In the past decade, more people around the world have died from waterborne illnesses than from all wars combined. The toll is greatest among children and families. Lack of access to clean water reduces community productivity, renders education efforts ineffective, and strains already inadequate health care resources. Facing constant sickness and threat, families cannot plan to improve their lives. They are disempowered. Friendly Water for the World works with communities around the world who have little in the way of access to resources, except for their own intelligence, resilience, pent-up initiative, labor, generosity, and caring. By sharing their knowledge and providing training in ensuring clean water, they help to end a culture of dependency, enabling people and communities to take charge of their lives. And in doing so, we take charge of our own. We look for technologies and approaches that are proven, affordable, utilize local materials and resources, are easily teachable, and can be replicated, so that what we do in one community together can be readily spread to others.
We teach people to fabricate, distribute, install, and maintain BioSand Water Filters. BioSand Filters are a low-cost, locally implemented technology that are proven to remove bacteria, viruses, protozoa, amoebae, worms, and heavy metals from the water supply. By teaching people to build and install BioSand Water Filters, combined with community sanitation and hygiene education, we can reduce and ultimately remove the threat of cholera, typhoid, bacterial dysentery, Rotavirus, hepatitis A, cryptosporidiosis, and other waterborne illnesses. Friendly Water is an Olympia, Washington-based nonprofit founded in 2010. They currently work in 12 countries, in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, as well as in North America. Outside of North America, most of their work is in poor, rural communities, often ignored by large charities, missions, aid organizations, or by their own governments. They work with everyone – of all races and religions – Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, animist, or none at all. CONTENT AND PICS © FRIENDLY WATER
4 Comments
Robin Spencer
6/14/2019 11:08:41 pm
Thank you for sharing about your experience. I am excited to follow along as you embark on this journey volunteering with your daughter in Africa!
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Cindy Mcbeth
6/15/2019 03:45:01 pm
Inspiring, impressive and so generous you are. Best wishes and enjoy.
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Laurie Ross
7/12/2019 11:07:04 am
I am so excited for you and your daughter to have this experience. Thank you for sharing your experiences. I look forward to following your blog--- as close as I will ever get to Africa. You are the best. Keeping you in my thoughts and prayers.
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Tammy Risner
7/15/2019 11:41:42 am
Thanks for sharing, this will be fun and no mosquitoes for us on this side of the journey.
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AuthorJennifer Williams MD, from Olympia, Washington is working and traveling in Africa. Archives
October 2019
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