New Life International

In the late 1960's, Byron and Yvonne McGuire, along with their five young children, served in Ecuador, South America with shortwave radio station HCJB, "The Voice of the Andes." While in Ecuador they became keenly aware of the conditions of the poor and their need for clean, safe water. Their eldest son, Duvon, experienced a close brush with death when he contracted Giardia from contaminated water. This experience in Ecuador led Duvon to study parasitology and graduate with a degree from Asbury College in pre-med and chemistry. Before his senior year he spent the summer working in hospitals in India. There he witnessed the devastating effects of poor sanitation and pathogen-infested water. He saw firsthand the health perils and deaths that accompany contaminated water. In 1992, Duvon began designing a water purifier for orphans who suffered from unsafe drinking water. After years of research and experimentation he invented an affordable, lightweight, portable water purifier that could disinfect large quantities of water efficiently and quickly for entire communities. He received a patent for this invention. In 1998, Hurricane Mitch struck the Central American country of Honduras. Duvon personally took 33 of his purifiers to the storm-ravaged country. It was apparent then, as it is now years later, that these efforts and financial resources scarcely touched the "tip of the iceberg" when considering the magnitude of the worldwide water crises. Since New Life International's incorporation in 1998, the New Life purifiers have been taken or sent to over 79 countries where natural and man-made disasters have plagued the areas. Earthquakes, hurricanes, wars, floods, landslides and poor sanitation have contaminated both surface and underground water supplies in much of the world. Not only have the purifiers been valuable during disasters, but they address the urgent application in immediate and long-range community development. To meet this challenge, many volunteers have enlisted to help assemble the purifiers, construct facilities, and do routine maintenance of grounds and buildings. New Life International has become a center for training and hands-on experience in water purification. Nationals from around the world, mission teams, medical staff and relief workers visit New Life International frequently to acquire water purifiers for needy areas. In addition, the facilities are used for other aspects of New Life's ministry. Individuals and groups come for retreats, spiritual renewal, picnics and fishing, family gatherings and rejuvenation. Volunteers take on New Life's activities as their personal ministries or their community service projects. With approximately 25,000 people dying each day from waterborne diseases, this urgent humanitarian crisis is a challenging opportunity for New Life International and financial supporters to make a difference in "Bringing Safe Water to a Thirsty World". The IRS has classified New Life International, Inc. as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.