Dia Mirza Supports Clean Water Initiative

After Femina Miss India World 2013 Navneet Kaur Dhillon & Femina Miss India Earth 2013 Sobhita Dhulipala its turn of Former Miss Asia Pacific International 2000 Dia Mirza to support & to promote safe water consumption and transform hygiene practices in underserved communities

  host of stars from Hollywood and the Bollywood descended on a small village near Hyderabad on Friday to support community water initiative launched by WaterHealth India.

Actor Jon Cryer, director John Williams, playwright Gretchen Cryer, talk show host Lisa Joyner and NPR and McNeil-Lehrer News Hour contributor Lee Cullum were among the celebrities who attended the inauguration of community water system at Janawada, a village in Ranga Reddy district, about 40 km from here.

Bollywood stars Jackie Shroff and Gulshan Grover added glamour to the event, which marked the launching of Jaldhaara Foundation of WaterHealth India (WHIN) to provide clean and safe drinking water for underserved communities.

Jaldhaara aims to connect social awareness programs with the provision of safe drinking water to underserved communities and schools. The foundation will raise funds to support the programs that will bring about a transformation in the underserved communities, empower women and help school children maintain good health. We are pleased to have received donations from Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and the Allied Trusts, 65 U.S. philanthropists including Jon Cryer, John H Williams and Ambassador Richard Celeste, and the support from Apollo Hospitals, Godrej Industries and Taj Hotels”, said Ms. Jacqueline Lundquist, Chief Serendipity Officer, WaterHealth International.

Jaldhaara Foundation – A Transformational Initiative

Jaldhaara Foundation is a not for profit organization that aims to design and implement social programs that promote safe water awareness, availability and consumption and transform hygiene practices in underserved communities in India by focusing on women and children.

Jaldhaara Foundation (JF) programs aim to create a transformational behavioral change in these communities by focusing on women and children in its programs for communicating the connection between consumption of safe water, hygiene practices and health outcomes. Too often these programs are conducted in isolation leading to an awareness of the benefits of safe water where there is none available and vice versa. The JF will create awareness and spread the significance of safe drinking water and work with partners on the provision of infrastructure (water facilities) to provide clean and safe drinking water for underserved communities. At the center of its activities will be its focus on training women to run the WaterHealth Centers thereby creating employment and empowering them and conducting programs that ensure that school children in the communities served receive clean and safe drinking water. For example: The Water for Schools initiative being launched by Jaldhaara will provide clean drinking water to close to a million school children that are within a few kilometers of WaterHealth India’s existing portfolio, within the next 2-3 years.

The 32-year-old, who was present at the launch of the initiative Jan 3, took to micro-blogging website Twitter to wish it luck.

“Thank you Jacqueline Lundquist (chief serendipity officer at WaterHealth International). I wish Jaldhaara the best. Every drop of safe water will add up to a thriving, healthy, educated and happy community,” Dia tweeted Monday.