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🕘️ 12 March 2022 • New York

American Paper Crafting Company Expands Global Community Service Efforts with Water Well and Hand Pump Sponsorships

Nearly a thousand people will benefit from Altenew’s latest community service efforts to provide access to freshwater in villages in Uganda and Nepal.

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK, USA, March 12, 2022 - Construction of Altenew’s water well has finished in Uganda, the latest in this paper crafting company’s series of international efforts to serve underprivileged communities around the world.

Altenew’s water aid efforts began in early 2020 when the paper crafting company sponsored a hand pump in Bhokraha Narsingh, Sunsari District Nepal through Zakat Foundation of America. The hand pump was built near a school that continues to benefit over 150 school children each year. Serving a school with a population of mostly orphans and children of underprivileged families, this hand pump provides a huge tangible impact for many children annually.

“Although Nepal is naturally bestowed with ample water resources, only 82 percent of the population has access to safe and clean drinking water,” shared Zakat Foundation of America Chief Operating Officer Amina Demir. Improved services such as piped water and covered wells make up for almost 93 percent of water coverage in urban areas and 79 percent in rural areas. The remaining has to depend upon conventional sources like unsafe wells, lakes, rivers, springs, etc. A UNICEF report in 2006 estimates that around 13,000 children die every year due to water-related diseases before they reach their fifth birthday.

Altenew handpump in Nepal (Bhokraha Narsingh, Sunsari District Nepal - built in 2020)

“Few people in rural Nepal had access to improved water sources or modern sanitation services. Many of the women spent half their day just fetching water for their families, and children.”

Therefore, the handpump serves an additional purpose of freeing time for women and children to pursue their education and develop additional skills that benefit them long-term. Pursuing education is an important goal at Altenew, evidenced by its entire educational platform, Altenew Academy.

Since building the hand pump in Nepal, Altenew has also sponsored a water well in Uganda to further expand easy freshwater access for underserved communities. The water well in Bulanga Village, Iganga District, Uganda serves an entire village of 700 people who rely on this freshwater source for their daily needs.

As shared by Amina Demir, “today, 8 million people in Uganda are living without access to a safe source of drinking water. While Uganda does have more than enough natural freshwater for its population, the problem is that this water is unequally distributed throughout the country and is being increasingly exploited. By constructing reliable and sustainable bore-wells in the center of small communities, Alif Uganda is attempting to alleviate this crisis for as many Ugandans as possible.

“Almost a quarter of people across Uganda do not have access to clean water and over 80% do not have adequate sanitation! Those who live in rural areas are most affected by the lack of available water. Many have to walk miles, several times a day to fetch water for themselves and their families, of which is often dirty, contaminated, and unsafe to use. Using and drinking unsafe water is one of the leading causes of death and disease across Uganda with 4,500 children dying every year due to having no other option but to drink this unsafe water.”

The handpump and water well were both arranged through Zakat Foundation of America, a US-based international humanitarian organization that seeks to alleviate human suffering all around the world. The clean water campaign is one of the organization’s most popular service operations that allows both individual donors and companies to contribute towards.

Altenew has worked with Zakat Foundation through orphan campaigns, senior home donations, and more over the years. Community service has played a large part in Altenew’s vision since the company’s founding in 2014. The company has been involved in handmade card drives and other service efforts related to paper crafting as well as general acts of kindness to people in the US and abroad.

When asked about the goals for his company, Altenew CEO Nabil Rab shared, “We want to be known for giving back to our community. On a personal note, I hope one day that we have 50-100 countries where we have water wells, for instance, that have the Altenew banner that we've sponsored.”

Altenew continues to push the envelope when it comes to finding new ways to serve the broader global community and fulfill its goals of spreading kindness. As the company continues to grow, paper crafters worldwide watch to see what new ways Altenew will find to help next.

Visit www.altenew.com today and get started on your crafting journey!

Altenew water well in Uganda (Bulanga Village, Iganga District, Uganda - built in 2021).

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This story was originally published on EIN here.