Shutterstock Gives the Lasting Gift of Clean Water to Arid Regions in Ethiopia

December 8, 2010
Wells funded by Shutterstock bring safe drinking water to hundreds of men, women and children
Shutterstock, the leading global provider of stock images and stock footage by subscription, has made a lasting difference in the lives of hundreds of men, women and children in Northern Ethiopia by providing the life-changing gift of clean, safe drinking water for decades to come.

New Shutterstock-funded wells throughout the arid Amhara region mean that men such as Muche Alemu no longer have to experience the pain of watching family members, including his own daughter, die from waterborne diseases, which claim the lives of  4,500 children on average worldwide each day. Before Shutterstock’s well came to Alemu’s village of Casie Chibechiba, he and his family had to walk for hours to a stagnant, murky pond to collect drinking water.

“Water was always our biggest fear because it made our village sick, and there was nothing we could do,” said Alemu. “But now, I do not worry anymore. We have no more sickness from water, no more children dying because they cannot find clean water to drink.”

Alemu’s story is the result of Shutterstock’s yearlong partnership with charity: water, a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing countries. To date, Shutterstock’s wells have helped approximately 1,500 people like Alemu in six villages throughout the drought-ridden Amhara region of Northern Ethiopia.

“As a global, socially responsible company, it is important for us to support sustainable projects that make a real difference in the lives of people around the world,” said Jon Oringer, founder and CEO of Shutterstock. “As we look toward the holiday season, we encourage our community of buyers and contributors to extend their generosity to those who need it most.”

As always, Shutterstock believes that pictures tell the story best. To see compelling images of Muche Alemu and the Shutterstock-funded well that brought clean, safe drinking water to his village, please visit: http://shutr.bz/water

About Shutterstock


Shutterstock is a leading global provider of high-quality licensed photographs, vectors, illustrations and videos to businesses, marketing agencies and media organizations around the world.

Shutterstock works closely with its growing contributor community of photographers, videographers, illustrators and designers to curate a global marketplace for royalty-free imagery. Shutterstock adds tens of thousands of rights-cleared images each week, and with more than 19 million images currently available, the company recently celebrated its 200-millionth image download.

Headquartered in New York City, Shutterstock also owns Bigstock, a value-oriented stock agency that offers both credit and simple Pay As You Go purchase options.

For more information, please visit http://www.shutterstock.com, and follow Shutterstock on Twitter or on Facebook.



Press Contact

press@shutterstock.com