LONDON – The clean water charity Just a Drop has turned to the travel and tourism industry to aid in delivering critically needed safe drinking water for the people of Haiti. The charity’s program, “Just Help Haiti,” calls for donations to give ongoing support for villages and towns in the country.

 Five days after the deadly earthquake shook Haiti on January 12, 50% of patients in local hospitals were there not because of injuries sustained during the earthquake, but becaue of illnesses contracted from dirty water. Just A Drop’s mission is to send in teams after the initial relief period ends to rebuild water and sanitation infrastructure to beckon villagers back into their communities and homes.

“Once the immediate needs [of Haiti] are met, it is vital that support is ongoing so that the recovery process is sustained,” said Fiona Jeffery, founder and chairman of Just a Drop and chairman of World Travel Market. “That means rebuilding the water and sanitation infrastructure. Just A Drop’s Just Help Haiti appeal to the travel and tourism industry is a small part of a global response to this world disaster. But clean, fresh water is a life-giving commodity and the charity has a vital role to play.”

Just A Drop has delivered clean water to more than 1 million children and their families from 29 countries by building wells, installing piping and providing sanitation, such as the 2004 Tsunami and Hurricane Mitch efforts in 1998.

To donate or learn more about Just A Drop’s work, visit the charity’s website at www.justadrop.org.