Samaritan's Purse International (UK), the Christian humanitarian aid charity, is to launch a major new campaign to raise funds to provide safe sources of clean water as part of a strategy to save lives and improve health and sanitation in the developing world.

The campaign will be launched on 22 March - World Water Day - and is called 'Turn On The Tap'.

It will concentrate initially on countries in Africa where Samaritan's Purse has a special focus - Mozambique, Liberia and Ethiopia.

Jonathan Hett, Head of Programmes and Projects with Samaritan's Purse International (UK), outlined the main aims of the project: "The lack of clean water is the biggest cause of disease in the world today, with one child dying every 20 seconds - over 4,000 per day - as a result of illness and diseases such as diarrhoea, cholera and typhoid caused by unclean water and poor sanitation. It is staggering to realise that 1.1 billion people in the world do not have access to safe water."

He added: "I have worked in several East African countries where the impact of the lack of safe water to drink is not only on individuals' health but also on economic development. Often children are obliged to spend their day fetching water from the nearest source, sometimes several miles away, and are unable to attend school. This traps them in a cycle of subsistence living and ill health."

Safe water was the core improvement that could save the lives of millions Hett commented. He said, "The provision of safe water is the key to unlocking a significant improvement in the lives of millions. Our goal with Turn On The Tap is to improve sustainable access to potable water sources at both community and household levels by digging new wells, rehabilitating boreholes that have fallen into disrepair, and providing simple water filters that permit the production of safe drinking water.

"For example, we can provide a water filter based on local renewable sources that can be used for many years by one family to provide safe drinking water for just £40. Alternatively, £10 could help train a person in Africa to maintain the water supply in their community; £15 could help give a family of five access to a borehole; £25 could help provide access to safe water for a family by protecting a spring, or £30 could provide a latrine to improve sanitation and help prevent disease."

Simon Barrington, Executive Director of Samaritan's Purse International (UK), continued: "We believe that the excellent relationships we have built up with the thousands of church congregations involved in our well known children's charity project, Operation Christmas Child, will enable us to reach out and engage the support across Britain that is needed to help save lives in these challenged communities.

"We are keen to demonstrate, in a very practical manner, that our humanitarian aid programmes go on throughout the year, not just at Christmas, and we are certain that many churches will wish to help us with Turn On The Tap.

A resource pack has been published by Samaritan's Purse, aiming to help church leaders lead a range of activities to inspire wider community action.

Barrington said, "To enable them to do so, we have developed a Resource Pack that church leaders can utilise for a range of activities. This provides several different ways to challenge, educate and inspire individual and group action in churches, and also in schools and the wider community. At its core is an All-Age Service that allows churches to consider the issue of water provision from a physical perspective, as well as explore the image of Jesus as the living water.

"The service can draw on prayers and readings selected with the aim of raising awareness and understanding of the importance of clean water. For Youth Groups - or the All-Age Service - there are sketches to perform, discussion guides and other material. There is also a very informative DVD, a simple pocket book for younger children in Sunday School, water bottle labels and other resources that can help people understand the challenge facing millions and how, via Turn On The Tap, they can help.

Samaritan's Purse International's Executive Director concluded: "We feel that we bring an added dimension to this situation. Not only do we have experience in overcoming the physical challenges, but we will also be taking a spiritual message to these people. As Christians we are helping them, and it is important that we demonstrate to them the power of God's love."