A pilot study in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

In cooperation with project AXxes, a large rural health organization that builds and maintains a health infrastructure for rural Congo, Vestergaard Frandsen has set up a pilot study to investigate the functioning and acceptability of LifeStraw® Family by its intended target group.

Larry Sthreshley, director of project AXxes, writes the following about this research:
"We have been involved in improving water availability and quality for 36 years in Congo. Over the years we have put in thousands of clean water sources but we have been looking for an affordable technology that would provide clean water to families that do not have access to a clean water source. The LifeStraw® Family seemed like it might fit our needs so we jumped at the opportunity to test it in Congo.

The product was given to ten Congolese families that had limited access to safe drinking water. The usage was followed for a month. Three visits were done during this time period - one to hand out and explain the product, one after a week to check for any problems and questions, and one after a month to evaluate the product with the people. After the purpose and usage of the product was explained and demonstrated, the product was greatly appreciated and accepted by all families. The products showed no malfunction or damage after a month's usage, and showed impressive flow rate of one litre in less than 5 minutes. The participants found them easy to use and maintain, and several participants mentioned that their children had no diarrhoea since using the product. We suggested some small improvements to the product, which Vestergaard Frandsen is now working on implementing.

Both Vestergaard Frandsen and AXxes intend to expand on this trial with more long-term and intensive studies with LifeStraw® Family. Together, we are also elaborating on how to properly communicate the usage to the people to increase acceptability and impact of this great intervention."

Complete report on the pilot study available on request.