Children in developing countries receive safe water with Follow the Liters

Posted by Jeff on Nov 23, 2015 @ 5:30 pm in Conservation | 0 comments | Last modified: November 23, 2015

The first LifeStraw water filter was introduced by Vestergaard in 2005 for public health use in developing countries. The filter converts microbiologically contaminated water into safe drinking water that meets US EPA standards for water quality. Since then, the LifeStraw brand has expanded to include additional water filters and purifiers with more features (e.g., higher volume, safe water storage) for use in households, clinics and schools. In 2011, Vestergaard began selling its LifeStraw filters to consumers in North America for use in outdoor sports and recreation. Since that time, the brand has expanded the product portfolio for this market. The simple, easy-to-use, durable design that makes LifeStraw products so effective in harsh conditions is also what makes it so appealing to developed world consumers.

LifeStraw® is manufactured by Vestergaard, a Swiss-based global company dedicated to improving the health of disadvantaged people with game-changing solutions that fight diarrheal disease, malaria, HIV/AIDS, and neglected tropical diseases. In addition to LifeStraw products, the company manufactures PermaNet, the leading long-lasting insecticidal bed net that helps prevents malaria and ZeroFly products to enhance food security.

The launch of Vestergaard’s new LifeStraw Steel product coincides with the second annual mass distribution of high-volume LifeStraw® Community purifiers to schools in western Kenya without access to safe water on school grounds. This distribution is made possible through LifeStraw’s program, Follow the Liters. Through this program, a portion of the revenue from each LifeStraw® consumer product sold is used to provide one school child in a developing country with safe drinking water for an entire school year.

On November 2, 2015, the same day that LifeStraw Steel was launched, this year’s Follow the Liters distribution program began in rural Kenya. Over a seven-day period, 14 teams including trained health workers, visited 330 schools in Kenya’s western province to distribute 2,549 LifeStraw Community water purifiers and educate students and teachers on safe water practices. Combined with last year’s distribution, more than 361,000 school aged children in the region now have sustainable access to safe water.

Vestergaard’s exclusive North American distributor, EarthEasy Sustainable Solutions, has been a valued partner in the Follow the Liters program. EarthEasy is a family owned company that provides products for environmentally sustainable living. EarthEasy is offering readers of Meanderthals a 15% discount on all LifeStraw® products on their website through December 31, 2015. Just use the coupon code SURVIVAL15 at checkout.