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5 Best Gift Ideas for Father’s Day 2022

Posted on | by Leo Wilson

Father’s Day 2022 is coming up soon, on June 19, so time is running out to get Dad that great gift that he’ll love. But that doesn’t mean you’re limited in your choice. Here are five classic ideas for several different kinds of Dads. These gifts won’t bust your wallet, but they are practical, enjoyable, and might be just the thing he wanted this year:

  1. Cooking tools for the perfect mea

If Dad’s the grilling type, give him the best tools to help him cook the perfect meal this summer! There are an endless variety of options depending on what he likes to cook – meat, poultry, fish, vegetables, etc. Maybe the most useful thing you can do is to find a good quality tool set.

Grill sets should include, at a minimum, a pair of tongs and a two-pronged fork to pick up food items, a slotted spatula for food flipping and removal, and a brush for cleaning. You may also want to find a set that includes tools like a meat thermometer, a basting brush, skewers, corn holders, or many others.

Ask Dad what he cooks, then find a set that will cover everything he needs, like the Romanticist or Cuisinart tool sets. Search around and you’ll easily find something Dad will appreciate.

  1. A backyard golf set so he can practice at home

If Dad is a golfer, or just an aspiring one, why not give him something that will let him work on his game without driving to the nearest driving range or course?

A variety of practice nets and cages are available at sporting goods stores and online, all of which can be set up on any flat surface, indoors or outdoors, depending on where you have space. Setup is a breeze, and the protective netting means Dad can practice tee shots to his heart’s content – without worrying about broken windows or angry neighbors.

Dad might also appreciate some help with his short game, too, so you may also want to look into backyard putting greens, which can fit in the garage, office, backyard, or anywhere else around the house.

  1. A water bottle that stays hot (or cold), even overnight

If Dad is a morning person, he probably likes his coffee hot. So, get him something that will keep his coffee hot until the last drop, even when he’s busy and on the go. Insulated water bottles are an economical and practical gift for a busy Dad. They keep hot liquids hot for 12-to-24 hours, and cold liquids cold for even longer than that. 

Some water bottles, like the S’well stainless steel bottle, specialize at keeping your hot drinks hot: one test saw the temperature of a coffee remain at 178 degrees Fahrenheit (down from 200) six hours after being poured into the bottle.

Others, like the RTIC or Yeti water bottles, work just fine with hot beverages, but really shine at keeping ice-cold water, iced tea, or other beverages frosty.

  1. Walk together and help Embrace Relief provide clean water in Africa

If Dad’s an outdoorsy type, how about giving him a Saturday full of fresh air, exercise and quality time overlooking one of America’s most famous landmarks?

If you’re in the New York metropolitan area, why not bring Dad out to Liberty State Park in Jersey City, NJ, on June 25, 2022, and join Embrace Relief’s H2Ow Far Can You Walk Walkathon! 

The 5K (3.1-mile) walkathon course will traverse one of the NYC area’s most beautiful green spaces, featuring views of (and ferry access to) the Statue of Liberty, historic New York Harbor, and downtown Manhattan. It’s the perfect site for a post-walkathon picnic, too.

Not only is Embrace Relief’s 5K Walkathon a great way to spend a summer Saturday, you can also make a real difference in people’s lives. Registration is between $15 and $30 and comes with different levels of free and fun gifts. All money raised at the 5K will go directly towards Embrace Relief’s program of building water wells in sub-Saharan Africa. Every single dollar donated will provide 2,000 gallons of clean drinking water to people in need. 

  1. A donation in Dad’s name for clean water

If Dad’s a charitable kind of guy, and Jersey City’s not a feasible day trip, you can always make a donation in his name to a good cause. Perhaps, say, Embrace Relief’s Clean Water Initiative!

A donation to the Clean Water Initiative – or any of Embrace Relief’s other humanitarian programs – in Dad’s name would be a wonderful way to make an impact in the lives of real people. And the certificate sent in return would show everyone that Dad is a thoughtful, caring person who wants to help others.

