Midwest-based architecture and engineering firm American Structurepoint has joined in supporting The Thirst Project, which is in need of further corporate sponsorship. The Thirst Project, founded by Indianapolis native Seth Maxwell, is a nonprofit organization that builds fresh water wells in impoverished countries in South Africa. When you bring safe water to a community, water-related illnesses drop by 80 percent, and child deaths drop by 99 percent immediately, according to thirstproject.org. American Structurepoint has been involved with The Thirst Project for over a year and has made a $10,000 commitment toward building the first well in Swaziland, Africa.

Swaziland is a small, landlocked country between South Africa and Mozambique. The country is 6,704 sft, which is almost twice the size of the Indianapolis metropolitan area. The country has a population of almost 1.4 million people, giving Swaziland the greatest population density per square foot on the African continent. The majority of people work on farms or in the coal or quarry mines. Access to water will empower agriculture, education and economic growth for this nation.

Many people become ill with water-related diseases, and the stress of obtaining the water adds to their health issues. Sometimes the only water that is available has to be shared with farm animals, putting them at risk for many types of illnesses. Boiling or filtering would be helpful, but due to the deforestation processes, there may not be wood available to build the necessary fires for boiling water.

The Thirst Project, with help from American Structurepoint, is asking the corporate community to join its goal of $50 million to build fresh water wells in each community in Swaziland. If each business gives $100,000, they can reach their goal by 2015. Maxwell maintains strong community ties in the Indianapolis area. His hope is to create a hub of followers in Indianapolis that can help, advise, and give oversight and counsel to this cause.

American Structurepoint’s core purpose is to: “Improve the quality of life for our communities and our people.” American Structurepoint’s professionals understand how water works and work with community leaders to improve the quality of life by providing lasting solutions for the distribution and collection of water systems. Becoming involved in The Thirst Project is a perfect way for American Structurepoint, and other A/E firms who donate, “to change the world.”

italicThe Thirst Project [www.thirstproject.org] is a growing movement aimed at building fresh water wells in communities suffering from the global water crisis. Started by college students, The Thirst Project now reaches out to colleges and high schools to educate their students on the nearly one billion people who still do not have access to clean drinking water and proper sanitation. In less than three years, its members have reached over 500,000 students and in turn raised $1.3 million. This money has provided 50,000 people with drinkable water. In these communities, disease, child mortality and AIDS drop dramatically thanks to the clean water wells.