Nanaimo company joins with Ryan’s Well Foundation to bring clean water to the developing world
By Derek Kilbourn
Monday, December 29 2008
This holiday season, those wishing to ensure everyone has enough clean water to drink can support the Bottles for Wells project being run by Michelle Bigg and Cathy Aniceto (owners of AB Corp) from Nanaimo.
The two women have partnered up with the Ryan’s Well Foundation (RWF) in the hopes of raising $80,000 to put towards the foundation’s efforts.
According to its web site, RWF’s mission “is to build, educate, and motivate youth, educators, corporations, and community groups on the importance of clean water and sanitation for all.”
Michelle explained, “We decided we have small children, things are happening in the world, and we want to make a difference.
“The foundation is expanding what they are doing and we’re working to help them with that.”
The primary source of funding for the Bottles for Wells project are stainless steel bottles sold by the AB Corp.
The bottles are for sale at the Medicine Centre, as well as online at www.abcorp.ca.
Michelle explained 40 percent of the sale of each bottle goes towards the RWF.
“Each bottle sold translates into one child having clean water for a lifetime.
“The foundation built a well in 1999, and it’s still operating.”
She said water can be everything to a community -- having a clean water supply means the community can work on developing everything else it needs.
Having clean water means children aren’t sick, they are able to go to school, become more educated, and are themselves then able to work on the development of their own community.
“That’s the impact of one well,” Michelle said.
According to the AB Corp’s web site, North Americans spend over $7 billion on bottled water each year.
Each of AB Corp’s bottles is made from the highest grade of stainless steel available called grade 304 or 18/8. It’s the same sanitary grade used throughout the commercial food industry.
RWF’s stainless steel bottles do not have an inner coating like aluminium bottles that you find on the market. They are manufactured in a socially responsible facility that is ISO 9001 certified for quality.
RWF started in 1998, when founder Ryan Hreljac was in Grade 1. He learned from his teacher, Mrs. Prest, that people were dying because they didn’t have clean water. He decided raising money for people without clean water would be a good thing, and worked for four months in order to earn his first $70. Ryan’s first well was built in 1999 (when Ryan was seven years-old) at a school in an Ugandan village. The well continues to serve thousands of people.
On the AB Corp’s site, Ryan is quoted as saying, “‘I am really excited about teaming up with AB Corp. We will all win through it! Building more clean water sites, improving hygiene, reducing landfill needs, conserving resources, making healthy choices. What’s not to like about that?”
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