So far, Embrace Relief has built or reconstructed 500 water wells in Africa, providing clean water to a half-million people for the next five years. Every donation we receive will bring us closer to our next goal of building 750 wells, and you can help us get there.

Donate Now!

What are the different methods of preserving meat and poultry long-term?

Posted on | by Leo Wilson

Buying meat in bulk can be a very enticing option for grocery-shoppers looking to get the most bang for their buck. Of course, there is one obvious drawback: fresh meat spoils very quickly. And consuming spoiled meat can put you at risk for bacterial diseases like botulism, which can cause serious health issues up to and including death.

To combat this, you could buy less meat, more often. But that’s not an ideal option for everyone working with a budget, or for people who don’t have the time to visit the grocery store multiple times in a week.

Luckily, humans have spent thousands of years designing different ways to preserve meat and make it last for weeks, months, and even years at a time. Some are simple and obvious. Others take some skill and practice. All are worth knowing for a budget-conscious meat eater! Here are the top 4 ways to preserve meat:

  • 1) Freeze it.

    For most people in America, this will be the most obvious and easiest solution. Meat stored at sub-zero temperatures in a freezer will remain safe to eat indefinitely, though some types of meat will keep their taste and quality longer than others. A steak will keep its delicious taste for up to eight months after freezing, and an entire chicken can last for nearly a full year. On the other hand, ground beef or raw sausage links may only remain high quality for four months.

    Of course, your refrigerator and freezer requires electricity. What if you have a power outage? An extended outage of more than two hours can cause food to thaw and spoil, meaning all of that saved food will go to waste. There are other methods of preserving meat that can be alternatives in the event of a power outage, or a living situation in which a freezer is not available.
  • 2) Dehydrate it.

    One of the biggest factors in meat spoiling is the moisture found in meat, which offers a breeding ground for dangerous bacteria. By removing that moisture, you can extend the shelf life of your meat. For some types of lean meat – including beef, venison, pork and turkey – one option for long-term preservation is to turn your meat into jerky through a process of dehydration.

    This can be a time-consuming and relatively labor-intensive process with a delicious reward at the end. Jerky will keep its quality at room temperature for up to two weeks, and it will be good to eat for two to three months if refrigerated.

If you have leftover meat that you want to put to use, trying some new textures or seasonings instead of throwing it in the freezer, making jerky might be worth a shot.

  • 3) Can it.

    Like the making of jerky, canning food is a bit more labor-intensive and time-consuming than simply freezing your meat. But the benefits of canning can be longer lasting – a pressure-sealed can or jar will keep meat fresh and retain its quality for between 2 and 5 years if stored in a cool and dry place, according to the USDA. And canned meat is typically more tender and flavorful than frozen meat.

    Canning does require additional equipment, namely a suitable pressure-canner. In addition to learning how to operate the pressure-canner, you’ll need to clear out the 90 minutes-to-2-hours it will take to pressurize your can. And each type of meat will have a slightly different series of steps to achieve maximum quality. There are many institutions and online experts who offer their own methods, and it’s worth searching out the best one for you.
  • 4) Cure it.

    Finally, we turn to a method of preserving meat that humans have used for centuries, if not millenia. People in every part of the world have long used salt to cure their meat and fish, allowing for long-term storage that would enable people to consume protein during long, cold winters, or while navigating long-distance journeys across the seas. In fact, in areas like large portions of sub-Saharan Africa, where electricity is not always available or outages are common, this is still a primary method of preserving meat today.

    Curing meat involves the application of both regular non-iodized salt and “pink salt” (saltpeter). These salts remove moisture from the meat, preventing bacteria from growing. When kept in low-humidity containers, this relatively primitive method can preserve meat for weeks and months. Cured meat can also be smoked, which prevents bacteria from getting into the meat in storage; this can extend the shelf life of your meat even further.

    Once again, there are many different methods for how to cure your meat, and every meat expert will have their own variations.

