughout 138 primary and secondary schools – bringing safe water to 2,250 classrooms comprising 103,000 children and 1,400 teachers in the Arumeru District of Tanzania. As the developer and manufacturer of the Hydraid® BioSand filter, Triple Quest works with non-governmental organizations like GSP to help meet the essential needs of communities in developing countries worldwide.

“As we work toward the goal of two liters of safe water per child, per day recommended by leading medical experts, we will have an increasingly profound impact on the overall health of these children,” said GSP founder Kimberly L. Fogg. “And as additional money is raised, safe water will begin flowing to many more thousands of children – not for one week or one month, but for the more than 10 years of operation that each Hydraid filter provides.”

“Our partnership with GSP is built on a shared passion for bringing effective, sustainable safe-water projects to communities suffering the terrible consequences of waterborne disease,” said Christina Keller of Triple Quest. “It also based on innovation as the means for driving sustainable solutions. This is evident in Triple Quest’s social enterprise model, the Hydraid filter’s design and GSP’s novel strategy for ensuring that the filter’s benefits will take firm hold in local communities.”

The implementation of the Tanzanian project is unique, according to GSP, because local education officials are putting the ownership of the project in the hands of school headmasters and teachers, with students playing a significant role in the assembly of the filters. GSP is deliberately enlisting educators and students to serve as a strategic entry point for building community awareness about the Hydraid® filter, broader topics of sanitation and hygiene, and the importance of accountability in combating poverty and disease. As part of this effort, all headmasters and teachers are encouraged to purchase a filter for their homes as a way to create further support for the device and highlight its affordability.

“We still have 128 schools with more than 95,000 students in need of safe drinking water, so our appeal to additional partners and supporters will continue,” added Ms. Fogg. “This type of coordinated effort is exactly what is needed to make the vision we share with Triple Quest for successful, sustainable safe water projects a reality.”

Hydraid® BioSand Filter

The Hydraid® filter is a simple, lightweight unit with no moving parts. Users can reduce biological contaminants by pouring surface or ground water through the filter to obtain water that is safe for drinking, food preparation, personal hygiene and sanitation. Powered by gravity and with no parts to replace, the Hydraid® BioSand Water Filter is extremely durable and lasts beyond 10 years, making it the most sustainable filter available today. More than 50,000 Hydraid® filters have been distributed in over 35 developing countries worldwide.

About GSP

Global Sustainable Partnerships, Inc. was founded by Kimberly L. Fogg and Mary Barth, who is from Tanzania. GSP is a 501(c)(3) certified by the Center for Affordable Water and Sanitation Technology (CAWST). The organization transfers knowledge and skills through training and education in the construction and maintenance of the Hydraid® BioSand filter and the overall education of health, sanitation and hygiene practices for children in primary and secondary schools and their families in developing countries.

About Triple Quest

Triple Quest is a collaborative venture involving Cascade Engineering and The Windquest Group, a West Michigan-based private investment fund. Triple Quest is a social enterprise that is sustainable based on the production and sales of essential needs products to families in developing countries, primarily through non-government organizations. Triple Quest accomplishes its work through a variety of partnerships, including nonprofit groups Safe Water Team, Thirsting to Serve, Global Sustainable Partnerships, Rotary and Pure Water for the World; socially responsible companies such as Amway, Dow, Bobble and Lighthouse Foods; and the U.S. Navy’s Project Handclasp logistics support initiative.

To purchase, partner or learn more about the Hydraid® BioSand Water Filter, please visit http://www.hydraid.org.

To view video of the Hydraid® implementation in Tanzania, click on:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZqQwPO-z8I

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5gLeb0aVYI

Cascade Engineering

Cascade Engineering

Cascade Engineering is a manufacturer and marketer of multiple products and services supporting a variety of industries including renewable energy, automotive, commercial truck & bus, solid waste & recycling, material compounding, furniture, RFID, and material handling. The Cascade Engineering Family Of Companies is a global company with more than 1,200 employees and 14 business units.

Cascade's world-class engineering, technology and manufacturing allows it to provide leading-edge solutions, while maintaining a strong commitment to lean manufacturing and environmental stewardship. Cascade's business model is rooted in diversification and innovation and a commitment to creating sustainable products and services that contribute to the triple bottom line.

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