The BioAusable team will design and construct small pre-filters to be used in conjunction with a biosand filter to provide clean, potable water ( up to 20 gallons a day) to individual households in developing countries. The pre-filters will protect the main bio-sand filter from silt build-up and will provide the first stage for pathogen removal. They will employ flood-drain technology to increase still water contact time with the sand. The pre-filters will be constructed from locally available recycled materials and will be little or no cost. Assembly of the Bio sand filter and pre-filters will take no more than one day to accomplish. (updated 4/1/12)
WHO WE ARE SUPPORTING
We are supporting Mercy In Action, whose vision is “ensure that all women have access to a skilled birth attendant at the time of birth, by removing the pay-barriers and by providing free, caring, skilled help at the time of birth.”
Mercy in Action has been establishing and funding free birth centers for poor families in the Philippines since 1991, and to date more than 12,000 babies have been delivered free of charge for the poorest of the poor. Mercy In Action's Birth Centers around the Philippines have exceptionally good statistical outcomes. The target populations in Olongapo are the tribal women and women living within the local garbage dump.
In the bigger picture, they address the UN Millennium Development Goals 4 & 5 (reducing child deaths and reducing maternal deaths) by providing free maternity services for women who would otherwise deliver unattended, and by implementing evidence-based practices to reduce poor outcomes.
The living conditions of the area they work in are very poor. The drinking water for many villages comes from unclean water sources that are a constant cause of disease. We are working in an area with access to a river, although the water is not potable.
By partnering with Mercy in Action, BioAusable will be able to teach the mothers and fathers how to construct and use the bio-filters. The devices have been designed to be constructed with simple materials and tools. The operation of the system is designed to be easy, such that even a young child could operate it. The mothers would return to their homes with a new baby, a bio-sand filter system and the knowledge to clean the family’s drinking water. The women would then be encouraged to share the “technology” with their neighbors, increasing the availability of clean drinking water for others.(reviewed)
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