With a $25 donation to Friends of Moma Hospital you can help provide a family of five in Moma safe clean drinking water for 3 years. Each $25 donated will go toward the purchase of a Lifestraw Family water purifying system that can turn almost 5,000 gallons of contaminated water into clean water that is 99.9%-free of bacteria and parasites, and 99%-free of viruses.
Giving is simple. You can now donate through Paypal. Be sure to type in Friends of Moma Hospital where it asks for “special instructions about your gift.” You can also make donations by check or credit card as well.
Our goal is to provide 60 Lifestraws for use at Moma Hospital, which does not have clean running water, and a Lifestraw to each family that visits Moma Hospital for medical care.
Why is this campaign so important?
Waterborne diseases are the second largest (after malaria) cause of death in the Congo of children under 5. The most lethal of these diseases are dysentery, cholera, typhoid, hepatitis A, salmonellosis, shigellosis, and schistosomiasis. Diarrhea alone kills more than 60,000 Congolese children under the age of 5 every year. The risk is even greater for children with HIV/AIDS and malaria, who lose vital nutrients during bouts of diarrhea due to their weakened immune systems.
Lifestraw, developed by the Swiss company Vestergaard Frandsen Ltd., uses advanced hollow fiber technology to remove more than 99% of waterborne bacteria, parasites and viruses from contaminated water. The Lifestraw Family filter can be used for drinking water, hand washing, brushing teeth, cleaning fruits and vegetables, and washing utensils, pots, and pans.
Neither Moma nor surrounding villages have water wells or pumps; instead, women and children carry buckets or jerry cans from contaminated streams back to their homes. The water is contaminated by bacteria and parasites from human and animal waste, as well as by viruses and chemical poisoning.
With Lifestraw Family, contaminated water is poured into the self-contained filtration system and comes out as clean and safe drinking water. It has no moving parts; requires no electricity, batteries or replacement parts; uses no chemicals such as chlorine; and is easy to use. The Lifestraw itself is made from BPA-free plastic.
We want to see Lifestraw Family water purifiers hanging in every hut in the Moma Hospital service region!
