Water is the difference between life and death and in deep rural parts of North West and Mpumalanga, many people walk long distances to collect water from water pits in order to drink, cook and bathe. And even then, the water is sometimes not clean, which causes health problems.
The most vulnerable in the communities are the old and children. Every year in these poor areas, many die due to waterborne diseases.
About 844 million people worldwide do not have access to clean drinking water – one out of 10 people on the planet. As a result, about 1.6 million children die each year throughout the world from waterborne diseases.
The Wishing Well International Foundation South Africa (WWIF) recently embarked on their second annual journey in an attempt to counter these statistics by providing areas in Southern Africa that do not have access to clean water with a Biofoam filtration system.
A total of 120 of the Biofoam filtration systems have been deployed and the foundation will continue to make these donations for the next 10 years to provide hundreds of households with safe and clean drinking water.
The new technology reduces bacteria and viruses in water through the use of gravity, rather than pressure, to pass the water through a filter. The WWIF establishes a committee in each of the areas where the filters are installed, which ensures the filters are working and being used correctly. The foundation then returns every year or two to replace any damaged ones.
Tony Marchisini, the MD and Franchisor for H2O International said the main focus for the expedition was to educate the children of the community on how to treat water so that it is safe for drinking. – news@citizen.co.za
