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WHI's novel and award-winning UV-based water purification and disinfection technology platform is modular and can be scaled easily to provide high quality drinking water to a broad range of population groups. The company is currently focused on providing systems to deliver affordable water to urban populations, and rural communities that lack access to municipal water supplies. WHI's decentralized systems require low capital expenditures and can be implemented quickly to meet longstanding needs of underserved populations.

"These investments highlight growing recognition of the importance of WHI's technology and business models and our ability to get things done to provide safe drinking water even in challenging environments around the world", added Dr. Tralance Addy, President and Chief Executive Officer of WaterHealth. "We strongly believe that market-driven application of state-of-the-art technologies can be the most appropriate and effective means of bridging the development gap in less-developed countries. We expect 2005 to be a breakthrough year in the provision of high-quality water in our immediate target markets of India, Ghana, and the Philippines. Over time, we expect to deploy WHI’s technology platform in the US and other developed markets.”

WHI's technology has garnered numerous awards. Earlier this month, California's Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose, awarded Dr. Ashok Gadgil the prestigious Affymatrix Health Award, as part of the Museum's annual Tech Museum Awards program. Dr. Gadgil is Vice President of Scientific Affairs of WaterHealth and inventor of the company's UV Waterworks technology.

"The demand for distributed, decentralized water treatment systems is growing rapidly in the developing world, while few business models have emerged to serve this demand. We believe WHI is well-positioned to pursue this market based on a commercial model, thus helping address an environmental problem that has a direct public health benefit in the developing world,” said Jeff Liebert, an investment officer in the Environmental Finance Group at the IFC.
It is estimated that more than one billion people worldwide lack a reliable source for clean drinking water. Water-borne pathogens kill up to four million children under age five annually, a rate of 400 per hour. Though studies show that investment in water purification and sanitation can reduce water-borne diseases by up to 75%, many countries simply cannot spare the resources required to build capital-intensive, centralized water treatment facilities and distribution networks for their peri-urban and rural areas.

WHI products are currently deployed in many countries around the world, including the US, Honduras, India, South Africa and the Philippines. Work is currently underway on the first of ten community water systems in rural Andhra Pradesh, India, while sites are also being evaluated for systems in West Africa. WHI is developing various other products based on its technology platform.

"WaterHealth International's technology and market approach will have lasting, positive impacts on water quality in the developing world, and we are pleased to have invested in their growth," said Yasmina Zaidman, Acumen's Manager of the Water Innovations Portfolio. "Acumen Fund believes the best way to solve the problems of poverty is to focus on bringing affordable, critical services to the poor through market-oriented approaches that treat the poor as active customers, not as passive recipients of aid or charity."

About International Finance Corporation
The International Finance Corporation (IFC) promotes sustainable private sector investment in developing countries as a way to reduce poverty and improve people's lives. Established in 1956, IFC is the largest multilateral source of loan and equity financing for private sector projects in the developing world. IFC is a member of the World Bank. It promotes sustainable private sector development primarily by financing private sector projects located in the developing world, helping private companies in the developing world mobilize financing in international financial markets and providing advice and technical assistance to businesses and governments.

About Acumen Fund
Acumen Fund is a global non-profit venture fund serving the four billion people living on less than $4 a day. The Fund's aim is to create a blueprint for building financially sustainable and scalable organizations that deliver affordable, critical goods and services that elevate the lives of the poor. The Fund adheres to a disciplined process in selecting and managing philanthropic investments as well as in measuring the end results. Acumen Fund was incorporated on April 1, 2001, with seed capital from the Rockefeller Foundation, Cisco Systems Foundation and three individual philanthropists. Since then our network of investors and advisors has grown to include a wide range of individuals and organizations. The investment was made via Acumen’s Water Innovations Portfolio.

About WaterHealth International
WaterHealth International, Inc. is an innovation driven company, committed to the development of technologies and business models to provide high quality, affordable water worldwide. WHI's focus is on improving the health and well-being of its customers. The company is headquartered in Southern California.

Contacts:
Neil Schwartz, Stearns Johnson Communications, 415.397.7600, nschwartz@stearnsjohnson.com

Katie Schmitz de Fernandez, WaterHealth, 415.269.5092, kfernandez@waterhealth.com

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