Supporting Communities with Clean Water Since 1992
Clean water is something we in the UK can take for granted: walk to tap, pour, drink. Simple.
Sadly, this is not the case for many across other parts of the world. Those affected by natural disasters or war zones face deadly circumstances if they do not have access to clean water. This is something charity Aquabox is very much aware of and has been taking action about since 1992.
In its 30 years of operation, Aquabox has been building hand-operated filters that take dirty and disease-ridden water, and transform it into purified, sanitized, and cleaned water that is safe for drinking, washing, and cooking.
So far, they’ve sent approximately 125,000 hand-built filters to global locations of need, an incredible achievement which has literally saved many thousands of lives.
But an increase in demand means an increase in production required, and with a lifetime profession in manufacturing, Dominic Wish joined the team with a mission to double output.
Innovative Assembly Lines Boost Filter Output
Aquabox is run entirely by volunteers assembling filters four days per week.
With help provided by local companies, a LEAN Value Stream Mapping event was undertaken and two new, four-station assembly lines were created.
Additional help from local companies provided upgraded adhesive dispensing systems, fume filtration, assembly jigs, and testing fixtures.
Desoutter provided DC Assembly tools to aid the final assembly of the filter.
This new layout is providing improved quality and significant increases in output utilizing the same number of volunteers.
Today, output has increased from 2,700 to 5,000 filters per year with the aim of achieving 6,000 by the end of the year.
Partnering with Global Organisations for Disaster Relief
Aquabox works directly with on-the-ground contacts in disaster areas, for example with Rotary International in Ukraine, or third-party organisations such as Hand in Hand for Aid and Development in Syria.
They distribute filters in packs of 12 with each filter providing families of up to 10 people, up to a litre per minute of fresh water.
They also supply larger Community Filters which can supply up to 200 people and are often supplied to small villages or hospitals.
Aquabox Filters: A Lifeline for Families in Crisis
Take a look at the journey of a filter from its birth in Derbyshire to the locations where the filters are being used.
One child under the age of five dies from diarrhoea every minute across the world.
This development by the charity is quite simply saving thousands of additional lives every year.
A powerful video has been created of Aquabox being distributed in Syria last year – you can watch it here.
We at Desoutter are incredibly humbled to be a part of this step forward for Aquabox and not least by those who benefit from the filters.
Having worked with Water for All since its conception in 1984, providing clean water to people in need is extremely close to our hearts.
Dominic Wish, Trustee, commented: “All of the volunteers at Aquabox are excited to be able to deliver more lifesaving filters around the world and this is in a large part due to the generosity of our corporate helpers during our VSM event.
We thank everyone at Desoutter for your help and invite you to visit our depot at any time.”
If you would like to donate to Aquabox, you can do so here.
