LifeStraw

Last night, after looking through some recent photos uploaded on the HHF Facebook page (a non profit organisation founded by a German guy called Rico) I had a minor "flap attack" suddenly I found myself second guessing and doubting my own ability to contribute.

But the more I looked at the photos, the more I realise these people are just like you and I, they are just everyday people wanting to make a difference.  Granted, some are nurses and doctors, but not all of them are.  There are art students, business graduates, teachers, tradespeople all just regular people with one common purpose, to help those that need it.

So in typical Jacq fashion I started hatching a plan, and as per normal it began to morph into something  bigger, this time much bigger....

Toothbrushes, pencils and the like are great, and very much appreciated I am sure.  But immediate results are like giving the toy from a McDonalds HappyMeal to a child, the pleasure is genuine but short lived.  And then there are some items that are just plain necessary such as condoms.. (That plan is coming along quite nicely too I might add.) But my ultimate goal is to provide aide that is not only significant but ongoing, and over the past few months I have been trying to think of a way to make this possible.  

Then last night whilst looking through the page of HHF founder I came across The LifeStraw.  From what I understand this amazing invention was developed using a unique filtering system that makes ANY water safe to drink, yup any water.. stagnant puddles, rivers, even muddy animal infested water.... ANY WATER becomes safe to drink

So I started doing some research, LifeStraw is available here in New Zealand for approximately thirty five dollars.  And with some simple math I worked out what $35:00 could buy.

On average I could buy 

7 flat whites, or

11 bottles of water, or if the urge took me

4 Big Mac Combos

What it couldn't buy me is at least one year of clean safe drinking water,  this equates to 1000 litres of life giving water, this alone equates to LIFE.  This simple device has no moving parts it requires no batteries or power source, it simply works through user sucking water across the filtration device inside the tube.  Simple as that... nothing more, nothing less.

Cast your memory back to my previous posts, the one about the children on the Gioto Garbage Slum? If you remember their only free source of water, is the water and condensation that gathers on the rotting waste of the dump, death by water borne diseases are common place there.  The LifeStraw could be the difference between life and death to these people.  

So what can you do? First of all you can contact me, and I'm going to look at purchasing as many LifeStraws as possible.  If half the people who read this blog purchase just one LifeStraw think of the number of lives that could be effected.  

I'm not asking you to give me the money for a LifeStraw (but if you do I promise that is what I will buy) 

My Proposal to YOU........What I am asking, is this...... how about between now and December, you sacrifice just 7 of those coffees?  How about you refill your water bottle from the tap for a couple of weeks (a luxury the children of Gioto will probably never experience) or just go without the 4 BigMac Combos.. that will help YOU and them.  Put the money saved aside and go buy a LifeStraw, give the LifeStraw to me, and I will take them to the Gioto Garbage Slum for you.....

Remember what started kickstarted this whole thing for me?          Bob Geldof's Do They Know it's Christmas

To the parents and grandparents that read this.... Remember the Christmas is only 12 Weeks away, buy the LifeStraw for your child/grandchild to give to one of the children of families on the Gioto Garbage Slum.  

Buy the LifeStraw, take a photo of your child holding the LifeStraw let them write a letter gifting the LifeStraw to that child.  

And YES, I think they will know it's Christmas....