Donate today to help us provide meat to tens of thousands of people

Not only will these methods of preserving meat provide you and your family with a source of protein over the long term, it may just give you an appreciation for what it’s like to live in a part of the world like Tanzania where meat is a luxury. Because meat there is affordable to most people only on special occasions, long-term preservation is crucial to maintaining a balanced diet and proper nutrition.

Tanzania is one of the countries Embrace Relief is targeting during our International Hunger Relief: Qurbani 2022 campaign, in which we will provide food packages to tens of thousands of needy people in more than a dozen countries.

Embrace Relief’s Qurbani packages will contain sheep, cattle or goat meat, all of which has been 100% humanely and hygienically slaughtered. This meat is high in fat, protein, minerals and vitamins, which are vital in fighting malnutrition, particularly for growing children.

Each Qurbani meat package from Embrace Relief feeds eight families! And when you donate to provide a Qurbani package for those most in need, we will notify you once it has been sent and delivered.

The cost for each package in each area we serve depends on the local market price for the meat. Here’s how much it would cost for you to lessen the burden of hunger for eight families this Qurbani:

  • Africa: $175
  • United States: $265
  • Greece: $265
  • Yemen: $265

With your help, we can combat food shortages and provide hope to people in need in places like sub-Saharan Africa, Yemen, Greece and the United States. Every contribution you make helps one more family go to bed on a full stomach, and brings us one small step closer to ending world hunger.

Donate Now!

The Effects of Waterborne Diseases

Posted on | by Leo Wilson

Waterborne diseases are a leading cause of death worldwide. In 2019, more than 2 million people died from waterborne illness, including more than 1.6 million people who died from diarrhea and its related diseases. Diarrhea is also the second-leading cause of death for children under the age of 5, with an annual death toll of more than 500,000.

The vast majority of these diseases are caused by contact with or consumption of water contaminated by bacteria, viruses, or parasites. The World Health Organization estimates that 1.8 billion people on Earth get their drinking water from a source contaminated with human and animal waste.

Some of the most common issues from drinking contaminated water include:

  • Diarrhea: An intestinal infection characterized by watery stools, diarrhea is a common ailment around the world. But in areas of the world without clean water, it can be deadly. Diarrhea involves a rapid loss of fluid from the body. Without the clean drinking water to replace those fluids, the body can become seriously dehydrated, leading to serious health issues, up to and including death. Young children are particularly susceptible to serious consequences from diarrhea if untreated.
  • Dysentery: An intestinal infection whose defining feature is the passing of blood or mucus in stool. Similarly to diarrhea, it is an easily treatable disease in areas with abundant clean water. But in areas lacking clean water, extreme dehydration caused by the disease is a risk multiplier that can result in serious health complications.
  • Cholera: An intestinal infection whose symptoms include diarrhea, vomiting, leg cramps, and, in more serious cases, rapid dehydration and shock. Mostly eradicated by industrialized countries over 100 years ago, this disease continues to exist in developing countries that lack robust clean water infrastructure. An estimated 1.3 to 4 million cases of cholera occur each year, resulting in as many as 143,000 deaths, according to the World Health Organization.
  • Typhoid: A highly transmittable bacterial disease causing a number of symptoms including high fevers, malaise, headaches, constipation or diarrhea. An estimated 20 million cases of typhoid are reported each year, with an average of 200,000 people dying from the disease.
  • Schistosomiasis: A disease caused by parasitic worms found in contaminated drinking water. Affecting mostly poorer and rural communities in Africa, South America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Middle East, this disease is characterized by symptoms including abdominal pain, diarrhea, and blood in the stool or urine. Kidney and liver damage are also caused by the disease, which is believed to kill 200,000 people per year. In 2015, more than 66 million people were treated for schistosomiasis.

Waterborne illness is particularly an issue in sub-Saharan Africa, where more than 300 million people do not have a source of drinking water that is both accessible and clean. Many people in this part of the world must drink water that has been acquired through significant physical labor – daily journeys, on foot, averaging six kilometers a day while carrying 70 pounds of water.

