In many developing countries, such as Africa and Haiti, clean drinking water is scarce. Unclean drinking water (causing dysentery in humans) is the second leading cause of death among children under the age of five globally.  About 1 in 5 child deaths are due to dysentery and it kills more young children than AIDS, malaria and measles combined.  
Essentially, many of the statistics above result from the lack of access to safe drinking water resources.  People drink water from surface water bodies or open wells that are easily contaminated, often times by agriculture and human/animal waste, resulting in waterborne diseases.  Drinking this water results in diarrhea, this results in dehydration, and can result in death.  Young children typically do not have the immune systems to fight off the diseases that come from the water they drink.

Groundwater is often safe for drinking because groundwater at depth typically is not exposed to agriculture or waste contaminants.  If a well is drilled and cased properly, and then enclosed with a manual pump for access, the water that comes out of that well can be of drinking water quality and access is provided without electricity.  This is ideal in developing countries.

The difficulty in developing countries is getting access to safe groundwater at depth.  This requires choosing the best location to drill a well, having the technology to drill, and the right pump for access. However, if this is provided, the results can be wonderful.  Drinking water for families and children can be shared by a community and lives changed.

As a woman specializing in groundwater development, my hope is that things can be changed one well at a time, one community at a time.  With Patti, Tiny, Build On Hope, and the right driller, one well drilled in Haiti or Africa can provide 100's of people with clean, safe drinking water.

Tiny has a vision for training and farming to build up communities. This vision, along with safe drinking water can make lifelong changes because we are helping feed the poor and providing them clean water.  Actually, we are helping train the people to feed themselves...even more important.  Tiny is teaching the local farmers how to make natural compost and how to increase their yield by up to ten times in some areas.  This is accomplished by the use of natural soil food like compost.  Tiny is training people to fight erosion by covering the soil with leaves and not burning them as that destroys the nutrients in the soil.  

We are not giving people food, to feed them once; we are trying to teach people how to properly grow food and provide permanent access to safe drinking water, which will nourish them for life.

This gives you an idea of what we all are about, and my passion in particular.

Feel free to contact me if you have questions or would like for me to come and speak at your event.

Warmly,
Alyssa Dausman, Ph.D.
Hydrologist

Email: adausman@usgs.gov
Curriculum Vitae