When Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines in early November 2013, country donors and nonprofit organizations reacted by sending aid for relief efforts.
For their part, the NGO Water Wishes, in collaboration with No More Poverty, donated 10,000 water filters to the Visayan region of the Philippines, the region suffering the brunt of the storm’s effects. Along with water filters, Cebu and its outer regions also received 5,000 buckets and relief packages from Water Wishes.
As an organization, Water Wishes aims to provide clean water to countries lacking thereof using low cost filtration systems. Apart from the Philippines, Water Wishes has donated to Nicaragua, Kenya, Uganda and the Congo. Using filtration system ensures that bacteria will not seep into the water bucket via silver-laced material and the ceramic elements allow for easy cleaning.
Water Wishes worked alongside No More Poverty, run by brothers Julian and Michael Omidi, to help distribute water filtration systems that will hopefully provide a family with clean water for up to a year.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO,) one billion people do not have access to clean water. Waterborne diseases such as cholera, typhoid fever and hepatitis A are due to intestinal diseases from drinking bacteria-filled water. When Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines, pneumonia, upper respiratory infection and diarrhea were among the water-related illnesses that were reported.
The United Nations Millennium Declaration has surmised the importance of clean water and sanitation towards development and the alleviation poverty. Moreover, WHO has concluded that for every dollar invested towards clean water, a return of $3-$34 is possible, depending on the region.
Proper funding can reduce deaths caused by waterborne illnesses such as diarrhea by 10 percent, a majority of which are children under the age of 5. Regardless of the source, clean water is a dire necessity for those worldwide. Populations recently hit by storms and floods and those living without clean access to water are vulnerable to waterborne diseases.
Water Wishes aims to fight against these trends through its filtration system and relief efforts.
– Miles Abadilla
Sources: Manila Bulletin, No More Poverty, PR Web, Water Wishes, Water.org, World Health Organization
Photo: Saving Advice