World Water Day - March 22, 2011

A young orphan gets a glass of water from their Biosand Water Filter in Wongonyi Village, Kenya.

When we are thirsty and want a drink, we simply go to the tap, turn it on a fill our glass with cool clean, safe water. Need clean clothes - throw them in a washer and hit the button. Water fills the machine to clean our clothes. Have a dirty body - turn on the tap and enjoy a long, hot shower ar a relaxing bath, all which take lots and lots of water.

But in most of the developing world, clean safe water is a rare commodity, a luxury that most cannot afford or even find. Often women must walk for miles to fetch water which they then have to carry home balanced on their heads, causing pain from neck compression. Young children must take time away from school if their chore is to fetch the water. And more often than not the water comes from dirty streams, ponds or other unsanitary sources which then leads to disease and illnes taking precious time away from school or work.

Today is World Water Day, a time when all of us should consider those who do not have access to this basic human right and how wasteful we who do have plenty of water are. We in the West forget were our water comes from, that it is a fragile resource that someday might not be as accessible as it now is.

In Wongonyi Village, Kenya we are working to address the issue of clean safe water through our Biosand Water Filter project. Through a grant from Bracebridge United Church we were able to purchase a steel mold for manufacturing these home water filters. Many families in the village have been able to purchase the filters for a nominal fee. Most recently, a donation from the local unit of Eastern Star allowed us to start manufacturing and distributing water filters to orphans who cannot afford to purchase the units. Already villagers are telling us the health benefits they have received through reduced days of sickness from waterborne illnesses. Isaiah Mwandami, an orphan himself looking after two orphan siblings, is our Biosand Water Filter project manager visiting homes and schools in the area telling them about the Biosand Filters and educating people about proper sanitation procedures.

Although today is the official World Water Day, we urge you to consider how fortunate you are to have access to unlimited clean safe water and to encourage you to conserve waterevery day in your daily activities. Turn the tap off when you brush your teeth, take a 3 minute shower instead of a bath, run the dishwasher or clothes washer only when they are full and flush the toilet only when necessary (if it's yellow let it mellow, if it's brown flush it down) - they may seem like simple things to do but they can all add up to saving our water supply. Remember that water really is a precious commodity.

3 Tips for Safe Travel

"Young Zedi enjoys a glass of water from his new Biosand Water Filter which provides clean, safe drinking water in Wongonyi VIllage, Kenya"

Recently we connected with a group from Olympia, Washington "Water for the World" who are all about building and installing Biosand Water Filters in the developing world. These water filters will provide safe, clean drinking water to those whose only option now is to drink dirty or unsafe water which leads to illness, disease and time away from work and school.

We watched their video in which one of their members had three tips for safe travel in developing countries.


1. DON'T GET HIT - that means watch yourself when travelling by foot or vehicle. In much of the developing world, safety regulations are not as stringent as they are here at home. Matatus and buses are usually overloaded with people and items being transported. Roads are not as well kept as at home which can lead to lots of accidents. If you don't feel safe using public transport because of overloaded conditions, consider hiring your own car and driver.


2. DON'T GET BIT - that means take precautions for malaria and other diseases that are spread by bites from insects. As well as taking malaria pills ( and make sure your doctor prescribes the correct malaria medication for the area you are travelling in as there are different strains of malaria) make sure you use a malaria bednet. These are easily obtained in major cities in shopping centres. We always purchase malaria nets when we get to Nairobi and use them in the village during our stay and leave them to be used by orphans and others who might not be able to afford them.


3. DON'T EAT SHIT - that means, don't drink the local water or eat fresh vegetables that might have been washed in local water. We always eat food that has been cooked. You don't want to spoil you volunteer vacation or your time helping out in a much needed program in a rural village in a developing country because you have a stomach ailment. As well if you are in a remote area, medical help may not be close at hand. We always take our own medical kit each time we go to Kenya with diarrhea medication, gastrolyte and other stomach remedies and again we leave our medical kit behind as our village of Wongonyi, Kenya must use a District Hospital located several kilometres away.


Travelling and working in a developing country is a very rewarding experience and one that can change your life. But the key to staying safe and healthy is using common sense and these three tips.