Many others instead source their drinking water from unprotected, untreated sources like rivers, lakes, ponds, and open watering holes. People in this situation risk their health and wellbeing every day, every time they drink a glass of water. And most importantly, these risks are entirely preventable.

Solving this crisis and eradicating waterborne illnesses in Africa is a significant challenge, one that requires investment in infrastructure. That infrastructure must tap into Africa’s vast reserves of groundwater and be able to supply entire communities of people. But it also must be sustainable and easily maintainable, providing a lasting source of clean water for years to come.

Help Embrace Relief deliver clean water to people who need it

At Embrace Relief, our solution is to invest in the building of hundreds of water wells. We’ve made incredible progress already, providing clean water to more than 500,000 people in the African nations of Cameroon, Chad, and Nigeria. 

Through our Clean Water Initiative, we have funded the construction of 450 new water wells in those countries. And through our recently launched “Fountains of Hope” project, we’ve reconstructed 50 abandoned or non-functioning wells.

To aid more people, we need your help.

Donating to Embrace Relief’s Clean Water Fund and our “Fountains of Hope” project is the single-best way to ensure that thousands of people will get the water they need.

But there are more ways for you to help Embrace Relief fight the clean water crisis. On Saturday, June 25, we will be hosting our inaugural H2Ow Far Can You Walk: 5K Walkathon at Liberty State Park in New Jersey. This family-friendly event is open to people of all ages and abilities, and will help raise awareness and money for building and rebuilding water wells in Africa.

Every dollar donated during our 5K Walkathon will provide more than 2,000 gallons of clean, drinkable water for those in need. For more information, and to register, click here. We look forward to having some fun in the sun with you as we help improve hundreds of thousands of lives.

Donate Now!

Feeding those in need: International Hunger Relief Qurbani

Posted on | by Leo Wilson

Summary

  • More than 800 million people worldwide live with hunger every day.
  • In developing countries, the price of many kinds of nutritious food are unaffordable to much of the population.
  • Learn how you can provide nutritious meat for people in need with Embrace Relief.
Summary
Sharing food is one of the most important ways we can support our neighbors in need. Humans produce far more food than we need for everyone to have a healthy, sustainable diet. But because of a variety of factors – including conflict, climate change, poverty, a lack of infrastructure – there are parts of the world where not enough food is reaching people.
The result is an ongoing hunger crisis affecting more than 800 million people, according to the United Nations. That’s more than one out of every 10 people in the world. Solving the hunger crisis requires the addressing of both supply of food and its distribution. In many developing countries, the food supply is adequate to feed everyone. However, the cost of food can force people of fewer means to select less nutritious, less expensive food. In Tanzania, for example, a kilogram of meat – roughly 2.2 pounds – costs roughly $3.70. That’s an exorbitant cost in a country where one in four people earn less than $2 in income per day. The cost of meat makes it a luxury for most Tanzanians, and so many people miss out on the protein, vitamins and minerals that make meat nutritious. Sharing meat with one’s neighbors in particular is an important idea as we approach Eid al-Adha and the qurbani. For many people in Africa and south Asia, qurbani is the only time of year they get the nutritional benefits of eating meat, thanks to the generosity of their community. There is no more basic fundamental human right than the adequate supply of food for all people. And so it’s incumbent on all of us to take any action we can to reduce world hunger and provide food to people who need it.
Africa Qurbani

Donate today to help us feed thousands of people during Qurbani

That spirit, and that commitment to fighting hunger wherever it exists on the planet is one of the foundations of Embrace Relief’s work. To mark Qurbani and Eid, Embrace Relief’s International Hunger Relief: Qurbani campaign plans to provide food packages to tens of thousands of needy people in more than a dozen countries. Embrace Relief’s Qurbani packages will contain sheep, cattle or goat meat, all of which has been 100% humanely and hygienically slaughtered. This meat is high in fat, protein, minerals and vitamins, which are vital in fighting malnutrition, particularly for growing children. Each Qurbani meat package from Embrace Relief feeds eight families! And when you donate to provide a Qurbani package for those most in need, we will notify you once it has been sent and delivered. The cost for each package in each area we serve depends on the local market price for the meat. Here’s how much it would cost for you to lessen the burden of hunger for eight families this Qurbani:
  • Africa: $175
  • United States: $265
  • Greece: $265
  • Yemen: $265
With your help, we can combat food shortages and provide hope to people in need in places like sub-Saharan Africa, Yemen, Greece and the United States. Every contribution you make helps one more family go to bed on a full stomach, and brings us one small step closer to ending world hunger.
Give Qurbani With Embrace Relief

