As part of my continuing support to the Great Generation, this year I will be working with other volunteers on a project revolving around water hygiene and education in remote communities in Uganda, Africa. I will be fundraising for LifeStraw® to support Ntinkalu, a small community which is facing poor living conditions and particularly a lack of clean water.
LifeStraw® is a high-volume water purifying device used in homes without access to clean water from municipal sources. It filters and removes 99.99% of bacteria, viruses, protozon parasites and pollution from water, thereby making it safe to drink and helping prevent deadly waterborne diseases for families in developing countries. It is also effective in emergency situations following natural disasters where clean water can be scarce. To see how the LifeStraw® works and find further information go to http://vestergaard.com/lifestraw-family-1-0 or see here http://youtu.be/P5_LhuEd4BM
The aim of this project is to fundraise for 100 LifeStraw® 1.0. Each LifeStraw® costs £30, provides a family of five with clean water for two to three years.
Two years ago, LifeStraw® units were distributed in Ntinkalu and will soon be due for replacement. The grandmothers who received their LifeStraw® units in 2012 are still extremely grateful for and proud of them. I visited the community last year and became very connected with the families there due to their warm and generous spirit. They explained the problems they were facing with water, with the nearest river being too far for the older residents and the added danger of crocodile attacks on the children sent to collect water on their behalf. They talked me through the process of using their LifeStraw®, and told me that they not suffered any diarrhoea or diseases since they started using the units in their home.
In addition to supplying these purifying units to residents, I am also fundraising to replace a broken water tank at the local school, thereby enabling the safe provision of water for pupils in class.
The fundraising will go towards the community in two ways: one part helps to buy Lifestraws for the community and the second part is to repair the water tank at the primary School. However, without donations I won’t be able to make this happen! so any donations will be much appreciated. To donate please go here: https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/emilycentenodeabols
As a final point, I would like to share this amazing quote from A. Einstein: “Only a life lived for others is a life worth while.”
Thank you all for your support!
Ems