Bob got a chance to help Paul install his new Sawyer water
filter. Paul had been hearing from others about this filter, but until now he
was unable to acquire one for himself.
This $50 filter will save lots of time and money for his
family. They will no longer have to wait for the sediments to "settle
out" after bringing water to the house. They will no longer have to gather
extra firewood each day for the fire (or worse yet, pay an extra $22 per month for
a large bag of charcoal), nor will Paul's wife have to boil the water
thoroughly in order to kill parasites and bacteria. They do not have to wait
for the water to cool before they can drink it. All in all, this filter will
pay for itself in just 3 months, and that's only the financial savings! The
labor that is saved is significant, especially to a very busy family like
theirs.
If many more people owned a filter, Tanzania would save many
trees from being cut down. The air quality would be spared from the smoke
produced from charcoal and heat. Many babies would not die from contaminated
water, the leading cause of infant mortality throughout Africa. Within minutes,
pure, fresh, good-tasting water is available. The filter is easily back-flushed
to clean it; and with no moving parts, the filter will continue for years to
come!
Nevertheless, the initial price tag for a filter is too
steep a climb for half the pastors, however convinced they are of the benefits.