In 2024, Qurbani will occur on June 16-19. During this time, sheep, goats, and cattle are humanely and hygienically sacrificed in adherence with common dietary restrictions. At this important time of year, join Embrace Relief and provide food for people in need in Africa (including the countries of Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Mali, Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, and Democratic Republic of Congo), as well as Yemen, Greece, and the United States, by donating to Embrace Relief’s International Hunger Relief: Qurbani 2023 campaign.

Give Qurbani

The economic benefits of women’s empowerment

Posted on | by Leo Wilson

Nearly half of all the people on Earth are women. Yet in much of the world, women have been discouraged for centuries from playing key roles in government or the larger economy. While women have made great progress in some parts of the world, achieving milestones in representation in government and business, there is still a long way to go.

  • An estimated 2.7 billion women worldwide are legally restricted from having the same job options as men, according to the United Nations. 
  • More than half of the 189 countries assessed by the UN have laws preventing women from working in specific jobs. 
  • Pay gaps between men and women exist in nearly every economy, resulting in women earning 77 cents for every $1 earned by a man in the same job.
  • Just 63 percent of women worldwide participate in the labor force, compared to 94 percent of men. This is partly due to the fact that women spend nearly three times as many hours doing unpaid care and domestic work as men – crucial, society-sustaining work that is under-appreciated and undervalued.
  • Even in parts of the world where women are more integrated into their country’s economic life, leadership roles remain dominated by men: of the companies making up the S&P 500 in 2022, only 32 CEOs – just 6.4 percent! – are women.

Women’s rights are human rights. Eliminating structural obstacles and allowing women to pursue a life of their choosing and fulfill their potential is an important goal by itself.

But it’s also true that empowering women – putting women in control of their own bodies, time, resources, and economic choices – offers massive benefits to society and the economy at large.

Countries with more women in the workforce see greater economic growth and innovation, and reduced poverty. These countries also typically have more stability and more equitable treatment of women under the law. An economy where women are integral is an economy that can invest in education, health and nutrition, building a sustainable long-term foundation for a thriving society.

Perhaps the best way to empower women around the world is to invest in their education. A lack of education is one of the main structural barriers that prevent women from advancing. Investing in women’s education will provide the skills necessary to take on advanced roles as leaders in their communities and in business. Women who complete their schooling earn more wealth, live healthier lives, have healthier families, and contribute to a more equitable, productive society. 

Successful women also serve as role models for the next generation, inspiring them to follow in their footsteps and achieve great things.

Embrace Relief is investing in women’s education

At Embrace Relief, women’s education is a fundamental aspect of our mission. That’s why we have launched our “Reach. Inspire. Support. Educate.” (R.I.S.E.) program, where we are training the next generation of teachers and administrators to be the foundation for improved education in Tanzania.

Through Embrace Relief’s R.I.S.E. program, we and our local partners are providing financial support to 24 women in Tanzania in order to help them achieve a two-year degree in Education Management and Administration (DEMA) and School Inspection (DSI). These degrees will empower the graduates with the knowledge and skills they need to break through into a male-dominated field of work, while ultimately working towards the improvement of Tanzania’s educational system for all students.

This is a life-changing opportunity for these women, and we plan to provide more assistance for even more women in the future. But we need your help.

Each donation to Embrace Relief’s R.I.S.E. program will go directly to pay for students’ tuition, health insurance, books, transportation and meals. Every $100 donated to this program can empower one more woman to unleash her potential, making her life – and the world – better for it.

