All checked in @ LAX for 16 hour flight to Dubai. First leg of journey. Then 8 more to Entebbe, Uganda.

Top duffel on this pile contains 44 NIKE soccer balls. Other bags contain 400 filters. Martha is arriving same time (from NY) with 400 more.

Together, with a host of amazing local networks, we will bring clean water to over 80,000 people.

I love bringing joy to remote village kids at the far edges of the world.

Jack Rose

Clean water demonstration & distribution.

Lake Victoria – Uganda – north shore

we drove as far as we could go, then began walking

to the lake where everyone from the village gets their water

This was during a time when locals were being killed and jailed by military & police – for participating in the ‘Walk-to-Work’ civil disobedience protests. This was our version.

This water is toxic – see woman in background getting water for her family. We showed up to bring a solution.

Christine, our Ollie girl, immediately stepped up to be a leader - being the most educated one – to be the local who brings change.

She is the niece of Dennis – Our RainCatcher Uganda facilitator.

She is 17 – a junior – at 13, to avoid the fate of being married off, her uncle began paying her school fees. She just has 5 more semesters @ $200 each. This will be the Ollie challenge I propose: to get 5 people to each take one semester – more details later.

Another Ollie challenge: This well is located about halfway between village and lake. I’m getting a quote for the cost of refurbishing it. Ollie kids can initiate a campaign to make this happen. This improvement, along with our filter systems, will truly be a game changer for this village

After making Lake Victoria safe to drink, the people challenged us to clean this pond water right in their village

No problem: before

after

Christine with new found friend

After this day – Christine returned, with filters and knowledge, over a long distance, to her home village via bus – This Ollie girl is now the sole RainCatcher teacher of our clean-water systems for many schools in an entire region. I will be visiting her village upon my return in mid-June to hand deliver her school tuition (to Dennis) and document what she has accomplished in her village.

Jack Rose

By plane, truck, boat and foot, the Waves for Water team have had the honor of distributing 16,000 Sawyer clean-water filter systems to the most remote regions of Haiti. These, and 40,000 more, have been donated by Compassion International.

https://www.compassion.com/contribution/giving/water-filter.htm

1-Fritz & Jon flying to north coast to meet trucks for big Compassion International distribution and field operations training. 2-Jack & Zach delivering to Mirebalais. 3-Boat carrying our filters & buckets to La Gonave, an island near Port-au-Prince. 4-Jack & Zach in St. Marc. click images to enlarge

check out  http://carldaikeler.blogspot.com to see . . . This action will bring safe drinking water to 10,000 people in the new year. Carl, and others, are stepping up in a big way to help us reach our goal of Water For Everyone in Haiti in 2011.

Also: Here’s a new article by Jeffrey Trunell Waves for Water: Haiti’s Cure for Cholera http://www.takepart.com/news/2010/12/16/waves-for-water-haitis-cure-for-cholera

In partnership with: UN . . . Compassion International . . . Partners In Health  . . . & other NGOs

Waves for Water is distributing 20,000 Sawyer filter systems throughout Haiti.

http://www.wavesforwater.org . . .  http://www.sawyerpointonefilters.com

google ‘haiti cholera’ for daily images & stories.

W4W Nike GameChanger Kit from Don Hardy on Vimeo

W4W HAITI Oct 2010 from Waves For Water on Vimeo.

1-kids @ traditional water sources in Kenya & Uganda (looks like chocolate milk) 2-Carl Daikeler & Father Kizito deciding to do something about this death sentence. 3-by installing rainwater harvesting & filtration systems on 12 schools in Kenya & Uganda. 4-end result of their decision will be thousands of students having their own source of safe drinking water right at school.

The current Kenya/Uganda Project is a joint effort between Beachbody and RainCatcher.

Our goal is ‘Water for Everyone’ our method: Sharing . . . In places like Africa and Haiti we share solutions with people who suffer from the effects of unsafe drinking water and under-nutrition (from lack of food). In America people have access to safe water, but are obviously suffering from the effects of under-nutrition (while over eating): consuming more calories than they burn.

RainCatcher shares common sense water solutions in developing countries around the world.

Beachbody shares health & lifestyle solutions in America and developed countries around the world. Can read more about this collaboration at  http://carldaikeler.blogspot.com/search/label/Raincatcher.

Here’s a painting at an Argentine UN Military base in Haiti.

Here’s a well known fable – a story I use to describe our work:

‘It’s extreme low tide and tens of thousands of starfish are stranded on the beach. An eight year old girl is picking them up one at a time and tossing them back into the ocean. A jogger has stopped far down the beach and is carefully observing all this. Eventually he walks up to the girl and says with authority, “This is a noble effort little girl, but (pointing up and down the beach to thousands of dying starfish) it isn’t going to make a difference”. In silence the girl bends down, picks up a starfish, and throws it into the water, then replies, “It made a difference to that one”.

Here’s another way I describe our work: In the remote regions of the world where we bring our clean-water systems, the practice of fetching drinking water from traditional sources is akin to playing Russian Roulette (A bullet is placed in one of six chambers -  the pistol is pointed at your own head – you pull the trigger and hope it isn’t your turn to die). When we go into an area and distribute simple bucket filters we are effectively removing that bullet from the gun. It makes sense that kids around the world shouldn’t have to play Russian Roulette every time they take a drink of water.

New video by Jarrod Holbrook – Now showing on CNN: http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2010/07/14/holbrooke.haiti.water.filter.cnn?iref=allsearch

and a more in-depth version appearing on Vanity Fair:

http://www.vanityfair.com/online/daily/2010/07/sean-penn-makes-waves-in-haiti.html

+

Waves for Water story in OC Register:

http://beach.freedomblogging.com/2010/08/17/hurley-teams-up-with-waves-4-water/26907/

Mark Armfield receiving a $150,000 donation from Carl Daikeler.

