Dubai Chronicle

UAE local and expatriate communities are overwhelmingly contributing to the humanitarian campaign jointly launched by the UAE Red Crescent (UAERC) and BinSina Pharmacy.

The campaign aims at providing safe water supply to needy populations in the third world through donating LifeStraw, an effective mobile water purification tool.

Mohammed Abdullah Alhaj Al Zarooni, Manager, Dubai branch of the UAE Red Crescent said: "This campaign is in line with UAE's humanitarian drive under the wise leadership of President His Higness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
''Access to safe drinking water is crucial to the livelihood of millions of people living in the third world. This campaign introduces a user friendly and low-cost tool that is appropriate for the vulnerable populations who need safe water around the world, he added.
''The UAERC is promoting volunteering as a key humanitarian principle and our campaign with BinSina Pharmacy clearly reflects the Red Crescent fundamental principles of protecting the life and health of people and alleviating their suffering, he explained.

More than one billion people around the globe are without access to safe water supply. At any given moment, about half of the world's poor are suffering from waterborne diseases, of which over 6,000 - mainly children - die each day by consuming unsafe drinking water.
Ayman Hanbali of BinSina Pharmacy said: "Pure water is the basis for life as it is the essential requirement for the healthy survival of each human being and for the development of societies as a whole. Unsafe water kills millions of people every year. This campaign provides a comprehensive, integrated and coordinated vision and strategy to provide much greater access to clean water in poor countries.
''LifeStraw will save lives by providing a simple way to purify drinking water.
This non-profit campaign will sell LifeStraw, at cost, to our customers to be given after that to UAERC, which will manage the distribution. The pharmacy aims at leveraging this partnership with UAERC to fulfill a broader social need,''he added.

BinSina and UAERC are providing a robust yet simple water filtration system that has enormous benefits for people worldwide who live without safe drinking water. The campaign consists of LifeStraw donation to help deprived and poor communities have pure and safe drinking water.

The donation boxes are available in all BinSina pharmacies and the collected donations will be handed over to UAERC to be granted to needy people.

Recognizing the importance of safe water in our daily lives and the billions of people who are still without access to these basic human rights, LifeStraw was developed as a practical response to the urgency that bad water can sicken people with parasites, cholera, diarrhoea and dysentery and it can slow the physical and mental development of children.
The deaths and health related problems caused by lack of clean water are at the level of a health epidemic.

"As many people around the world look to secure sources of pure drinking water, nationals and residents in the UAE are funding a significant programme that involves simple technologies aimed at providing clean water for a massive number of people,''he said.
''We truly appreciate BinSina's campaign which is driven by a social mission rather than profits. This campaign comes as a humanitarian relief to a global menace and raises the public profile of water treatment as a priority in vulnerable populations," Al Zarooni added.
Hanbali added: "Sanitation in developed countries has led to a dramatic decrease of death rates. People at developing countries are not very well aware of the importance of clean water and of the positive impact of hygiene and sanitation on their health. This campaign will better provide safe water to countries that face serious health threats because of populated water." The new straw that purifies water is an important part to confront water-borne diseases that are killing people in developing countries. The LifeStraw includes a disinfectant filter which kills bacteria, and active carbon which removes parasites and gives the water a better taste.

Created by Danish innovator Torben Vestergaard Frandsen, the straw is made of plastic and resembles a flute. Inside are filters and a chamber impregnated with iodine. LifeStraw was developed as a practical response to the billions of people who are still without access to safe water. It can be worn around the neck and requires no electrical power or spare parts and it filters up to 700 liters of water.