Beneficial Returns helps strengthen access to safe drinking water in Central America with a loan to EOS International

Thanks to a loan from Beneficial Returns, EOS International can now bring clean drinking water and improved public health outcomes to more communities in Nicaragua and Honduras.  EOS International is a non-profit social enterprise that installs in-line water chlorinators to treat contamination in small-scale water systems.  Additionally, EOS trains local leaders on water quality analysis, treatment, and monitoring so they can keep clean water flowing in their communities.
 
"Beneficial Returns provides loans to social enterprises that produce positive impact in communities by addressing major social or environmental problems with market-based solutions. EOS makes safe drinking water affordable and accessible to rural households in Nicaragua and Honduras. We expect our loan will help EOS grow and deliver even bigger results” said Ted Levinson, CEO/Founder of Beneficial Returns.
 
EOS' technology is used in rural community water tanks to combat pathogens with chlorination. EOS deploys "circuit riders" who travel the region by motorbike to train local communities on using, testing, maintaining, and repairing the installations. EOS also has advanced water quality labs supervised by dedicated staff for water analysis in Nicaragua and Honduras.
 
To date, EOS has reached 1,429 communities and more than 648,000 individuals with water purifying solutions. Because chlorination is so affordable and local citizens assume responsibility for managing and maintaining their water supply, EOS systems are permanent solutions for the communities where they operate.  Independent studies have demonstrated that villages with EOS systems have better health outcomes. The average EOS customer pays just $1.83 per year for clean drinking water for their whole family.

“Access to this loan from Beneficial Returns comes at a critical time of growth and increased demand from rural communities. This capital will allow our team to purchase inventory in bulk to reduce costs and transfer these savings to our customers. We are fortunate for Beneficial Returns’ investment in our operations and excited for this next stage of growth,” said Wes Meier, Co-Founder & CEO of EOS International.
 
Globally, 785 million people suffer from lack of essential drinking-water services[1]. In addition, while there are water sources in hard-to-reach communities, people often have no means of purification to ensure water is free from contaminants. The COVID-19 pandemic has only intensified the need for safe drinking water, which can reduce illness and disease, particularly in children and the elderly. 
 
With the loan from Beneficial Returns, EOS can now supply an additional 150 communities with chlorinators and chlorine tablets.  The loan will be repaid from revenue generated from the sale of chlorine tablets.
 
Beneficial Returns has provided more than $2M in loans to social enterprises fighting poverty and protecting the environment in Latin America and Southeast Asia. Our investors, who participate via recoverable grants, are family foundations, donor-advised funds, and faith-based communities.

[1] World Health Organization, 2019

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