Shutterstock Teams Up with Charity: Water to Build 12 Wells in Africa – One for Every Month of 2010

Innovative partnership will bring clean, safe water to villages in need

New York, December 3, 2009 - Shutterstock, the world's largest subscription-based stock photo agency, announced today that it has partnered with charity: water to build 12 wells in Africa in 2010 -- one for each month of the year. The partnership aims to address one of the fundamental problems facing developing nations today: the lack of clean, safe drinking water.

Shutterstock is donating $60,000 to charity: water to build wells in 12 arid villages in northern Ethiopia, where thousands of people live in areas without access to clean water. Although water is a basic resource that developed nations often take for granted, unsafe water and a lack of basic sanitation cause 80 percent of all sickness and disease, and contribute to the deaths of more people every year than all forms of violence, including war.

"Our partnership with charity: water is designed to make a real difference in the lives of people who lack one of life's basic necessities: clean, safe water," said Jon Oringer, founder and CEO of Shutterstock. "We welcome everyone in Shutterstock's global community to spread the generosity of the holiday season to help the men, women and children who need it most."

To get involved, please visit: www.charitywater.org/shutterstock. When the wells are complete, Shutterstock will update this page with photos, GPS coordinates and news from communities where wells have been built, and lives have been changed.

About charity: water
charity: water is a non-profit organization that brings clean, safe drinking water to people in developing nations. Founded by Scott Hamilton in 2006, charity: water has already funded over 1,500 water projects in 16 developing countries. All donations to charity: water are tax-deductible, and 100 percent of donations go directly to funding sustainable freshwater solutions in developing nations.

About Shutterstock®
Founded in 2003, Shutterstock is the largest subscription-based stock photo agency in the world. Its outstanding collection of premium photos, illustrations, and vectors combined with a selection of innovative, user-friendly subscription plans has made Shutterstock a trusted resource for an expanding global customer base. An industry pioneer in selling royalty-free stock by subscription, Shutterstock was also the first online photo agency to offer editorial photos and launch a video library. Shutterstock Footage offers a comprehensive library of royalty-free video clips available on a per-clip basis or by subscription. For more information, visit www.Shutterstock.com.