HOUSTON — Approximately one
thousand restaurants participated in the U.S. Fund for
UNICEF’s nationwide UNICEF Tap Project
during World Water Week . The UNICEF Tap Project is a
campaign to provide clean water to children around the world
and raise awareness of the world water crisis, by inviting
restaurant patrons to donate $1 or more for the tap water
they usually enjoy for free.
Since 2007, the UNICEF Tap
Project has raised nearly $1.5 million in the U.S. and has
helped to provide clean water to millions of children around
the world. Participants included high-profile media
executives, chefs, and a host of celebrities, such as Lucy
Liu, Joel Madden and Marcus Samuelsson. The UNICEF Tap
Project is the first of its kind—a national grassroots
campaign offering individuals and restaurants across the
nation a simple and effective way to make a difference in a
child’s life.
This marks the third year of
the UNICEF Tap Project’s nationwide expansion, with generous
support from local restaurants such as Bistro Don Camillo,
Bistro Provence, Brasserie Max & Julie, Byrd’s Market &
Cafe, Café Rabelais, Catalan Food and Wine, Edloe Deli,
Firkin and Phoenix, Hubbell & Hudson Market & Bistro,
Jasper’s, Niko Niko, Ouisie’s Table, and The Black Walnut
Café.
“The UNICEF Tap Project brings
an incredibly simple concept to encourage global citizens to
help bring clean and safe water to the children of the
world,” said Cary Attar, CEO and Founder of Hubbell and
Hudson. “As a UNICEF Tap Project volunteer, I am glad that
so many restaurants and volunteers agree it is our duty to
use tap water—our single most bountiful natural resource—to
reduce child mortality,” added Ann Holmes, US Fund for
UNICEF Regional Board Member.
In addition to restaurants and
volunteers raising awareness, Gremillion & Co. Fine Art
hosted a reception featuring a presentation by Dr. Peter
Harvey, Senior Advisor for Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene
for UNICEF. As guests mingled between the gallery’s
paintings and sculptures, discussions turned to the critical
role clean water plays in children’s health and survival.
US Fund for UNICEF Southwest Region Advisory Board Member
Kimberly Gremillion remarked on the importance of water:
“Access to clean water is critical, it does more than save
lives, it turns lives around.”
Clean water is essential, yet nearly 900 million people
worldwide lack access to it — and nearly half of those
people are children. UNICEF is working with its partners to
reduce the number of people without access to safe water and
basic sanitation by 50% by 2015, which will also save
children at risk from waterborne illnesses, the second
highest cause of preventable childhood deaths. Every day,
24,000 children die of preventable causes, and UNICEF is
committed to doing whatever it takes to make that number
zero.
With $1, UNICEF
can provide one child access to safe, clean water for 40
days.
About UNICEF
UNICEF has saved more
children’s lives than any other humanitarian organization in
the world. Working in over 150 countries, UNICEF provides
children with health care, clean water, nutrition,
education, emergency relief, and more. The U.S. Fund for
UNICEF supports UNICEF’s work through fundraising, advocacy,
and education in the United States.
UNICEF is at the forefront of efforts to reduce child
mortality worldwide. There has been substantial
progress—the annual number of under-five deaths dropped from
13 million in 1990 to 8.8 million in 2008. But still,
24,000 children die each day from preventable causes.
Our mission is to do whatever it takes to make that number
zero by giving children the essentials for a safe and
healthy childhood. For more information, visit