WASHINGTON--(Business Wire)--
"IHSAN" stands for Industry's Humanitarian Support Alliance NGO
but perhaps most tellingly also means "benevolence" and "giving" in
Arabic. By definition, therefore, it comes as no surprise that the
organization is quickly establishing itself as one to watch in the
water non-profit arena, working to address United Nations' estimates
which state:
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Approximately 1.1 billion and 2.6 billion people currently live
without water and proper sanitation.
Disease from the lack of safe drinking water and adequate
sanitation/hygiene is the world's single largest cause of illness,
killing an estimated 10,000 people per day.
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IHSAN was formed on the grass-roots level to address concerns from
Oil and Gas Industry employees who felt that they, with their
collective expertise, skills, equipment, and profits, should be doing
more for disadvantaged communities. IHSAN supporters believe that an
unintended, yet positive, consequence of the organization will be the
improvement of the negative public perception of major companies in
the countries in which they operate.
Introduced to the public in November 2007 at the Society of
Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Annual Conference, IHSAN has since made
significant strides in becoming a key partner for individuals and
corporate sponsors who are looking to empower communities in need of
sustainable access to clean water, sanitation, hygiene, and related
education.
On March 22, 2008, World Water Day, IHSAN announced funding for
four new projects, including construction of water pumps,
eco-sanitation toilets, rainwater harvesting systems, open dams, and
water education programs throughout Sierra Leone, Kenya, India, and
Ghana.
Existing sponsorship agreements for sustainable development
projects also exist in Zambia and Mozambique and provide an expanding
assortment of projects for donors to choose from. IHSAN is currently
researching regional projects in Angola, Iraq, East Timor, Indonesia,
and Burma for 2009.
IHSAN's growing membership is diverse, with over 200 volunteers,
25 countries represented, and partnerships established with various
communities, NGOs, and corporations across the globe.
For further information, log on to www.IHSAN-H2O.org, email
Information@IHSAN-H2O.org or call 1-888-IHSAN-20.
IHSAN's Board of Directors includes Dr. Abdul Jaleel Al-Khalifa,
2007 SPE President; Roy Koerner, 1995 SPE President; Dr. Yousef
Al-Zalzalah, Chairman of Kuwait's KGL Petroleum; Diran Apelian, 2008
President of The Minerals, Metals, and Materials Society; Karin
Kitsman, Senior Manager for Control Risks Group; and Christopher
Brown, partner with Quagliano & Seeger.
IHSAN
Karin Kitsman, 202-422-2093
karin@IHSAN-H20.org
www.IHSAN-H20.org
Copyright Business Wire 2008
