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Building on the training he received from Lifewater, Jerry developed his own method of construction for the filters with the goal of providing greater access for translators to build them in the field. Instead of heavy steel and welding, Jerry’s design can be built from light-weight galvanized metal in half the time of the original design—a process that volunteer teams or translators can easily replicate.
“We leave the molds and materials in the village, and they can continue to make these molds,” Donna explained. Once the locals learn the process, they can build as many as one filter per day, exponentially increasing their supply of clean water.
“The verifying testimony is when a mother comes back and says ‘You know, since we’ve been using it, my children haven’t been sick’,” Jerry said.
The Ohs collaborated with Wycliffe Associates to find locations where Wycliffe translators need adequate, clean water, and the local people group also needs Scripture.
“Now we’ve got another tool to open the door—a new way to get into the country,” Jerry said.
In 2006, Jerry and Donna led a team to Manila, Philippines to build and install one of the first bio-sand filters in the field. They had been contacted by a Wycliffe translator working at a small rural school, and many of the students were bringing dirty water from home to drink. “The kids were so excited about [the filter],” Jerry said.
While Jerry and the team were constructing the filter and sharing the building process with the nationals, Donna led a course on hygiene to many of the women.
“We have found out that a child dies every eight seconds from dehydration or water-borne diseases, so we know that we need to go in and show them why, and that it doesn’t have to be this way,” she said. “The child can survive this.”
“It was an encouragement to see 170 students drinking clean water,” Jerry said. “It’s so neat to go in and show the people. Even though we don’t speak their language, there’s a translator there that can do that and do the communicating for us.”
Since education is such a large part of the process, they were skeptical how the filter would be used once the team left the village.
“We have been told from the translator that they are using it,” Donna said.
In addition to getting these tools to the field, the Ohs also concentrate on sharing their knowledge so the filters can be built and developed quicker by more people in more places.
“The more training there is, the quicker [the filter] can get out there and have a ripple effect,” Jerry said.
Reaching the languages in Part 4...
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