WELCOME

Knights of Columbus

MESSSAGE OF THE MONTH

Dear Fellow Knights,

Thank you for visiting our website.  We welcome you to look at our activities in Central America to help mothers and children survive the harsh living conditions in this region. As you  know, the Knight of Columbus was founded in order to help widows and families survive after the death of their spouse.  Many of the families we serve are fatherless and depend solely on the meager income of their mother.  Average wages in Central America are $2 per day, hardly enough to live with the necessities of life. The majority of families we serve are in and around Lake Atitlan in Guatemala and over 80% of them are Catholic.  These families are currently drawing water from Lake Atitlan which is polluted and the children suffer greatly with diarrhea and death. Please learn more about us. We hope you will champion our cause.

Warmly,   John White, member, Knights of  Columbus, Fr. Bally Council

 >   Ceramic water filters clean polluted water to 99.95% pure  READ MORE

 >   They only cost $35 each and serve a family of 6 - 8

 >   During Katrina Knights donated $5.5 million to families

 >  Paul Hiryak, Grand Knight, Father Bally Council #1192 says, "Give to HEART for the Nations, it is a worthy organization aligned with our mission."  See HEART Board of Directors

 >  Children's lives will be saved READ MORE

 >  The Catholic Diocese of Allentown has approved HEART for the Nations as a reputable charity

"Thank you for your support of the charitable and philanthropic goals of the Knights of Columbus"  Paul Hiryak, Vice President of HEART for the Nations.
 
You may want to consider supporting this worthy endeavor since it illustrates the principle of Charity upon which the Knights of Columbus was founded. The concept is very simple: a low-cost, low tech water filter is made from local clay and fired to make small holes that traps bacteria. No power is needed, no chemicals are required. It has been tested and found to be 99.5% effective against the most common pathogens. READ MORE

See Evangelization Team from St. Columbkill in Boyertown, Pennsylvania

Who We Are

>   HEART supplies potable water in Guatemala, Nicaragua and Haiti. Our ceramic water filters lower child morbidity,  protect families from water borne diseases, and decrease child malnourishment

>     HEART raises income levels: Drinking clean water helps bread earners work consistently, thus increasing the family income.

>     HEART provides jobs: Local people own and work in the filter factories.

>    HEART educates: Our program includes hygiene education which is proven to decrease disease up to 50%

What We Are All About 

> VIDEO

Every day between 4 - 5,000 children die due to diarrhea caused by unsafe water. The U.N.'s Millennium Development Goal is to halve the number of people unable to reach or afford safe drinking water by 2015. Diseases related to inadequate water and sanitation cause an estimated 80% of all sickness in the developing world. Safe drinking water is a precondition for health and the fight against child mortality and poverty.

The ceramic water filter, invented by Dr. Mazeriegos and further developed by Potters for Peace, solves the problem. The family just pours bad water through the filter in the top, and pure water comes out the spout. Literally, a child can operate it. And it’s eco friendly: no boiling, no electricity or batteries, and has no bad taste. Collaborating with Potters for Peace, Princeton University, Rotary International and churches in the U.S. HEART is working to meet the Millenium Goals.

The Ceramic Water Filter is low-tech, low cost, and eliminates 99.88% of most water-borne diseases. It removes e. coli, fecal coliforms, total coliform, giardia, streptococcus, cholera, guinea worm, bilharzia, protozoa, amoeba, cryptosporidium parvum, and more.. The filtering element is made from porous clay and sawdust, that, once fired, permits water, but not dirt and harmful bacteria, to pass through. Coated with colloidal silver, a microbicide, the filter delivers safe drinking water to a family of six for up to five years. The filter, coupled with hygiene education and follow-up, has a proven track record to reduce diarrhea by 50% and save babies’ lives. Adding hygiene education and oral rehydration instruction increases the effectiveness to 60 -70% health improvement.

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