Donate Now!

8 benefits of drinking water

Posted on | by Leo Wilson

Summary

  • Water is life, literally: our bodies don’t work unless we’re drinking enough water.
  • But do you know why that is? Read on to learn about eight key functions of our bodies that are directly served by water.
  • That’s why it’s so important to not take water for granted. Hundreds of millions of people are unable to drink fresh, clean water on a daily basis – meaning they’re missing out on important health benefits.
  • Embrace Relief is working to fix this through our Clean Water Initiative of building water wells in Africa. Learn more below about our wells and how you can support the cause!

There’s almost never a bad time to drink a glass of water. The human body is 60 percent water, and so it makes sense that every ounce we drink is important for maintaining our body’s processes.

Whether you are engaging in strenuous exercise, staying in the shade on a hot day, or simply trying to be at your best mentally, a glass of water can give you a big lift. Proper hydration includes drinking small amounts of water throughout the day, for an average of 3-4 liters per day.

What are the health benefits from drinking water? There are too many to count, but here are eight big ones to think about:

Regulating your body temperature: Water is especially important during the warm summer months, because that’s when we typically sweat the most. Sweat is our body’s release of water to the surface of our skin when our body is too hot. When that water evaporates, it cools down our bodies and prevents us from overheating. However, that water needs to be replaced. Drinking water when you sweat is one of the most important ways to stay healthy during the summer (or while working out). Failing to do so can cause serious harm to the body, and even death.

Staying mentally focused: Dehydration, even mild and short-term, can have a noticeable negative effect on your brain. Water is vital for the brain’s function, and studies show that dehydrated people have more short-term memory issues, reduced energy, impaired mood, and reduced focus and concentration. Long-term dehydration can actually even shrink your brain cells’ size and mass, resulting in cognitive decline.

Clearing your skin: Being hydrated is important in having your skin serve its role as your body’s protector and regulator. Drinking water is also important for the look of your skin: dehydrated skin can be cracked and dry. Well-hydrated skin is much more smooth, soft and clean.

Lubricating your joints: Our joints (think knees, elbows, shoulders) need water to function, as does the cartilage that connects those joints. Your body produces a gel called “synovial fluid,” which cushions your joints and cartilage. When you’re properly hydrated, this fluid prevents your joint bones from rubbing together, which can be very painful.

Maintaining your digestive system: Water helps break down the food we eat, promotes good bowel health, and prevents constipation. Staying properly hydrated also keeps the stomach in good working order.

Helping blood flow: Staying hydrated improves your blood circulation, which is important because your blood circulation is the mechanism by which oxygen and nutrients are delivered to every part of your body. Warm water especially is helpful – it opens your veins and arteries, allowing for blood to pass through quicker and easier.

Curbing your appetite: For people looking to lose weight or cut down on their sugar intake, drinking water is a much healthier option than drinking sugary sodas, coffees, teas, sports drinks, or other beverages. But water can also be a useful aid in consuming the right number of calories during meal time. Drinking a glass of water about 30 minutes prior to a large meal will help your body ‘feel’ full sooner and prevent you from over-eating.

Protecting your kidneys: Water is crucial for avoiding kidney damage, because it dissolves minerals and nutrients in the kidney, and helps to remove waste products as well. A lack of water over a long-enough time period can lead to painful kidney stones, or to long-term kidney damage and even failure.

Water truly is a remarkable resource. We can’t survive without it, and our families and communities can’t thrive without it.

If you’re fortunate enough to live in a part of the world where drinkable water is just a few steps and a turn of the faucet away, it’s easy to take all of these benefits for granted. Try to put yourself in the shoes of someone in sub-Saharan Africa, where 400 million people do not have an accessible source of clean water. Think about facing the choice between chronic dehydration and drinking potentially dangerous untreated water from a river, lake or pond.

Help Embrace Relief deliver clean water to people who need it

At Embrace Relief, we’re working to make clean water accessible to all, and to make sure no one on Earth needs to make such a terrible choice. Now, we need your help.

