Amazing Water Filter from Sawyer May Provide Health Benefits and Grow Business
Submitted by Kyle Douglass (not verified) on March 10, 2010 - 5:59pm
A ministry friend mentioned this new water filter (http://sawyerpointonefilters.com) to me the other day, saying it was revolutionary and could be a great option for our friends in Ddwaniro, Uganda, who drink mostly from rainwater collection ponds and have little to no access to filtered water. Besides offering a relatively inexpensive, inexhaustible filtering option, he said that Sawyer, the U.S. company producing them, was looking to use the filters to support business in undeveloped nations as part of their deployment strategy. I was excited today to see a demonstration of the product at the Partners World Wide (http://partnersworldwide.org) office in Grand Rapids, MI, and participate in some of the discussion surrounding the implementation of the filters.
Sawyer has adapted some of today's leading filter technology into a very simple, reusable system. The filters use Hollow Fiber Membranes with a 0.1 micron absolute pore size, which prevents any bacteria, protozoa, or cysts like E.Coli, Cholera and Typhoid from passing through. The filter attains the highest level of filtration available today at 7 log (99.99999%) and yet, due to the high tube count design, maintains very high flow rates. Other filters are available, even one that sterilizes water via 0.02 micron absolute pore size and is being used in certain countries for surgical applications.
Besides the filter, the system is very simple to set up and operate, using only two buckets (or any available containers), a hole cutter, series of plastic hoses and connections, and a syringe for backwashing the filter as needed. The 0.1 filter can yield up to 1,000 liters a day, and the 0.2 filter can yield 500! The system can handle up to 40 psi, which is more than city water in many areas. When the flow diminishes, simply backwash the system with the syringe and you're back in action.
The filters are being utilized by numerous NGO's, government programs and regular consumers, but Sawyer is hoping to get a filter in every home that needs to filter its own clean water. The filter currently sells for around $40 USD, and Sawyer is working with Partners World Wide of Grand Rapids, MI, to setup in-country assembly and distribution businesses in order to promote local economies. The filter provides many entrepreneurial opportunities (like water boys who go door-to-door to filter water) once it's in the hands of locals and may even be utilized in larger production settings.
OJM is planning on purchasing some filters for the Glory of Christ Primary School in Ddwaniro as a test run of their usability and the community's incorporation of the technology. We may also be working with Partners World Wide to assist with the assembly and distribution business in Uganda. We are excited to explore the opportunities this new filter provides for our Remote Care Partners.
A ministry friend mentioned this new water filter (http://sawyerpointonefilters.com) to me the other day, saying it was revolutionary and could be a great option for our friends in Ddwaniro, Uganda, who drink mostly from rainwater collection ponds and have little to no access to filtered water. Besides offering a relatively inexpensive, inexhaustible filtering option, he said that Sawyer, the U.S. company producing them, was looking to use the filters to support business in undeveloped nations as part of their deployment strategy. I was excited today to see a demonstration of the product at the Partners World Wide (http://partnersworldwide.org) office in Grand Rapids, MI, and participate in some of the discussion surrounding the implementation of the filters.
Sawyer has adapted some of today's leading filter technology into a very simple, reusable system. The filters use Hollow Fiber Membranes with a 0.1 micron absolute pore size, which prevents any bacteria, protozoa, or cysts like E.Coli, Cholera and Typhoid from passing through. The filter attains the highest level of filtration available today at 7 log (99.99999%) and yet, due to the high tube count design, maintains very high flow rates. Other filters are available, even one that sterilizes water via 0.02 micron absolute pore size and is being used in certain countries for surgical applications.
Besides the filter, the system is very simple to set up and operate, using only two buckets (or any available containers), a hole cutter, series of plastic hoses and connections, and a syringe for backwashing the filter as needed. The 0.1 filter can yield up to 1,000 liters a day, and the 0.2 filter can yield 500! The system can handle up to 40 psi, which is more than city water in many areas. When the flow diminishes, simply backwash the system with the syringe and you're back in action.
The filters are being utilized by numerous NGO's, government programs and regular consumers, but Sawyer is hoping to get a filter in every home that needs to filter its own clean water. The filter currently sells for around $40 USD, and Sawyer is working with Partners World Wide of Grand Rapids, MI, to setup in-country assembly and distribution businesses in order to promote local economies. The filter provides many entrepreneurial opportunities (like water boys who go door-to-door to filter water) once it's in the hands of locals and may even be utilized in larger production settings.
OJM is planning on purchasing some filters for the Glory of Christ Primary School in Ddwaniro as a test run of their usability and the community's incorporation of the technology. We may also be working with Partners World Wide to assist with the assembly and distribution business in Uganda. We are excited to explore the opportunities this new filter provides for our Remote Care Partners. Tags: