There is no future for a child without family. Not in this world. We owe our success and defeats in large part to our families. I’ve been spectacularly blessed. I’ve had the good grace to be welcomed in many families, people who love and support me without question – the Wolf Pack, my own flesh and blood, and that circle of close friends I’ve made. Men and women who would drop anything to come to my aid; who embrace me for who I am.

The lack of a good family can act to make you stronger, if you can survive it. If you can build a network to replace the void. But you can’t survive alone, without society, in anarchy. I know I wouldn’t be anything like the man I am today without my family. Positive parental tapes of reasoning, understanding, acculturation, and behavior that allow me to move forward and seize my dreams. Fiscal sacrifices and assistance that make my accomplishment of those dreams possible. The idea that we have a communal pot of resources. We all contribute without hesitation or question to help us each succeed in our turn. We rely on each other to be a proper steward of the family trust. As I travel the world, I realize how rare that is and how lucky I am.

It used to be commonplace for the entire family to sacrifice everything for the hope and dream of a positive future. In our nation times have changed. There are more opportunities for individuals although we often find those that succeed have strong powerful families behind them. Without that drive and necessity, it’s almost like family bonds are falling apart. Our drive is being eaten away, the family degenerating. