News

Clear Streams Are Not Safe

by Brian Ashworth, posted in Bhutan, DAA Stories, Safe Water for Every Child, WASH

One of the questions we sometimes get asked about our Bhutan project is “There must be lots of clear mountain streams in Bhutan, so why do they need SkyHydrants?”

It’s true that the majority of schools do get their water from clear mountain streams but that doesnt mean there isn’t harmful bacteria!

The below official testing report provides the evidence of the need, from Lhuentse school following our installation on 3rd December.

CFU stands for  Colony-Forming Units, a measure of the number of viable bacteria cells in a sample.

Now the water supply to 468 students and staff of the schools has improved from being an ‘Intermediate to High Health Risk’ to being classified as ‘Safe’

If you would like to sponsor safe water for a school in Bhutan contact Disaster Aid Australia at: admin@disasteraidaustralia.org.au

Charity donations of $2 or more to Disaster Aid Australia are tax-deductible in Australia.

Unsafe Water, a Women’s Crisis

by Brian Ashworth, posted in Uncategorized

More than one in eight people  worldwide, that’s 785 million people lack access to safe water.

Usually the responsibility for looking after the health of a family falls on the women of the family. 

This can involve women in walking large distances to get the best quality water from a clear stream.

Even then the water, although looking clear, may still contain bacteria!

Alternativly a family may be spending up to 25 – 50% of their income on buying bottled water.

Our ‘Safe Water for Every Child‘ project with the provision of SkyHydrant installations besides protecting children also;

  • Improves the overall health of the whole community;
  • Reduces the pressure on women in Developing Countries;
  • Reduces poverty;
  • Reduces plastic waste.

All for a capital cost of $1 per person, per year,

This post and the photo was inspired by an article by Jennifer Schorsch, President of Water.org, originally published on Impakter here.

If you would like to help Disaster Aid Australia to Safe Water to help women in developing countries, click on the link below;

DONATE

Charity donations of $2 or more to Disaster Aid Australia are tax-deductible in Australia.

A Unique Celebration of Safe Water

by Brian Ashworth, posted in Bhutan, DAA Stories

The school principal at Dungtse Central School decided to celebrate a Disaster Aid Australia SkyHydrant at his school by building 6 of these impressive tap stands.

These structures, which are called Chortens, are a smaller version of the Stupas (religious hemispherical structures) which are common in this Buddhist country.

The school is located in the East of Bhutan at a place called Phongme in the Trashigang District.

This is just one of the 120 schools in the Butan 2020 project that will be protected under this ‘Safe Water for Every Child’ program.

If you would like to help Disaster Aid Australia make more school principals happy to have healthy pupils click on the link below;

DONATE

Charity donations of $2 or more to Disaster Aid Australia are tax-deductible in Australia.

Safe Water – More Than One ‘Area of Focus’

by Brian Ashworth, posted in DAA Stories, Safe Water for Every Child

Rotary International recently announced that they had added ‘Supporting the Environment‘ as a seventh ‘Area of Focus‘ for Rotary Action.

Although DAA’s Safe Water for Every Child obviously fits into the ‘Water and Sanitation‘ category it actually has an impact on every other areas of focus.

Here is how it makes a difference for each of the other six areas:

Supporting the Environment

Unlike many water treatment systems our SkyHydrants bring essential benefits to communities without increasing energy use.

DAA’s Safe Water for Every Child’s contribution to sustainability was recognised internationally by our success in the Energy Globe Awards in 2017

Disease Prevention and Treatment

Statistics from our recent project in India showed a reduction in illness of 88% for the over 8,000 children receiving water from the SkyHydrant.

The current COVID-19 pandemic has also highlighted the need for safe water in the treatment and prevention from virus transmission.

Economic and Community Development

In developing countries without safe drinking water people either have to lose days of work through illness; or pay a substantial portion of their income to buy bottled water.

We have found a SkyHydrant means communities have more money to spend on better food, and investing in ways to improve their community for all.

Maternal and Child Health

In the first few years of life immunity from disease is particularly low which makes any infection particularly dangerous.

Safe drinking water is a key reason for improved health of both mothers and children.

Basic Education

Teachers tell us that the changes following a SkyHydrant are:

  • Better school attendance;
  • Less teacher time taken attending to children who become ill during the school day;
  • Less time spent helping students to catch up after lost time through illness;
  • Less teacher absence through illness.

Peace and Conflict Resolution

Our aid in the Philippine island of Mindanao has included areas subject to civil unrest due to the feeling of rural people that they are forgotten.

Our partner in Mindanao, the Balay Mindanao Peace Foundation has found that the prospect of a safe water installation encourages the communities to look for peaceful solutions to their other problems.

You can help support all seven areas of Rotary focus by making a donation at the link below:

DONATE

Charity donations of $2 or more to Disaster Aid Australia are tax-deductible in Australia.