Through our Clean Water Initiative, we have funded the construction of 450 new water wells, and the reconstruction of 50 pre-existing water wells, in the African nations of Cameroon, Chad and Nigeria. These wells are providing water to more than 500,000 people for at least the next five years.

How much water do you use in a day?

Posted on | by Leo Wilson

How much water do you use on an average day? Probably more than you think!

We use water for so many everyday uses, and so it can be easy to overlook exactly how much you’re using every time you bathe, wash your clothes or dishes, use the bathroom, fill a water bottle for drinking. But it all adds up.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the average American uses 82 gallons of water per day. This can fluctuate significantly depending on where you live, whether you live in a house or apartment, alone or with family members, and based on your lifestyle and hygiene choices.

Some studies have shown that the average water use per day could be as high as 101 gallons per day, and up to 300 gallons per day for the average family. You can determine your own water usage with an online water-use calculator.

So where is all that water going?

  • How much water do your toilets use? Surprisingly, the highest water usage in many households is the toilet. This is because its average water-usage can run anywhere from 1.5 gallons (with modern low-flush toilets) to 7 gallons (for older models) per flush. For households with multiple people living under one roof, every flush adds up.
  • How much water do you use while taking showers and baths? An average modern showerhead delivers about 2.5 gallons of water per minute, so each 10-minute shower would use roughly 25 gallons of water. For those who take baths, a half-filled bath tub is roughly 35 gallons on average.
  • How much water do you use at the sink? Brushing teeth and shaving while the water is running from the sink is common, but it’s wasteful, with roughly 2-3 gallons going down the drain per minute.
  • How much water do you use washing dishes? Modern energy- and water-efficient dishwashers may only use 4 gallons per load. But many older dishwashers use up to 15 gallons per load, and washing dishes by hand can use even more than that (an estimated 20 gallons per load on average).
  • How much water do you use washing clothes? Once again, the age of your equipment will make a difference. Modern washing machines typically use between 25-30 gallons of water per load, while older, less-efficient models use about 40 gallons per cycle.
  • How much water do you use for lawn care? For those lucky enough to own homes with front and backyards, it is occasionally necessary to water the lawn and plants. For a 10-by-10-foot patch of grass, an estimated 60 gallons of water are necessary to properly irrigate each time.

And these make up most of the average individual American household’s water usage, which is – pardon the pun – just a drop in the bucket compared to the amount of water we need to keep our farms, industries, workplaces, transportation and other infrastructure going.

Be mindful of how much water you’re using! It’s important to be careful not to waste water, because it is a finite resource, and one that underpins our entire society. When you try to imagine life without any of the above uses of water, you’ll realize how precious clean water is.

In sub-Saharan Africa, people know all about that. More than 300 million people in that part of the world do not have access to clean water for drinking, cooking, bathing or sanitation. There is plentiful water in Africa, but much of it is located in either untreated water sources like rivers, lakes and ponds, or in open watering holes, unprotected from bacteria and diseases.

The average African uses less than half the amount of water as the average American, but even this lesser quantity is hard to come by – requiring people to either make do with their nearby, potentially dangerous water sources, or to make long, back-breaking journeys to find cleaner water.

Help Embrace Relief deliver clean water to people who need it

That’s where the Embrace Relief Foundation comes in.

Through our Clean Water Initiative, we’re working to make clean water accessible to all. So far, we have funded the construction of 450 new water wells, and the reconstruction of 50 pre-existing water wells, in the African nations of Cameroon, Chad and Nigeria. These wells are providing water to more than 500,000 people for at least the next five years.

Donating to Embrace Relief’s Clean Water Fund and our “Fountains of Hope” project is the single-best way to ensure that thousands of people will get the water they need.

But there are more ways for you to help Embrace Relief fight the clean water crisis. On Saturday, June 25, we will be hosting our inaugural H2Ow Far Can You Walk: 5K Walkathon at Liberty State Park in New Jersey. This family-friendly event is open to people of all ages and abilities, and will help raise awareness and money for building and rebuilding water wells in Africa.

