I know this is Wordless Wednesday, but I was reading this New York Times article and had to share. I think this photo and this invention is amazing and I was truly touched at the advancements made in technology to help others.
This is a photo of a woman in Africa using the LifeStraw. A water purifier that makes dirty water clean. According to the New York Times article, LifeStraw, produced by the Swiss company Vestergaard Frandsen, was designed for the poorest of the poor. The personal version works like a chunky drinking straw and can filter about 1,000 liters, enough to keep a person hydrated for a year. The family version — which looks something like an IV drip that ends in a water cannon — can purify 18,000 liters, serving a typical family for about three years.
Until now these filters have mainly been given away through aid groups aftersuch disasters like the Haitian earthquake and in chronically poor countries like Mozambique and Myanmar. Nearly a million of the family-size LifeStraw have been donated in Kenya alone this year. In exchange, the company will receive carbon credits for reduced emissions from wood-burning fires often used to boil water.
Now this photo can still be used as a writing prompt. When I first saw it I was inspired to write and began writing a short story. I instantly thought this has got to be life changing for her and her family. What did this do for her community or village? Just so many questions.
What are your thoughts?
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