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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FACE
Africa's WORLD WATER DAY benefit raises over $5,000.00
TO SUPPORT CLEAN WATER INITIATIVES IN LIBERIA
Boston, MA – March,
23, 2009 – FACE Africa, a nonprofit organization working to bring
innovative nonprofit programs to communities in Africa, hosted a
benefit event on Sunday, May 22, 2009, to raise awareness and funds
for their clean water initiatives in Liberia. The event, held in
commemoration of World Water Day, was part of the global tribute to
the millions worldwide without access to clean water.
Over 150 guests
attended including the Mayor of Cambridge, Massachusetts, E. Denise
Simmons who signed a proclamation declaring March 22nd as
World Water Day in the City of Cambridge. Mayor Simmons also praised
FACE Africa for their efforts in bringing awareness to the challenges
of the more than 1 billion people worldwide that lack access to clean,
safe drinking water.
Also in attendance
were E. Nathaniel Barnes, the Liberian Ambassador to the United
States, Peter Thum, Founder of Ethos Water and a former VP at
Starbucks, Stephen Coffey, President and Founder of Thousand Hills
Coffee Company, and Tito Jackson, who works with Massachusetts
Governor Deval Patrick. “I am very pleased with the turnout of the
evening and extremely grateful to our wonderful speakers who took time
out of their busy schedules to attend our event,” says Saran Kaba
Jones, Founder and Executive Director of FACE Africa.
The evening was
filled with food, music and mingling as guest learned more about FACE
Africa, the organization’s goals and more importantly about the world
water crisis. According to UNICEF, the lack of clean water is the
second largest killer of children under age five and 4,200 children
die daily due to the lack of access to clean water.
The event raised over
$5,000 which will go towards FACE Africa’s goal of bringing clean
water solutions to rural communities in Liberia. “Five thousand
dollars might not seem like much but for a young nonprofit operating
in challenging economic times, we certainly welcome it,” says Ms. Kaba
Jones.
In addition to the
$5,000.00 raised from the benefit, an undergraduate student from
Simmons College was recently awarded a $10,000 grant from the Davis
Project for Peace to work with FACE Africa's clean water program in
Liberia this summer. The Davis Projects for Peace, established by
philanthropist Kathryn W. Davis on her 100th birthday in 2007,
challenges college students to undertake innovative and meaningful
projects to build peace throughout the world.
About FACE Africa
FACE Africa is a Cambridge, MA based nonprofit organization working to
bring innovative and results-oriented non-profit programs that have
potential to address critical needs to communities in Africa. The
organization supports programs that address rural issues affecting
women and children in four key areas: education, health/nutrition,
clean water, and technology. Their initial and primary focus is
Liberia, a country emerging from a
long and devastating civil war. Upon successful implementation of
their programs in Liberia,
FACE Africa will expand operations to
other countries with similar challenges and
needs. For more information, visit
www.faceafrica.org.
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