Aqua4Life and LifeStraw launch 67 Minutes for Mandela drive

With the purchase of any LifeStraw water filter - home unit, Go bottle or personal straw - via aqua4life.net, a LifeStraw water filter will be donated to a family in the Kgautswane Community in Sekhukhune, Limpopo Province.

Aqua4Life's goal through the 67 Minutes for Mandela Day drive is to create a platform for fellow South Africans to get on board and assist in implementing the dissemination of 6,700 LifeStraw units on Mandela Day. With the help of the public, the project's motivation will be to get as much coverage per family furthest away from water sources as possible, thereafter delivering LifeStraw clean water solutions to households closer to the water sources. This will see a reduction in waterborne diseases and improve the standard of health education and productivity in the community.

Furthermore, upon the purchase of each LifeStraw unit purchased, Vestergaard - LifeStraw's holding company in Switzerland - also ensures a child in Southern Africa receives clean drinking water for a period of one year through their Follow-The-Litres campaign.

LifeStraw water filters convert contaminated water into clean, safe drinking water. The easy-to-use filters are a vital tool for some of the 780-million people who don't have ready access to safe drinking water. This leaves them at risk for diarrheal disease, which takes the lives of more than 1.5-million people every year. Safe drinking water is especially important for vulnerable groups, such as children under five years of age, pregnant women and people living with HIV. LifeStraw water filters also prevent Cryptosporidiosis, a major cause of Diarrheal illness in especially these vulnerable groups. LifeStraw water filters comply with the US Environmental Protection (EPA) 1987 Guide Standard and Protocol for Testing Microbiological Water Purifiers. Each product in the LifeStraw portfolio is designed for a specific situation where safe water is needed but not readily available.

Sekhukhune, Limpopo, South Africa is situated 73 km from Lydenburg, and is home to approximately 1,500 families comprising an estimated 12,000 people (5,000 adults, 5,500 children under ten years and 1,500 children between ten and 18 years of age). Most children over the age of ten years are generally sent away to boarding schools, leaving the younger siblings to carry out chores. This, combined with the prevalence of Tuberculosis, Diarrhoea, HIV and malnutrition, they miss most if not all schooling. These children, specifically the females, also have the burden of having to walk up to eight or nine kilometres each day to fetch water from the nearest water supply.

The buckets of contaminated water collected are used for drinking, bathing, washing dishes and other general household requirements. Furthermore, living amongst domestic animals and often livestock, with no containment of water available, and generally no clean water for consumption, the water collected is shared with their animals. With no better resources and a lack of understanding regarding, sanitation and hygiene, by virtue of default, is not a main priority.

The South African community at large is encouraged to participate in this call for help to assist those in need and together work towards a better, cleaner and brighter future for our country.

To purchase your LifeStraw product and automatically donate a LifeStraw Go bottle to one of the Kgautswane community members or children, go to www.aqua4life.net, check out the LifeStraw Facebook page for more info or connect on Twitter.