Every single dollar donated during our 5K Walkathon will provide more than 2,000 gallons of clean, drinkable water for those in need. For more information, and to register, click here. We look forward to having some fun in the sun with you as we help improve hundreds of thousands of lives.

Water wells: how they work

Posted on | by Leo Wilson

More than 300 million people in sub-Saharan Africa do not have access to a source of clean, safe drinking water. But that’s not because the water doesn’t exist. On the contrary: water in that part of the world is fairly plentiful. 

What’s lacking is the infrastructure to pull that water up from the ground and deliver it safely to people.

That’s why Embrace Relief’s Clean Water Initiative is laser-focused on building water wells in Africa, providing a sustainable piece of infrastructure that can have an enormous positive effect on communities wherever they are built.

Since we began our Clean Water Fund – as well as our “Fountains of Hope” project, which rebuilds abandoned and inoperative wells – Embrace Relief has provided a life-sustaining source of drinking water to more than 500,000 people in the African nations of Chad, Cameroon and Nigeria. 

Why has this strategy been so effective for Embrace Relief? Because the technology is simple, the wells themselves are relatively easy and cost-effective to build and maintain, and because our well designs are easily adaptable depending on the local geography.

So, how do Embrace Relief’s water wells work? It’s a top-to-bottom process:

  • Hand pumps: Above ground, community members can access the clean water from our wells via a manual hand pump, with a cemented basin to protect the inside of the well from contamination. This simple design, and the minimal amount of force required to use, means it can be operated by most people of any age or gender. 
  • Depth: On average, our well pipes are dug roughly 45 meters (about 147 feet) below the surface. This means we’re tapping into safer, cleaner water sources. This is already a marked improvement for most sub-Saharan Africans, whose most common sources of freshwater include rivers, ponds or open watering holes prone to contamination by bacteria or waste. Water found this deep underground is significantly less likely to be contaminated in any way. 
  • Filtration: To provide even more safety, Embrace Relief’s wells include a multifaceted filtration system comprised of decanters, strainers, and filters at the bottom of the well, to remove various sediments and ensure nothing harmful reaches the surface. 
  • Sealed pipes: Our wells use galvanized pipes, which are designed to be used safely for many years before needing replacement. These pipes are sturdy and protect the pumped water from any outside materials. 
  • Maintenance: Embrace Relief has committed to funding annual maintenance checkups and repairs for five years after a well is built. In addition to responding to requests to fix broken parts, our partners on the ground will provide an annual inspection at each well site, testing the water for any impurities or contamination, over the first five years of the well’s life.

Each well Embrace Relief builds can provide thousands of people with the benefits of clean water, giving hope and a brighter future to entire communities.

People with universal access to clean drinking water are healthier, safer, more well-educated, more productive, and more prosperous. Clean water makes a positive contribution to women’s equality, too: young women and girls often bear the brunt of back-breaking journeys to obtain water for their families, taking away precious time they could spend receiving an education or earning an income.

For such a small investment, it’s hard to make a bigger impact.

Help Embrace Relief deliver clean water to people who need it

Embrace Relief’s Clean Water Initiative continues to expand, with ambitious goals to build 250 new water wells in the immediate future, providing water to another quarter-million people. To do that, though, we need your support.

Donating to Embrace Relief’s Clean Water Fund and our “Fountains of Hope” project is the single-best way to ensure that thousands of people will get the water they need.

But there are more ways for you to help Embrace Relief fight the clean water crisis. On Saturday, June 25, we will be hosting our inaugural H2Ow Far Can You Walk: 5K Walkathon at Liberty State Park in New Jersey. This family-friendly event is open to people of all ages and abilities, and will help raise awareness and money for building and rebuilding water wells in Africa.Every dollar donated during our 5K Walkathon will provide more than 2,000 gallons of clean, drinkable water for those in need. For more information, and to register, click here. We look forward to having some fun in the sun with you as we help improve hundreds of thousands of lives.

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