August 31, 2010. RainCatcher and Beachbody join forces to bring rainwater harvesting systems to ten schools in Kenya / Uganda and our clean-water filter systems to over 100,000 people. More stories soon.

To lean about Carl & Beachbody visit  http://carldaikeler.blogspot.com and read his August 30 post.

As a result of donated funds, RainCatchers are now bringing clean water to four schools in remote regions of Western Kenya. With gratitude I would like to acknowledge the contribution of Mr. Shigeo Ohmori and Mr. Kokichi Nakata from the Youth Summit for the Environment — Kobe, Japan – and Mr. Haysbert for donating time, talent & resources to this cause.

Because of Mr. Ohmori’s, Mr. Nakata’s and Mr. Haysbert’s sponsorship of our rainwater harvesting projects in Africa, thousands of students are now benefiting from having their own source of clean drinking water for years to come.

August, 2009 – Reporter Jarrod Holbrook and RainCatcher Fred Mango document the installation of rainwater harvesting systems on rural schools across Kenya.

CREDITS

the RainCatcher story

narration – Dennis Haysbert . . . . . . . .cinematography – Jarrod Holbrook

schools in Kenya – Fred Mango . . . . . . . . . . . .music – Wabake by Samite

editing – Zak Hudson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . sound – Tom Evoniuk

writer + stills – Jack Rose

RainCatcher . . . a father & son story . . . Waves for Water.

Jon Rose is currently traveling & working with the U.N. & Sean Penn’s team in Haiti – www.jphro.org Can read Jon’s daily updates from the front lines at www.wavesforwater.org. So far, Jack & Jon have distributed 10000 clean-water systems throughout the earthquake zone, and in remote regions of the country, bringing safe drinking water to over a hundred thousand people.

All of us would like to extend a special acknowledgment to Dennis Haysbert, Sean Penn, Diana Jenkins, Patricia Arquette and employees of Patagonia for their extensive donations of time, talent & funds. Together we will continue to bring clean drinking water to the survivors in Haiti.

Filtering Haiti’s Water from Jarrod Holbrook on Vimeo.

If you want to help us just push the donate button or send a check, payable to; RainCatcher, inc. and mailed to 28990 Pacific Coast Hwy 109-B Malibu, California  90265. To those who have already helped fund our relief efforts – “Thank you, thank you, thank you”. . . Jack Rose

How does the RainCatcher water filter work?

Watch the 1 minute video by Jarrod Holbrook – filmed at a school in Western Kenya.

RainCatcher is a simple, ingenious arrangement of gutters, tanks and filters placed on schools in remote places so students can enjoy their own source of clean drinking water. To bring what we do in Africa to the rest of the world, Jon Rose created wavesforwater.org

RAINCATCHER, INC. – a California Non-Profit Corporation. Federal tax exempt status under section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code . . . # 26-4310008

In any situation, anywhere around the world, clean, safe drinking water is always at hand once you have the right tools:  1 a Just Water™ Ceramic Drip filter . . .  2 two stack-able buckets with lids . . .  3 a sharp knife or drill . . . 4 and one tap. Three minute video:

For detailed step-by-step instructions:

www.raincatcher.org/2009/05/water-filter-instructions

To carry a few of these in your luggage to anywhere and everywhere, contact   jack@raincatcher.org

to fellow cast & crew members of the TV show The UNIT:

“A new rainwater harvesting system (tanks, gutters & filters) will be installed on several schools in Kenya in our name The cast & crew of THE UNIT. As a result of this gift thousands of students will benefit from having their own source of clean drinking water for years to come. I am happy to make this happen with you, Snake Doctor” - Christmas 2008

Click on photo to enlarge, then click again to see full size.

Fast forward to May, 2009: Spring rains bring overflowing water supply to the five ‘UNIT’ RainCatcher Schools in rural Western Kenya. Many teachers, student & parents, along with everyone at RainCatcher, would like to to express our gratitude to Mr. Haysbert and the entire cast & crew of the UNIT for your contribution. Special acknowledgment goes to Fred Mango of RainCatcher Kenya – the one who gets the job done.

Above are images of the Family Portable RainCatcher . . . Click on photo to enlarge

These images are meant to illustrate just how easy it is to catch rain: String up a plastic tarp with ropes from trees or buildings and channel the rain water down to a waiting container. Here we use a clean 30 gallon plastic trash can. Photos are from a backyard and St. Martin of Tours school in Los Angeles. Students are learning how to catch and clean rainwater with Father Kizito, visiting from Uganda.

People all around the world can use this demonstration as a starting point in the effort to provide clean drinking water for families. Please send us photos & stories of your variations on the theme: “Available materials / possible ideas” in tackling the problem of finding & creating new sources of safe drinking water.  jack@raincatcher.org

Special thanks to Greg & Wendy Lynch; and Marija Newsom. As a result of their contributions of time, talent & funds, many families in Uganda are receiving our clean water filter systems.

Click on photo to enlarge, then click again to see full size.

Wendy Lynch, Father Kizito and Mark Armfield working together with many volunteers and sponsors to bring RainCatchers to 30 schools in Uganda.

As a result of our collaborations the RainCatcher Uganda project is well under way.

Special thanks from thousands of students, teachers & parents to Danielle Light, Lucas Donat, eHarmony & Hotwire for bringing the gift of clean water.

Our goal is a RainCatcher on every school in Uganda.