March 22 - World Water Day

Zach, Eddie, Isaiah, Grandma and Chris show off Biosand Water Filters ready for distribution in Wongonyi Village.

Well, I know I am a couple of days late in celebrating World Water Day but we have just returned from a successful trip to Wongonyi Village in Kenya. Here in the developed world we are blessed to have water ready at our fingertips whenever we need it for drinking, bathing, watering our gardens. We simply go to the tap, turn it on and presto, water at our fingertips. And because of its easy access and availability we are wont to waste this precious natural resource.

Yet in the developing world access to water is not so easy. People often have to walk several kilometres each day to fetch water, carrying the heavy jugs home on their heads, compressing their spines or in wheelbarrows making for aching arms. And the water is not always clean or safe - sometimes it is muddy water from water hole that is also shared with wild animals.

World Water Day is a day of awareness of this important natural resource and the many people worldwide who go without safe, clean drinking water leading to intestinal illness and diseases that keep children from school and adults from their jobs. In Wongonyi Village, The Ronnie Fund is addressing the issue of safe drinking water by providing Biosand Water Filters in homes. These concrete filters are filled with sand and gravel replicating the earth's natural water filtering process. After two weeks from installation, the filtered water is ready to be safely drunk. We were able to see the difference that safe drinking water is having on the residents of Wongonyi. It's amazing how a simple tool like a Biosand Water Filter can have such positive impact on peoples lives.

The End of Poverty - A New Era

This banana nursery is providing jobs and nutritional food in an effort to end poverty in Wongonyi village.

Recently I've been reading a variety of books on poverty eradication. The scary part is that many of the books tell us that without serious intervention, poverty will continue to increase in the coming years on a grander scale in many of the world's developing countries. Through our work in Wongonyi Village, Kenya I have seen poverty first hand and viewed extreme poverty that exists in Kibera slum in Nairobi where everyday is a struggle to survive.

But there are those of us working in the developing world who are helping to equalize life around the globe, eager to ensure that everyone has the basic necessities of life. Jeffrey Sachs, an economist who wrote "The End of Poverty, Economic Possibilities of our Time", advocates for the Big Five development interventions that would be instrumental in decreasing poverty:

1) Agricultural inputs - water harvesting and small-scale irrigation, improved high yield seeds, use of green manures and cover crops, composting

2) Investments in Basic Health - village clinics, trained doctors and nurses, treatments of HIV/AIDS, anit-malarial medicines, skilled birth attendants

3) Investments in Education - school meal programs, improved teacher training and resources, expanded vocational training for high school students, access to technology

4) Power, transport and communications services - solar and wind power, village transport for getting produce and products to markets, modern cooking fuels and stoves, improved cell phones

5) Safe drinking water and sanitation - more water points for acces to water, rainwater harvesting, biosand water filters for safe drinking water, proper latrine facilities

In Wongonyi village, we are already addressing each of these issues by invitation and in consultation with the residents of this community. The villagers know what it is they require to move ahead but they lack the resources, tools and education to actually make the move. Through programs like The Ronnie Fund's Biosand Water Filter project we are already distributing home water filters that provide safe drinking water improving health of families. A new double seater western-style pit latrine at Wongonyi Primary School means better sanitation and allows special needs children to come to school. Our Money Maker Irrigation Pumps mean farmers are increasing their crop production because they can water greater field areas and as a result are making money by selling their surplus produce.

Poverty can be eradicated if we are sensitive to the needs of the communities in which we are working. I'm not saying that it is without difficulties as some people resist change out of fear of the unknown, even if it will benefit them with improve health and financial gain. But with careful education and by showing and explaining the benefits, people will eventually embrace change for the better. Those of us who live in the industrialized world really don't know what it means to struggle to survive every day, to have to beg for money to feed our children but that is the reality of life for millions of people around our globe. Here our biggest concern is whether to get a new car or a bigger flat-screen TV to keep up with our neighbour.

As Jeffrey Sachs says. "Eliminating poverty at the global scale is a global responsibility that will have global benefits. No single country can do it on its own. The hardest part is for us to think globally, but that is what global society in the twenty-first century requires." Poverty eradication is up to each and every one of us.