Matt Damon Launches Water.Org (PHOTO)

Actor Matt Damon, H20 Africa co-founder, and Gary White, WaterPartners executive director and co-founder, have created water.org, a non-profit organization that provides the developing world with access to safe water and sanitation. Its mission is to assist the 2.5 billion people that lack clean sanitation and 890 million people without safe water worldwide. Water.org currently has projects in Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Bangladesh, India, Philippines, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.

Matt Damon, a devoted environmental advocate who also co-founded Not On Our Watch, a humanitarian assistance charity, notes his impetus for starting water.org,

"Every 15 seconds, a child in the developing world dies from water-related disease. After visiting project sites in Africa and Asia with Gary, I've seen the problem and the impact of safe water."

Comments

[Norge]

03:50 AM on 07/19/2009

Fine+ billions used by the weapons industries can be diverted to building desalting systems from sea water. Saudi Arabia already has such and so does Gaudafe land.

The international community spends at present just over 1 trillion dollars per (PER) year on war making material.

There is no excuse for lack of water in impoverished areas only a lack of will.

A fine start Matt.

http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com

[fisher65]

02:52 PM on 07/16/2009

oh dear rethugs wont like this, im so proud im a dem! something free or a handout!

[Tim303]

02:46 PM on 07/18/2009

I thought you Christianists were into charity...of course, I suspected you weren't and your comment proves my suspicion.

[BannedNBoston]

02:27 PM on 07/16/2009

Great work Matt Damon.

Dont forget BOVINE COLUSTRUM curing AIDS cases in Africa
and in the US for $30 a person.

[LMPE]

02:02 PM on 07/16/2009

Once again, most of the world ignores the problems that the colonizers created until a movie star does something about it.

[Forester]

01:05 PM on 07/16/2009

This must be Darfive? This is vat Bruno wanted!

[burtmckinly]

10:12 AM on 07/16/2009

Enter neo-colonization of Africa: plenty of squandered land, labor, and resources, desperate for the benevolent, far-reaching hand of modern civilization.

[burtmckinly]

10:09 AM on 07/16/2009

Fantastic, more meddling rich white folk saving the world.

[justabozoonthebus]

11:05 AM on 07/16/2009

Since meddling rich white folk screwed up the world, maybe it's not such a bad thing if some actually try to repair the damage; particularly if it's in a way that is not condescending but that actually respects the knowledge and abilities of the people and communities they work with.

[joceeco]

06:14 AM on 07/17/2009

I'm just glad to see someone trying to help. For the last four summers I, an African American, volunteer to assist children in Tanzania, by raising funds to provide them with school and classroom supplies ,so that they can achieve a descent education to help with their nation's problems, and the kids are so excited, when anyone helps them no matter what color skin they have, but they get very excited when they see someone, who shares their skintone, speaking with them, and touching them, and showing them a way to combat the poverty that they find themselves in. Sure, it's great to see whites give back to poor nations, but in Africa it would really help to lift the spirits of the poor, if they could see more African Americans in Africa helping them. I am sad to say that I am usually the only African American in my group of volunteers.

[joceeco]

06:23 AM on 07/17/2009

Many African Americans say that they can't afford to give money to assist with aid to Africa, yet they can afford to buy $200 pairs of Jordans and $20K rims for their cars. We should not expect Whites to do for Africa, what many of us won't do. And I am not talkin' about the African American Celebrities either, I am talkin' about everyday middleclass Black folks. We should want to do more to help Africa. And the money that the government gives in aid to certain countries in Africa does not cover your part.

[Citizen13]

12:10 PM on 07/16/2009

Does it really matter who tries to help?

It's the people who don't help at all that are the root of evil. The people who would rather surround themselves with whatever they can steal or loot and only help themselves are the problem that will always hinder progress for mankind.

I don't believe in God but I know that evil exists because we made it up, the actual word and the definition. We know that watching people starve to death is inhumane; not doing anything about it is evil in its truest sense.

[mergina]

05:48 AM on 07/16/2009

Water.org. Perhaps no more imporant topic, no more important element Now and in our Future than Water. Never enough or way too much. Polluted or pure. Bottled or Tap. In the coming years Water is going to be paramount to understand, control, Flee From, and desperately try to keep pure. As the land mass on this planet begins to shrink dramatically because of climate change in the not so distant future, What is left of humanity will be forced to migrate from disaster areas, will be forced to live with an ever increasing population on less land than ever in its history. Knowing now how to bring purity to water in areas where the water can kill will be a mandatory process and need to know EVERYWHERE on this planet in the coming century and beyond. If we could put the brakes on our growing population NOW and not have it increase at all, we might never survive what the future has in store for us. Imagine the madness when the population is increased in this coming century by 2-4 BILLION more humans in need of land to live on and FRESH WATER to survive.

[TheBlackCat]

01:16 PM on 07/17/2009

check out the book "Water Wars: Privatization, Pollution, and Profit" by Vandana Shiva and/or "Water: The Fate of OUr Most Precious Resource" if you are interested in the topic.

[AngieMom57]

01:07 AM on 07/16/2009

Maji Mengi - Abundant Water
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prhK7zUWXTE

[1nessinall]

12:57 AM on 07/16/2009

This man is AWESOME!!

[Subterfuge]

09:34 PM on 07/15/2009

That Matt Damon.... he's alright..

[gallimaufry03]

06:04 PM on 07/15/2009

Good for him. This is awesome. And his smile lights up for miles!

[brooklyncitizen]

10:21 PM on 07/15/2009

It truly does. It is one of the most beautiful smiles.

[Olivia Rosewood]

06:02 PM on 07/15/2009

We are a world with water issues. How amazing to see attention and care given to delivering clean water to those who need it! The human body itself is roughly 65% water, so it's a crucial part of world and ourselves.

It raises a question for me about our own nation's water supply: why are we one of the only developed countries in the world that is still mass medicating its people with fluoride? Proven to lead to cancer and attention/hyperactivity issues, the Environmental Protection Agency has been asking the Senate to litigate against its for 20 years. Here is the most recent hearing on youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRLz4a7lDVM
Hitler used fluoride in concentration camps because it causes the brain to behave in a more passive way, making people easier to control. Here is a list of nations who refuse to fluoridate their water, along with their excellent reasons: http://www.fluoridealert.org/govt-statements.htm

[kae]

06:11 PM on 07/16/2009

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7319752042352089988&hl=en

found this at one of your links it's a good history of this cover-up

[TigersEye]

01:41 PM on 07/18/2009

There is no reason for people to ingest fluoride. I hope that our country does away with this nonsense.

[AngieMom57]

02:14 PM on 07/15/2009

Good job; yet may I ask: "Why reinvent the wheel?" Let's work and learn from each others mistakes and accomplishments....

http://www.globalresourcealliance.org/primary-water-resource-development

"...initiating a bold and unconventional water resource development project called "Maji Mengi" (Abundant Water)."

[Moshe]

02:10 PM on 07/15/2009

That is fantastic Matt. A blessing upon you and your work.