Aquabox is a registered charity no 1098409 june 2019 – aquabox newsletter £100,000 of aid in just one month 2019 has seen a fresh crop On the same day, we sent of disasters around the world, 15 Aquabox 12s containing both natural and man-made, a total of 300 family filters and the Aquabox volunteer to Zimbabwe, with Rotary teams have been working Club of London Centenary hard to meet the demand for handling shipping out, and aid. These are just some of Rotary Harare receiving. the aid shipments that have Three weeks later on left the Wirksworth depot in April 24, 270 Aquabox Gold recent months. boxes and four Aquabox April 2 saw 100 Aquabox 12s left the depot bound Gold boxes and fivefor Yemen, working with community filters shipped Jubilee Outreach Yorkshire to Malawi, working with Red and with the Port of Aden Cross International at this end to ensure distribution at the and with Red Cross of Malawi destination. Then on May 1, More Aqua 12 boxes and Gold boxes on the way to disaster as the receiving organisation. we shipped 260 Aquabox areas. Gold boxes to Nepal, with the shipment, this time with the shipment being forwarded by Christian African Relief Trust Family filter number 20,000! the Gurkha Regiment. (CART), to Cameroon. And of Those four shipments alone course the autumn hurricane represented a combined season is approaching – the cost to Aquabox of just over depot teams are working £100,000, and shipping costs hard to build up stocks of added another £8,000 to the filters and boxes. bill. That’s just one month’s Meanwhile, thanks to Sarah aid – albeit in a very busy Cook, our ambassador in month. France, we now have a solid On May 31, following the link with South Sudan. We assurance of an import don’t yet have definite plans duty waiver, we shipped 20 to send aid to Sudan, but Aqua 12s containing a total it’s good to have a tried and The Thursday morning assembly team with filter no 20,000. of 240 family filters, plus tested agency with which five community filters, for to work. David Lumb, of the the aquabox assembly teams have just achieved a significant distribution in Mozambique Rotary Club of Dronfield, has milestone: the Mark 2 version of the family filter, produced on by the Rotary Club of Maputo. also given us a further contact our assembly line here in Wirksworth, has just reached filter In partnership with the Rotary in Nepal. While these may not number 20,000. e-club London Centenary be immediately relevant to Adding this to the number of Mark 1 filters produced, the (their member in Zimbabwe), current crises, we don’t know total is now well over 115,000. And when you consider that 60 family filters have been what is round the corner with basic maintenance each filter is designed to process at distributed in Zimbabwe’s in our turbulent world. Our least 100,000 litres of water, it means that in the 27 years of Highland area. Some have logistics ‘guru’ and trustee its existence, Aquabox has enabled people living in distress to also been shipped into Albert Ripamonti is grateful have access to well over 100 billion litres of clean, safe water for neighbouring Malawi through for any such reliable contacts. drinking, cooking and washing. the same connection. Please let us know if you have So well done to everyone on the assembly teams – and here’s Later in the year we’re any you feel may help us. to the next 20,000! planning another shared Roz Adamson Aquabox is supported by winds of 110 mph on March to the Rotary Club of 11. The storm then began to London Centenary member response to Idai weaken, before gathering in Zimbabwe, where the strength again, and on March consignment was used 14 it reached a new peak with to assist rural locations winds of 120mph. It was not where water supply had until March 21 that the storm been affected and where finally dissipated. an outbreak of cholera and Idai caused severe flooding typhoid had been reported,” in Madagascar, Mozambique, said trustee Albert Ripamonti. Malawi, and Zimbabwe, and The shipment included 180 affected more than three family filters, 100 Aquabox million people in total. Cat- Gold boxes, and five astrophic damage occurred community filters. in central Mozambique, and A further consignment of a major humanitarian crisis 300 family filters and five unfolded in the wake of the community filters was ready cyclone, with hundreds of for despatch to Mozambique, thousands of people in urgent awaiting confirmation from need of assistance across the Mozambique Rotary club Mozambique and Zimbabwe. and the Mozambique National A cholera outbreak followed Disaster Organisation that the storm, with more than secure local distribution 4,000 confirmed cases by arrangements were in place. early April. And plans were in place for Another consignment starts its journey to Mozambique. As soon as Idai hit the another consignment of headlines, the