Thirsty People Newsletter

8/13/2019 Thirsty People Newsletter

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Sawyer Point One Filter

This filter was given to this

man in Haiti in the summer

of 2012. A year later, we

found the filter to be in

good working conditionand continuing to be used

to provide clean drinking

water for this family and

their neighbors. We were

pleased to find all 10 filters

given in 2012 to still be in

good working condition!

and cared for.

N e w s l e t t e rSummer Trip to

LaVictoire, Haiti

Amy Jimenez and Jennifer

Lewis joined The Haiti

Education Alliance (THEA) in

Haiti in July

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Water Filter Business

in LaVictoire, Haiti

Read about a new ongoing

Haitian run business in

LaVictoire, Haiti!

Page 3

Mexico and Haiti

Sonny Lee from Idalou, TX

took filters to Mexico and

Haiti.

Page 3

Cambodia and

Ecuador

A team from Richardson, TX

took filters to Cambodia and

Steve Jolly from El Paso, TX

to Ecuador

Page 4

2013: A Year of Fundraising and Filter Distribution

In our first full year as an organization, Thirsty People has been hard at work to provide

clean, life giving water to the body and soul all over the world.

We started the year with an enormous outpouring of support from Western Hills Church

of Christ through a Christmas fundraiser for the organization. Since that time, we have raised

money through individual contributions and the sale of Thirsty People T-Shirts.

Filters were distributed by short term mission teams throughout the year in Haiti, Ecuador,Mexico and Cambodia. We are excited to share these stories with you on the following pages.

We would love to continue to partner with you in this effort in 2014. Please consider

making a year end contribution or establishing a monthly giving plan with us for the new year!

LaVictoire, HaitiPignon, HaitiEl Recreo, EcuadorJuarez, MexicoPhnom Phen, Cambodia

Total Filters Distributed by

Thirsty People in 2013

165

Thirsty People


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2013 Trip Highlights

Team Members: Amy Jimenez and Jennifer Lewis (Belton,

TX), Cynthia Mudd and Nancy Greenleaf (New Jersey)

Dates: July 9-17, 2013

Location: LaVictoire, Haiti

Administrative Meetings with all THEA Employees (Field

Director, Gardening and Sewing Instructors)

All programs are going very well!

Child Development Seminar with

Medical Education Students (led by

Amy and Nancy)

Daily Childrens Program and

Community Art Project Initiation of new water filter business

partnered with THEA and Thirsty People

Fellowship, Bible study, and worship with local church

LAVICTOIRE, HAITI TRIP, JULY 2013

Combined THEA/Thirsty People Trip

The Haiti Education Alliance (THEA) is a non-profit organization

started by Cynthia Mudd (far left) whose purpose is to further the

educational opportunities available to Haitians.

(www.theahaiti.org!) The organization currently works in

LaVictoire, sponsoring three Haitian led, ongoing programs in

Agriculture, Sewing, and Medical Education. They also sponsor

children to attend local, primary schools, college and vocational

schools. THEA took the first 10 Thirsty People filters to Haiti in

February of 2013.

This summer, Thirsty People partnered with THEA in a way that

supports their educational endeavors in LaVictoire. The idea was

born to start a Haitian run business in LaVictoire selling the filters

at a low subsidized cost to local people, educating them in the

health and economic benefits of drinking clean water! (Read more

about this business on the next page.) On the July trip, Thirsty

People was able to provide test kits to test water at two main

sources in LaVictoire. Rain water collected at a high elevation in

the community is collected in a large drum and piped via gravity to

various parts of the community. Water tested at the collection site

was positive for E Coli, lead, and pesticides. Water collected at

another site in the community was also positive for E Coli andpesticides. These results will promote the educational efforts of

THEA in LaVictoire, as they educate the townspeople on the

health and economic benefits of drinking filtered water!

Doctor and his patients benefit

from use of this filter!The main water source in LaVictoire is a dirty river Market Day in LaVictoire
http://www.theahaiti.org/http://www.theahaiti.org/


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HAITIAN WATER FILTER BUSINESS

Seminar

Seminars are an effective

marketing and educational tool

for the water filter business

owners. Here they demonstrate

pouring black water in a bucket,

and then drinking the water that

comes out of the small, portablefilter.

These two men plus another local woman are

the first water filter business owners! We

worked with them on this trip, establishing

some policies and procedures for the business.

