Cologne. During the Malteser International Lent Campaign "40 Euros for Sri Lanka", the British water engineer Suzanna Lipscombe reports from Sri Lanka on a weekly basis. In Sri Lanka, Malteser International concentrates on programmes that provide clean drinking water for the population in remote areas. No sophisticated technology is needed to achieve this goal - simple bio-sand water filters can clear the groundwater and water from open wells from germs.
"The filters do not only provide clean drinking water but thus also prevent diseases", Suzanna Lipscombe tells us this week. "It was especially impressive for me to see how all community members - men, women and children, elderly and young people - were taking part in daily activities to complete the filters under the supervision of the local Public Health Inspector. The women would sift the sand and pass it onto the teenage boys who would mix the cement. Finally, the older men from the village would add this to the cast-iron mould and leave it to set. All the while, the children would sit quietly and watch as the work progressed. It was a community effort and an occasion they all enjoyed to come together."
With the Lent Campaign, Malteser International calls for putting aside one Euro a day during Lent season. This way, 40 Euros can be saved up until Easter. With these 40 Euros, the or-ganisation can procure the material for the construction of one bio-sand water filter for one family.
If you want to participate in the Lent Campaign, you can transfer the 40 Euros to the follow-ing account:
Donation Account 120 120 120
Bank für Sozialwirtschaft, Wörthstr. 15 - 17, D-50668 Köln
Sort Code : 370 205 00
IBAN : DE49 3702 0500 0001 0258 01
BIC: BFSWDE33XXX
Reference : "Malteser International Lent Campaign 2008"
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
Children play in water in the flooded city of Trinidad, some 500 km (310 miles) northeast of La Paz, February 12, 2008. Flooding and torrential rains have killed dozens of people ...
