Pro-Industry NGO Makes "Water"-Shed Commitment to World's Largest Cause of Illness

Pro-Industry NGO Makes “Water”-shed Commitment to World’s Largest Cause of Illness
WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--“IHSAN” stands for Industry’s Humanitarian Support Alliance NGO but perhaps most tellingly also means “benevolence” and “giving” in Arabic. By definition, therefore, it comes as no surprise that the organization is quickly establishing itself as one to watch in the water non-profit arena, working to address United Nations’ estimates which state:

Approximately 1.1 billion and 2.6 billion people currently live without water and proper sanitation.

Disease from the lack of safe drinking water and adequate sanitation/hygiene is the world's single largest cause of illness, killing an estimated 10,000 people per day.

IHSAN was formed on the grass-roots level to address concerns from Oil and Gas Industry employees who felt that they, with their collective expertise, skills, equipment, and profits, should be doing more for disadvantaged communities. IHSAN supporters believe that an unintended, yet positive, consequence of the organization will be the improvement of the negative public perception of major companies in the countries in which they operate.

Introduced to the public in November 2007 at the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Annual Conference, IHSAN has since made significant strides in becoming a key partner for individuals and corporate sponsors who are looking to empower communities in need of sustainable access to clean water, sanitation, hygiene, and related education.

On March 22, 2008, World Water Day, IHSAN announced funding for four new projects, including construction of water pumps, eco-sanitation toilets, rainwater harvesting systems, open dams, and water education programs throughout Sierra Leone, Kenya, India, and Ghana.

Existing sponsorship agreements for sustainable development projects also exist in Zambia and Mozambique and provide an expanding assortment of projects for donors to choose from. IHSAN is currently researching regional projects in Angola, Iraq, East Timor, Indonesia, and Burma for 2009.

IHSAN’s growing membership is diverse, with over 200 volunteers, 25 countries represented, and partnerships established with various communities, NGOs, and corporations across the globe.

For further information, log on to www.IHSAN-H2O.org, email Information@IHSAN-H2O.org or call 1-888-IHSAN-20.

IHSAN’s Board of Directors includes Dr. Abdul Jaleel Al-Khalifa, 2007 SPE President; Roy Koerner, 1995 SPE President; Dr. Yousef Al-Zalzalah, Chairman of Kuwait’s KGL Petroleum; Diran Apelian, 2008 President of The Minerals, Metals, and Materials Society; Karin Kitsman, Senior Manager for Control Risks Group; and Christopher Brown, partner with Quagliano & Seeger.

Contact: Karin Kitsman