A commitment to conservation and responsible tourism has been an integral cornerstone of daily operations for boutique luxury safari operator, Sanctuary Retreats, ever since it opened its first camp in Kenya’s Masai Mara in 1999. Along with building enduring relationships with local communities in the areas where it operates, the company remains focused on identifying and sponsoring long-term, viable and self-sustaining projects that will can be supported by its staff and guests.
One of the projects of which Sanctuary Retreats is particularly proud, is its Safe Water for Schools initiative. Suffering from avoidable health problems has become a tragic way of life in many developing countries, with millions of people challenged by the burden of infectious disease, malnutrition, and health complications simply because they do not have access to clean drinking water. The issue is especially rife In Tanzania where almost 50% of the country’s population of 54 million people lack access to safe water.
Following the success of its Safe Water for Schools Initiative in Kenya’s Masai Mara, Sanctuary Retreats is working toward eliminating these problems amongst children living in communities around the Ngorongoro Crater, by providing local schools with the LifeStraw community filter, a high-volume water purifier designed to deliver safe drinking water.
The filter’s hollow fibre purification technology converts contaminated water into safe drinking water by removing almost 100% of bacteria, viruses and parasites, making it instrumental in preventing waterborne diseases common in Africa, like diarrhoea, typhoid, cholera, worms, and cryptosporidiosis. With each filtration system capable of purifying between 70,000 to 100,000 litres of chemical free water (enough to serve a school for three to five years), without resort to electrical power or batteries, the introduction of the filters into each school has proven revolutionary.
Together with LifeStraw and its guests, Sanctuary Retreats now provides clean water to 15 schools bordering the Crater, so far benefiting 10,265 students and teachers. A filter has also been also distributed to a health centre in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, which treats an average 1,000 patients per day.
Not only have the filters improved nutrition in those schools where they have been already introduced, they have also proven effective in helping to prevent stunted growth and malnutrition in children who are particularly vulnerable to waterborne illnesses and diarrhoea.
Each community is also benefiting economically, thanks to a reduction in the pressure and cost of running medical clinics, plus the ready access to clean water is helping to increase productivity amongst school children and staff by reducing absenteeism from sicknesses.
The success of this project has set a real precedent for the future, with both the Tanzanian Government and Education Officials agreeing to maintain the filters, as well as promoting safe water, sanitation and hygiene practices. The local community has also been overwhelmed with the impact of the LifeStraw Filter on their everyday lives as people are healthier, happier and children can learn more effectively.
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