Volume 44, Issue 14. Today is
PTK raises funds to buy systems to clean water in Africa
Every 15 seconds a child dies from a water related illness that comes from drinking dirty water. Phi Theta Kappa at Mesa Community College is working to change that.
The PlayPump water system is a pump that is ran from a merry-go-round. When the merry-go-round is turned the water gets pumped into a water storage tank providing clean drinking water for poor areas of countries that would otherwise have dirty disease ridden water.
The project will be installed in an area that is near communities and schools. So while children are playing with their new toy,, water will be being pumped into the storage tank excess water will be recycled back into the well.
PTK president Stephen Hill found out about this project through NBC’s news program, Dateline, and immediately adopted it for the MCC chapter of PTK. “I wanted to incorporate this project into our chapter,” Hill said.
After bringing the project to the MCC chapter, Hill presented the PlayPump water system at the international convention. The project was “enthusiastically embraced” and will now become a regional project for PTK.
Other members of PTK have also embraced the water project. Tina Whitlatch, a secondary education major, is a fan of this project because of the benefits it gives to children.
According to Whitlatch, girls in the villages are responsible for getting the water supply and miss out on getting an education, getting the water takes many trips.
“This project will change that, and that is what made me passionate about the water project,” Whitlatch said. In addition, the children will get a playground toy to play with.
The PlayPump water system project is economical and environmentally friendly and is $26 thousand less than the diesel pumps that are used currently.
The storage tank will also be home to advertising on the side walls of the tank, two of the sides will hold public service announcements and the other two sides will be sold for commercial ad space, the money from those ad sales will go to maintenance of the well.
The water project will be sent to a needy village in Africa as soon as the money is raised (a goal of $14 thousand dollars).
Hill already has a prospective send off date in mind. “We are looking at a May 2008 send off date,” Hill said.
PTK is now taking donations For more information contact any PTK officers or adviser Duane Oakes. For additional information, interested students can contact Stephen Hill:
hill.s.p@gmail.com