Aquabox
The problem - Contaminated drinking water
Water is frequently contaminated and unfit to drink in a disaster area.
A lack of sanitation creates an ideal breeding-ground for water-borne
disease. Cholera and typhoid are the most virulent of these but they are
not the whole story. Often the problem can be a simple infection causing
diarrhoea and leading to dehydration, particularly in the very young.
Water-Aid, a charity committed to the provision of long-term water supplies,
estimates that 25,000 children die every day from the effects of drinking
polluted water.
Rotary solution - Aquabox
A
basic Aquabox contains a filter cartridge and a matching supply of water-treatment
tablets. It enables 1100 litres (5,000 cups) of contaminated water to
be purified for drinking, enough for a family of four people, drinking
10 cups per day, for about four months. The box also provides items useful
in a disaster area. An Aquabox is shipped with a selection of warm clothing,
useful hardware and hygiene items. The actual contents depend on the individual
or organisation that has donated and filled the box but may include warm
clothing, kitchen utensils, toiletries, small hand tools and other general
hardware. There is a second model of Aquabox called Aquabox 30. This box
is filled solely with 30 filter cartridges, enough to provide 33,000 litre
of safe drinking water.
(www.aquabox.org)
| Our contributions | |
| May 2008 | Two Aquaboxes filled by Club Members and despatched. Final destination Myanamar (Burma). |
| March 2008 | One Aquabox filled by Club Members and despatched. Final destination Palestinian Refugee camp in N Lebanon. |
| November 2007 | One Aquabox filled by Club Members and despatched. Final destination Bangladesh. |
| September 2007 | One Aquabox filled by Club Members and despatched. Final destination Uganda/Kenya. |
| March 2007 | One Aquabox filled by Club Members and despatched. Final destination Zimbabwe. |
| December 2006 | One Aquabox filled by Club Members and despatched. Final destination South Manila-Phillipines. |
| September 2006 | One Aquabox filled partly by Kirkby Stephen Grammar School balance by Club Members. Final destination Honduras |
| January 2006 | Two Aquaboxes purchased. One will be filled by year 7 students at Kirkby Stephen Grammar school. The second will be filled by Club members. Final destination not yet known. |
| December 2005 | One Aquabox filled by Club Members . Final destination - Kashmir. |
| October 2005 | One Aquabox filled by Club Members and one Shelter Box purchased both to the survivors of the Earthquake. |
| September 2005 | One Aquabox filled with goods & equipment donated by Club Members. Final destination - Indonesia. |
| March 2005 | Two 'Friends of Upper Eden Rotary Club' raised £572 during a sponsored walk of Hadrian's Wall. This money was donated to the Aquabox scheme. |
| January 2005 | Donations to the club of £400, following the Tsunami appeal, were forwarded to Aquabox. |
| December 2004 | Y11 pupils at Kirkby Stephen Grammar School again filled 2 Aquaboxes. These were dispatched in support of the Asian Tsunami appeal. |
| May 2004 | Club members filled and despatched an Aquabox. |
| December 2003 | Following a presentation to Y11 pupils at Kirkby Stephen Grammar School they filled 2 Aquaboxes as part of the Citizenship Voluntary Sector Project. |
Wirksworth Rotary Club
Aquabox is an official project of RIBI and RI District 1220, managed by
its initiators, the Rotary Club of Wirksworth in Derbyshire. Aquabox is
now established as a Charitable Company. Under the provisions of this
charitable status donations are sought in return for the box rather than
a purchase transaction. The scheme is operated entirely by unpaid volunteers.
With the exception of warehousing, promotional and communications costs
and annual professional charges, it has no overheads.