International (MNN) – Each year,
more than 10 million people die from
diseases related to unsafe drinking water.
In more developed areas, diseases like
cholera, typhoid, and dysentery have nearly been eliminated because of health
awareness and advanced water and sewage treatment practices.
But in South Africa, Central America,
and rural areas in the Caribbean, disease-carrying organisms in the water are
still killing millions. International
Aid worked to find a solution in an eight-pound wonder called the "Hydraid
BioSand Water Filter."
Because it's made of plastic, it's
easily portable. It's less expensive than other models, and it's durable. Once in place, the filter can provide 75
gallons of potable water per day for up to ten people.
It's a project that makes people want
to help. That's why International Aid is
launching the "Clear Cause Campaign"–a project which pairs fundraising (the local sale of cases of bottled water) with a safe water cause and ministry
potential.
Take, for example, a church in
Indiana that has been working in India for eight years. International Aid's Kurt Reppart says they've identified
clean water as an issue. "They want
to provide 150 filters in two of those communities. They're going to take this
water ,and they're going to sell 150 cases. And by doing that, they'll support
the filters that they want to install in that village."
Each $45 case represents one
BioSand water filter. International Aid also shares the profits. Let's go back to the team from Indiana. The team also wants to be on-hand to install
the filters in these seven villages with whom they've built relationship.
They can use the profits they
earned from the "Clear Cause Campaign" to help pay for the trip, explains Reppart. "Once they've sold the
water, the profits shared with the Hydraid project will help the team go on the
mission trip to India. They'll
come to our site here, and their team will be trained by our experts so that
they can install them properly. Then they'll meet the container in India and
use it as a tool for reaching out to the community and for reaching out in
evangelism."
The ministry team believes that
Christians must respond actively to the Biblical commands requiring followers
of Christ to offer "the least of these" a cup of water and with it,
the message of hope. "The benefit is clear," says Reppart. "By enjoying the water
that you purchase, you're also providing it for someone else. It's a perfect way to love your neighbor as
yourself."
