NEW YORK, NY — (Marketwired) — 07/25/13 — Two years ago, Tove and Arnulf Bergum lost their 19-year old daughter, Lene Maria in the shooting on Utoya Island, Norway that claimed 77 lives. But that isn–t what they want you to remember about her.
Instead, they–ve spent the past two years raising funds to build water projects in Kenya and Liberia to honor her memory. They coordinated their efforts with Voss Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing access to clean water to communities in Sub-Saharan Africa. They felt this was exactly how Lene Maria would want to be remembered noting that “her friends have described her as the world–s nicest person and that she cared about everyone and everything.”
Thanks to their efforts and unprecedented public support they inspired, three water projects have been completed thus far, bringing clean water to close to 5,000 people in seven communities.
In February, 2013, the Bergums accompanied members of the Voss Foundation to Masiketa, Kenya to see the results first hand.
Voss Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing access to clean water to communities in Sub-Saharan Africa and raising awareness of ongoing need in the region. The Foundation has a particular interest in assisting women and girls who, relieved of the burden of collecting water, have time to devote to education and enterprise.
Since 2008, Voss Foundation has helped to build 63 water access points and 113 sanitation facilities in 6 countries, changing the lives of over 100,000 people in Kenya, Mali, Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, and Swaziland.
Contact:
Christine Borkowski
Phone: 212-725-5664