Saturday, October 1, 2011

Rachel's legacy: clean water for 55,000 Ethiopians

More than $1.26 million flowed into Rachel Beckwith's campaign for clean water after her death from injuries in a car crash on Interstate 90 in July. 

               An estimated 55,000 Ethiopians will gain access to clean water and 167,000 will have better sanitation, thanks to money raised on behalf of Rachel Beckwith, the charity: water organization said Friday. More than $1.26 million flowed into Rachel's campaign after her death from injuries in a car crash on Interstate 90 in July. Rachel and her mother had started the campaign for her 9th birthday. The campaign closed Thursday, although the charity said it was launching a new campaign on Friday in Rachel's memory. "Knowing that Rachel's decision to give up her ninth birthday will now help save thousands of people brings me to tears," Rachel's mother, Samantha Paul, said in a statement. Paul will travel to Ethiopia on the anniversary of Rachel's death to see the impact of the projects, the charity said. Scott Harrison, founder and CEO of charity: water, said Rachel's campaign was the largest in the organization's five-year history. The money will be used to work with WaterAid and A Glimmer of Hope, two of the organization's best implementing partners, he said. Charity: water said it would share on its website the impact of the projects when they are completed in 18 months. Donors will be able to see photos, stories and GPS coordinates, Harrison said. Meanwhile, the charity said it is launching a campaign, at the request of Rachel's family, to continue bringing clean water to those in need. The projectcan be found at mycharitywater.org/rachelswish. "We know that Rachel's spirit will live on through inspiring others to act in service and unselfishness," Harrison said.

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