International (MNN) — Most of us cannot imagine what it would be like to be without clean water. It’s all around us — in drinking fountains, bottles, faucets and even showers. For the four million people who do not have easy access to purified water, however, solutions are on the way.
International Aid has created a HydrAidTM BioSand Water Filter that is portable (made of plastic and just over two feet tall) and can provide up to 75 gallons of clean water per day. These filters have been installed to homes in Nepal, China, India, Dominican Republic, Nigeria, Haiti and Uganda so far. International Aid hopes to install at least 300,000 filters across the globe.
The HydrAidTM filters are not complicated. They are made with plastic, sand, gravel and a biological layer of microorganisms to help purify water. The installation is fairly simple, but it cannot be done without training. Naturally, International Aid is training personnel in filter installation.
These workers are not skilled engineers but everyday people. Churches and organizations who have a passion to provide clean water for people who need it can contact International Aid and attend HydrAidTM training sessions. These volunteers are taught the history of HydrAidTM, how the filter works and how to put one together. These teams can then go out and not only provide clean water for families but hopefully the love of Jesus Christ as well.
“When people actually put their hands on the filter and see how easy it is and how simple it is to set up, they become really excited about the potential to get this into the hands of the people who need it most,” says Kurt Reppart of International Aid.
Once training is completed, trainees can use their knowledge either to install filters, or teach others the process. Most of these groups have already raised money to buy the filters and are training in order to personally distribute them.
“A lot of these folks come to the training and will actually use it to train people local people in Nepal or Haiti or Uganda. They’ll train people there with the training they’ve received, and then those folks will go out and install them,” says Reppart. Either way, the system is efficient.
Of course, this training is worth nothing if the HydrAidTM filters don’t work. But according to one Honduran beneficiary, the filters have changed the atmosphere of their town. Floricelda explained that after International Aid provided filters, the children were free from their diarrhea and no longer left school because of stomach problems. The clean water has aided in preventing a myriad of diseases. (To watch a video of Floricelda’s story, visit www.internationalaid.org)
HydrAidTM filters can continue to change the course of lives with your support. $50 is all it takes to provide and install a filter for a family. If you would like to be trained with HydrAidTM filters, two training sessions are coming up on November 14 and December 12. To learn more, visit www.hydraid.org.
