Charity selling water to help pay for clean water in Africa

Water may be taken for granted by many people in the U.S., but that is exactly why Justin Pobst thinks his not-for-profit organization will be successful. Today, Pobst's organization, Water4Water, will begin selling 20-ounce bottles of water at local businesses in Cape Girardeau, Jackson and Sikeston, Mo. The proceeds will be donated to the charity Blood: Water Mission, which helps build water-wells in Africa. Today, the mayors of Cape Girardeau and Jackson will buy the first two bottles of water at the Cape Girardeau County Courthouse.

"When people understand this poverty in Africa, that people don't have water, they'll do something," Pobst said.

Pobst learned about the charity group a year and a half ago by watching a movie about Africans without water. About a year later, Pobst became a Christian and was looking for a way to express his religion when he heard a statistic that motivated him to act.

"I learned that every 15 seconds a child in Africa dies because they don't have water," said Pobst, who has 4-year-old and 1-year-old daughters.

"It bothered me so much," he said. "It really just ate me up inside."

Pobst said he thinks people in Cape Girardeau County will want to buy his water after they learn all the proceeds will go toward helping Africans without water. Everybody involved with the promotion of Water4Water has been a volunteer, Pobst said.

"I had no idea there were millions of Africans who live without water," Pobst said. "As Americans we know that's not right. People in the Heartland carry people."

Pobst said his desire to help became stronger after he realized he could do something.

In the last month more people became excited after they realized only two bottles of water needed to be sold in order to supply a year's amount of water for an African, said Pee Wee Bartels, a friend of Pobst's. Every bottle sold will raise 50 cents, Bartels said.

The water is going to cost a $1 or $1.50 a bottle, depending on where it's sold, Pobst said. The water will be bought from Kohlfeld Distributing Inc. in Jackson.

So far, Pobst has asked close friends to help as volunteers. But he hopes Water4Water can grow to be nationwide.

One friend Pobst called on was Doug McDermott, a faculty member in the Department of Communication at Southeast Missouri University.

"I have been very blessed in my life, and maybe I use to take this for granted," McDermott said. "But now I realize I have to give back in my own way. We all have time."

Pobst said about 15 volunteers helped with designing T-shirts and fliers. A Web site has also been created, water4water.blogspot.com, for those seeking information. Honeybaked Ham Co. & Cafe and Burritoville have agreed to sell the water. By the end of next week, Pobst hopes 10 businesses will be selling the water.

Joel Neikirk, the owner of Honeybaked Ham in Cape Girardeau said he immediately agreed to sell the water in his store. Neikirk said even though Americans put emphasis on oil as a necessary commodity, Africans put emphasis on water.

For monetary and ideological reasons, Pobst said, he wants to initially keep the organization small.

"We don't want to have huge bulk sales," Pobst said. "It's not as engaging as a person who's in a small business and sees the bottle and reads the description."

adohogne@semissourian.com

335-6611