Thirsty People will supply filters at no cost to

THEA. Each filter costs $58 dollars. Thirsty

People raises money to

cover the costs of the

filters and all shipping

expenses. THEA then

sells the filters to these

local business owners at

a very low cost to teach

business investment.

They, in turn, have agreed

to present seminars to thecommunity to educate

people on the dangers of

drinking unfiltered water

as well as how to set up

and maintain the filters.

After a local townsperson has attended a filter

seminar, they will be able to buy a filter at a low

cost. This will enable the business owners to

turn a small profit, but will also allow the people

of LaVictoire to value the filter that they have

purchased. This will further ensure that the

filters are taken care of and cleaned regularly.The business owners also agreed to regularly

check on the families who purchased the filters

to make sure that they are functioning properly.

We witnessed the first community seminar,

where the filter was demonstrated before a

group of local townspeople, was a great

success. Black, dirty water was poured into a

bucket over a cloth to catch large particulates.

Passing through the small filter through gravity,

the water was collected in clear

drinking cups to show its

radical change! Everyone was

offered a drink of delicious

filtered water! This was a

powerful educational and

marketing tool for the business

After the seminar, 20 filters

were sold, and the business

owners were able to place an

order with THEA for 25 more

filters. Since that time, all 25

filters were sold and 50 more

ordered and sent to LaVictoire

byThirsty People!

Please pray for this business and for the

families that will receive the filters. If used

properly these filters can prevent chronic

diarrhea from bacteria such as E Coli, as

well as life threatening diseases suchCholera, Typhoid, and Giardia, that are very

common in Haiti.

FILTERS IN MEXICO AND PIGNON,HAITI

Sonny Lee from Idalou, TX travelled to Juarez, Mexico in

November, 2013 and introduced one filter to meet a need there

in association with a mens seminar he was conducting with a

local church. Sonny and Tyrone DuBose from Manhattan

Church of Christ will be travelling to Pignon, Haiti November

30-December 12, 2013, and will take 14 filters from Thirsty

People on their trip. They will be working with a local church

there, conducting gospel meetings and distributing filters to the

homes of the people of Pignon and surrounding villages.

Sonny plans to use the water filters to meet basic needs of the

people, but also as a tool to initiate conversations about Jesus

and to invite people to gatherings of the church.


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Website and T-Shirts

Check out our website for more

information about Thirsty People!Find us at www.thristypeople.org . You

are able to make a donation online at

this site if you prefer! Thank you for

your continued prayers and support

of Thirsty People!

Also, consider purchasing a t-shirt for

yourselves or others to support our

organization! Shirts are available in

youth and adult sizes. Cost is $12 per

shirt or 2 for $10. Send in the order

form attached to this newsletter or

contact Amy Jimenez at 254-231-1121

to place an order.

TRIPS TO CAMBODIA AND ECUADOR

Cambodia

Cambodian Christian Ministries

under the leadership of Ron Thrift in

Richardson, TX took 25 filters fromThirsty People on a short term mission trip

to Phnom Phen, Cambodia,

8/1/13-8/16/13. Working with local

missionary Sokhom Hun and the preacher

training school that he established, the

team assessed sites for water wells to be dug

in the area, and distributed and trained

local people in use of portable water filters.

The picture above shows one of the filters

in use. Cambodian Christian Ministries

also participates in annual medical mission

trips to this city and would like to partner

with Thirsty People to send more filters on

subsequent trips to promote health and

introduce Cambodians to Jesus.

Ecuador

Steve Jolly, from El Paso, TX will be

travelling to El Recreo, Ecuador on

December 7, 2013, and taking 20 filtersfrom Thirsty People. Steve and Paseo

Chrisitan Church in El Paso, TX have had

a long term relationship with a local

church, Iglesia de Cristo IberoAmericana

El Recreo to distribute water filters as a

way of meeting local needs and sharing the

gospel. Local church members have been

very involved in identifying friends and

neighbors in need of water filters, and then

following up with those who receive the

filters. Since the partnership began, over

300 filters have been distributed in El

Recreo and as a result, many have entered

into a relationship with Jesus Christ, the

living water.

Steve is on the right, teaching a young man in

Ecuador how to install and use a filter.
http://www.thristypeople.org/http://www.thristypeople.org/http://www.thristypeople.org/http://www.thristypeople.org/

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