Wine To Water is a

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

committed to supporting life and dignity for all through the power of clean water. The organization was founded by

Doc Hendley Dickson Beattie "Doc" Hendley (born March 19, 1979) is the founder of Wine to Water, an American charitable organization devoted to providing clean water and sanitation to people around the world. Biography Hendley was born to Jeff and Libbi Hend ...

in 2007.

History

The idea for Wine To Water was born with the first fundraiser being held in

Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the List of North Carolina county seats, seat of Wake County, North Carolina, Wake County in the United States. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most ...

in early 2004. The founder,

was a bartender in Raleigh, and had a strong desire utilize the bar and nightclub industry as a way to bring about positive change in the world. After becoming aware of the world's water crisis, Hendley held fundraisers at wine tastings and bars in the Raleigh area. The funds from the events would be used to implement clean water projects around the world. The projects financed include digging and repairing wells, supplying areas with filtration systems and storage containers, and educating locals on how to maintain fresh water supplies. Nearly one billion people worldwide lack access to clean water, and roughly 3.5 million people die each year because of water related issues. Almost half of these deaths are attributed to

diarrhea Diarrhea, also spelled diarrhoea, is the condition of having at least three loose, liquid, or watery bowel movements each day. It often lasts for a few days and can result in dehydration due to fluid loss. Signs of dehydration often begin wi ...

. Wine To Water has expanded greatly recently, and is currently working on water projects in

Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

, and

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

. Wine To Water is based in

Boone, North Carolina Boone is a town in and the county seat of Watauga County, North Carolina, United States. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina, Boone is the home of Appalachian State University and the headquarters for the disaster a ...

, and has clean water projects running in multiple international locations. Wine To Water has received a great deal of media attention on the local, national, and international levels. Doc Hendley was selected by

CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by the M ...

as a top ten finalist for the 2012

CNN Heroes ''CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute'' is a television special created by CNN to honor individuals who make extraordinary contributions to humanitarian aid and make a difference in their communities. The program was started in 2007. Since 2016, the ...

. As of 2009, Wine To Water had implemented sustainable drinking water initiatives to over 25,000 individuals. By October 2014, Wine To Water had expanding to include projects in 18 countries on four continents, supplying clean water to over 300,000 individuals.

Projects

Sudan

Wine To Water’s work in Sudan includes on rehabilitating wells, delivering water to war-torn regions, and installing a water system they constructed for an orphanage located in the capital. Hendley and his organization have provided relief for locations in the Sudan that have been deemed unsafe for humanitarian work.

India

leper colony A leper colony, also known by many other names, is an isolated community for the quarantining and treatment of lepers, people suffering from leprosy. '' M. leprae'', the bacterium responsible for leprosy, is believed to have spread from East Af ...

located on the outskirts of

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...

lacked access to clean water. WTW has installed a new running water system for this colony.

Cambodia

is a country surrounded by water, yet most of the citizens lack access to clean water. Roughly of the deaths in Cambodia can be attributed to a lack of clean water. One focus of Wine To Water in

Phnom Penh Phnom Penh (; km, ភ្នំពេញ, ) is the capital and most populous city of Cambodia. It has been the national capital since the French protectorate of Cambodia and has grown to become the nation's primate city and its economic, indus ...

, is to supply Bio Sand filters for the residences and communities that do not have access to clean water. The primary focus, however, is the drilling of new water wells for communities. As of October, 2009, WTW has drilled over 70 wells for the people of Cambodia. Using local supplies and hand pumps, WTW is able to cut the cost of drilling a well to one fifth the original cost.

Uganda

Work in

is focused on several areas: first is the distribution of Bio-Sand filters, second is the training of local persons to manufacture their own filters, lastly the formation of training centers around the country to educate the citizens about how to clean water and the importance of this process.

Peru

Wine To Water's work in

is currently centered in Trujillo. Water projects underway as of 2009 include hand digging wells, as well as supplying households, orphanages and daycares with a water pumping and storage system to ensure clean water for the community. Individual filtration systems are being distributed in additional areas exposed to contaminated water sources.

Haiti

In response to the

2010 Haiti earthquake A disaster, catastrophic Moment magnitude scale, magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake struck Haiti at 16:53 local time (21:53 UTC) on Tuesday, 12 January 2010. The epicenter was near the town of Léogâne, Ouest (department), Ouest department, a ...

, Wine To Water responded by partnering with Filter Pure to distribute 500 ceramic water filters. The filters provide clean water for a family of 10 for up to five years. Along with Filter Pure, Wine To Water has also begun to build a Haitian run ceramic filter factory to ensure clean water will continue to get to those who need it most.

References

External links

*{{Official website, http://wtw.org
Wine to Water discussed in Congress

Articles.cnn.com

Doc Hendley CNN Hero
Charities based in North Carolina Development charities based in the United States Organizations established in 2003 2003 establishments in North Carolina Water supply