When the Mitchell children of Albany parish saw an amazing new personal water filter in an inventions book, they couldn’t have known where it would lead.
Cameron Mitchell, 11, recently read the information about the Lifestraw personal water filter, showed it to his parents and asked if the family could buy some for the children in the world who needed them.
“They thought it was a great idea, but said we could only afford to buy a small number, and that’s when I decided to get together with my sisters to see what we could do to buy lots of them,” Cameron told The Record.
Cameron told his younger sisters, Iona, 10 and Tighean, 7 about the idea and they got together to think of ways of getting money to buy filters for children in Africa and Haiti, the latter of which is still reeling from the effects of a devastating earthquake last year.
They were very aware of the plight of children in those countries, having seen videos and articles showing their desperate need for safe, clean, drinking water.
The children decided to bake and sell cakes and biscuits over two weekends after Mass at Holy Family Church in Albany. The bake sales raised just under $1,000 and with 125 Lifestraws now on their way to the village of Tarakea, Tanzania, the trio have been inspired to do much more.
“The ‘LifeStraw Personal’ is a portable water purifier that can be carried around for easy access to safe and clean drinking water. The ‘LifeStraw Family’ version is even better because you can clean water for cooking or washing food too,” Cameron said.
“The LifeStraw Personal filters at least 700 litres (almost three years) of water, making it safe to drink, and only cost around $8 each for us to buy. The LifeStraw Family gives a family of five about three years or 18,000 litres of clean water, costing around $35 each.
“Both remove 99.999 per cent of bacteria and kill and remove 98.2 per cent of viruses found in water, which is why we think it’s so important we buy as many as we can.”
Iona’s classmates at St Joseph’s Catholic College, Albany generously donated $155 after hearing a talk about the LifeStraws and how they could save the lives of many children in Haiti.
The children were touched that they could give a child the gift of three years’ safe and clean drinking water for around the price of one McDonald’s Happy Meal.
Rather than stop there, the children have decided to make it their mission to fulfill at least one of the Corporate Works of Mercy by giving drink to the thirsty, and they want to raise more money to buy more LifeStraw units to send to Haiti where the need is greatest.
“We want to go to shops and large companies to ask them for money to get LifeStraws for the children in Haiti and Africa; we want to let people know about how children our age in those countries are suffering and we can do something about it,” Cameron said.
His sister Iona added that by helping these poor children to get safe and clean drinking water, “we’re also becoming the best version of ourselves, which is just what God wants us to become.”
Tighean added: “I can get a safe drink of water any time I turn on a tap. I think Jesus would want me to share what I have with other boys and girls in the world.”