About this project

The Background
In the months leading up to the summer of 2009, my friend Becka began looking for a somewhere to complete an internship for college. She found an opportunity to live at the Ryvanz-Mia Orphanage in Kpando, Ghana for four months. At the beginning of the summer, she set off alone for the adventure of a lifetime.

While in Kpando, she did many things. She became a computer teacher at a local public school and an integral part of every day life at the orphanage. From making breakfast before the sun came up to helping prepare a budget for the orphanage, Becka did it all.

When Becka returned to the U.S., she immediately began recruiting more of her friends to go back with her the next year. This May, seven of her friends, including me, are going back the orphanage with her for six months.

The Problem
While Becka was in Ghana, she saw the real need for easier access to clean and safe drinking water. While the orphanage has a small scale, semi-reliable purification system, the schools that the kids attend do not. Many times the children will drink contaminated water at school and end up sick at home. At the very least, this results in missed days of school.

One third of rural populations in Ghana lack access to safe drinking water, and only 11% have access to adequate sanitation. The guinea worm, a parasitic infection mostly attributable to unclean drinking water, plagues the country. In 2004, Ghana reported more cases of Guinea worm than any other country. Between 2000 and 2003, 17% of deaths of children under 5 were caused by diarrheal diseases, usually caused by dirty water.

The Plan

After researching many different types of water purification systems, our team came across the Hydraid BioSand Water Filter. This small, eight pound device uses good bacteria, sand, and gravel to removes parasites, bacteria, and viruses from contaminated water making it safe to drink. The filter requires no electricity and lasts over 10 years. Click on this picture to learn more about Hydraid.



Two of our team members will also undergo Health and Hygiene Training from Living Water International. At this training we will learn how how to teach the importance of hand washing, keeping water containers clean, and how to partner with the community in identifying and solving other sanitation and health issues. By combining technology with education, we have the opportunity to make a big impact in this community.

With the money raised from this Kickstarter, we will be able to purchase at least 15 Hydraid Biosand Filters to be distributed to the orphanage, local schools, and local families. The money will also help us transport the filters from a warehouse in the capital to Kpando, pay for Health and Hygiene Training for two members, and cover partial travel costs for our team. Any money raised over 100% will be used to purchase additional Hydraid filters for distribution.

To learn more about our trip and other projects we will a part of, visit our website here.



YOUME Shirt Reward
YOUME clothing is a collaborative recycling project with a desire to take what is old and make it new, locally and internationally.

YOUME does this through international clothing exchanges; new clothes are provided to those in need, in exchange for giving YOUME Clothing one of their oldest articles of clothing.

A swatch of previously warn clothe is then stitched into each new article of clothing. The finished product is sold, and distributed and the resources made from those sales are put right back into the communities from which they originated. To learn more about YOUME and see more pictures, click here.



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