More than $1 million in donations have been raised for Living Water International from the sales of the Alex and Ani Charity by Design Living Water Bangle. The fashion-forward fundraising initiative has enabled more than 42,000 families around the globe to have access to clean, safe water.

"Throughout our 25-year history, we have established many partnerships to help amplify our mission," says Mike Mantel, CEO of Living Water International. "We're very excited to see our relationship with Alex and Ani hit this milestone, as it will play an important role in fostering improved public health and in strengthening communities around the world. It reinforces our belief that we are stronger when we work together."

The unique partnership between Living Water International and Alex and Ani was inspired by Paige Dellerman, a former high school student at East Greenwich High School in Rhode Island. Dellerman focused her 2013 senior class project on connecting Alex and Ani to Living Water International as a way to combine her passion for Living Water with her desire to learn more about the Alex and Ani philanthropic mission and charm crafting process.

A relationship was established and soon after, Carolyn Rafaelian, founder, CEO, and chief creative officer of Alex and Ani, designed the Living Water Bangle. Since its creation within the Charity by Design collection, donations from sales of the bangle have raised over $1 million for clean water projects led by Living Water International.

In celebration of the $1 million milestone and to support an upcoming well-drilling trip to Haiti, Alex and Ani retail stores are currently promoting awareness and education on the Living Water Bangle. The upcoming trip to Haiti follows two other well-drilling trips in which Alex and Ani participated – Guatemala in 2014 and Nicaragua in 2015. These trips allowed Alex and Ani team members to participate in well drilling and hygiene education, including germ transmission, proper hand washing and effective treatment of diarrhea.

"Over the past four years, our partnership with Living Water International has evolved into not only generating impact and funding across the globe, but also in creating unique opportunities for our employees to experience the Living Water mission by traveling to countries to help their team drill wells and educate the community on the benefits of clean water," says Nicki Maher, Alex and Ani, Charity by Design vice president. "Through first-hand experience, we have truly come to know and love the mission behind Living Water and have made it a priority to share this life-saving mission to bring water to the thirsty."

With 25 years of experience as a faith-based non-profit,  Living Water International exists to help communities acquire desperately-needed clean water through the implementation of participatory, community-based water, sanitation and hygiene solutions in 21 developing countries across Central and South America, Africa and Asia. The organization has completed more than 16,700 water projects as part of their ongoing commitment to provide water for life. Living Water's end goal is to see holistic behavior change by supporting the local church and equipping local people to serve their own communities. For more information, visit www.water.cc.