Comments on: FUND THIS PRODUCT: Lifestraw Family water filters for Mumbai http://projecthdesign.com/2008/04/15/fund-this-product-lifestraw-family-water-filters-for-mumbai/ Product design initiatives for Humanity, Habitats, and Health Sat, 05 Jul 2008 10:46:33 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.1 By: Barak Bruerd http://projecthdesign.com/2008/04/15/fund-this-product-lifestraw-family-water-filters-for-mumbai/#comment-526 Barak Bruerd Thu, 19 Jun 2008 22:06:14 +0000 http://projecthdesign.com/2008/04/15/fund-this-product-lifestraw-family-water-filters-for-mumbai/#comment-526 I love that Project H is promoting poverty alleviation around the globe! What an awesome mission. I'm a water techie who has have been working directly in humanitarian aid and international development for various non-profits in sub-Sahara Africa in the water sector for many years now and seen some great projects. I've also seen some not so-great project. In regards to the Lifestraw and what you're promoting I’d love to offer two thoughts. The first is that Lifestraw is an amazing piece of technology that has saved thousands of lives and hats off to Vestergaard Frandsen for the design. It’s has amazing applications in emergency relief settings where the ability to instantly reach tens of thousands of individuals is critical for survival. The one organization I worked for purchased containers of these for tsunami relief along with millions of P&G’s PUR Sachets which are another great water purification technology for emergency relief situations. The second thought is that people often confuse relief work with development work. Development requires sustainable solutions that can be implemented at the local level. With a one/two-year lifespan on a lifestraw filter, who is going to export these and pass them out to millions of impoverished people year after year? Poverty is about building hope and self confidence and changing perceptions of ones-self, and whole-sale charity creates a hand-out mentality and exacerbates dependency (similar to the welfare trap in the USA). In a development setting, technology should empower communities towards self-reliance, not dependence. Technologies like the BioSand Filter can be built right in a community and passed on down to grandchildren. That’s sustainability, and that empowers local people with the ability to take charge of their own futures. On the flip side, the Biosand Filter weighs 300lbs and is made from concrete… it’s not applicable to emergency relief. The lifestraw is amazing for what it accomplishes in that context. Each has their place but it requires knowledge of the context and understanding of the long-term consequences to determine the right technology for the right circumstances. You guys have great hearts and a great vision and I love you're working towards solving poverty. Not knowing how the Lifestraw is being used in the context you're funding I wanted to throw in my two cents, Because HOW you help people is just as important as WHAT you use help people with. If it were just about technology we would have solved poverty a long time ago. Peace ~Barak I love that Project H is promoting poverty alleviation around the globe! What an awesome mission. I’m a water techie who has have been working directly in humanitarian aid and international development for various non-profits in sub-Sahara Africa in the water sector for many years now and seen some great projects. I’ve also seen some not so-great project. In regards to the Lifestraw and what you’re promoting I’d love to offer two thoughts.

The first is that Lifestraw is an amazing piece of technology that has saved thousands of lives and hats off to Vestergaard Frandsen for the design. It’s has amazing applications in emergency relief settings where the ability to instantly reach tens of thousands of individuals is critical for survival. The one organization I worked for purchased containers of these for tsunami relief along with millions of P&G’s PUR Sachets which are another great water purification technology for emergency relief situations.

The second thought is that people often confuse relief work with development work. Development requires sustainable solutions that can be implemented at the local level. With a one/two-year lifespan on a lifestraw filter, who is going to export these and pass them out to millions of impoverished people year after year? Poverty is about building hope and self confidence and changing perceptions of ones-self, and whole-sale charity creates a hand-out mentality and exacerbates dependency (similar to the welfare trap in the USA). In a development setting, technology should empower communities towards self-reliance, not dependence. Technologies like the BioSand Filter can be built right in a community and passed on down to grandchildren. That’s sustainability, and that empowers local people with the ability to take charge of their own futures.

On the flip side, the Biosand Filter weighs 300lbs and is made from concrete… it’s not applicable to emergency relief. The lifestraw is amazing for what it accomplishes in that context. Each has their place but it requires knowledge of the context and understanding of the long-term consequences to determine the right technology for the right circumstances.

You guys have great hearts and a great vision and I love you’re working towards solving poverty. Not knowing how the Lifestraw is being used in the context you’re funding I wanted to throw in my two cents, Because HOW you help people is just as important as WHAT you use help people with. If it were just about technology we would have solved poverty a long time ago.

Peace
~Barak

]]> By: Tim Mulville http://projecthdesign.com/2008/04/15/fund-this-product-lifestraw-family-water-filters-for-mumbai/#comment-241 Tim Mulville Sun, 27 Apr 2008 13:37:23 +0000 http://projecthdesign.com/2008/04/15/fund-this-product-lifestraw-family-water-filters-for-mumbai/#comment-241 Please provide US office contact information. What is the cost to operate and maintain the family life starw unit over it's life??? Thnak you tim Please provide US office contact information.

What is the cost to operate and maintain the family life starw unit over it’s life???

Thnak you tim

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