Aquabox team Aquabox Gold boxes to be AQUABOX has sent Idai originated from a set about establishing secure shipped to Mozambique as substantial aid to east Africa tropical depression that links with agencies in Zimba- soon as the required duty after Cyclone Idai devastated formed off the east coast bwe, Malawi and Mozam- waiver was granted. communities in Mozambique, of Mozambique on March bique, and thanks to much In total, these aid packages Zimbabwe, and Malawi. Idai 4. The storm made landfall hard work by the volunteer represent a cost to Aquabox was the second deadliest in Mozambique later in the filter assembly teams and of nearly £40,000 – but they tropical cyclone ever day, and remained a tropical packers, a substantial con- have the potential to save recorded in the south-west cyclone through its five-day signment left the depot on many thousands of lives. And Indian Ocean basin, causing trek over land. On March 9, the April 3 to be air-freighted to a follow-up consignment of catastrophic damage, and depression re-emerged into Zimbabwe and Malawi. 250 Gold boxes is planned to leaving more than 1,000 the Mozambique Channel and “We sent Aquabox Gold be shipped to Malawi in July, people dead and thousands rapidly intensified, reaching boxes to the Red Cross in in partnership with Christian more missing. an initial peak with sustained Malawi, and family filters African Relief Trust (CART). Aquabox success at Utility Week Live show thanks to the generosity provision – including people of our corporate partners working for some of the UK’s Faversham House, Aquabox biggest water companies. had a stand at the Utility During the two days of Week Live exhibition at the the show we were able to National Exhibition Centre on talk to dozens of water May 21-22. industry executives, building It’s the second year that relationships and working Faversham House has towards our long-term goal enabled Aquabox trustees of recruiting more water to demonstrate the filter and companies as Aquabox explain the charity’s work partners, alongside Hydro-X Trustee Mike Tomlinson to an audience of business Aquabox was a charity and Technolog. demonstrates the filter to a people in the world of utility partner in a seminar theatre. Watch this space! show visitor. aquabox news is published by Aquabox, registered charity no 1098409. To contact the editor, email [email protected], or write to Aquabox News, PO Box 5398, Matlock, Derbyshire DE4 4ZP. Please share Aquabox news with friends and colleagues – forward it electronically, and/or print out copies to circulate. aquabox news – June 2019 Page 2 Aquabox Gold box contents updated joins the after much dIscussIon – and most Ensuring that humanitarian aid gets to those importantly, much feedback from end users – who have the greatest need is a complex Chamber of the contents list for Aquabox Gold boxes has process, and we work very closely with our been revised. delivery partners, and listen to what they Commerce The key change is that Gold boxes will soon tell us. The revised Gold box contents list, aquabox has taken an contain not one but two Aquabox family therefore, includes: important step towards filters. Over the past year we have responded • Two family filters and two buckets broadening its spread to disasters in India, Philippines, Indonesia, • Personal protection: a survival bag, two of corporate support, by Cameroon and Yemen, and the main need has tarpaulins, and two ponchos or cagoules becoming a member of the been for water filters, to keep people alive, and • Kitchenware: cooking pot, cutlery, cups, East Midlands Chamber of plates and bowls Commerce. • Hygiene: soap “Being members of • Hardware: wind-up torch, string, solar the Chamber will give light, clothesline, bungee cords us access to thousands • Tools: Hammer, nails, pliers, folding knife, of companies across saw, folding shovel/pick Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire • For children: ball, pencils, lined pad, and Leicestershire,” said knitted teddy (while stocks last) Roger Cassidy, chair of the trustees. “As well as looking We will also continue to send knitted goods for additional financial until the existing stock is used up. “The support, we are working Aquabox trustees are very grateful for the hard to get the message out knitted teddies, jumpers and blankets that that working with Aquabox our supporters have kindly donated over will provide a golden The revised Gold box contents – as advised the years,” said Roger Cassidy, chair of the opportunity for companies to by end users. trustees. “These woollies have been included meet their Corporate Social as a part of our humanitarian aid packages that Responsibility objectives.” to reduce the spread of waterborne diseases have been despatched to countries across the The plan is to take part in such as cholera and typhoid.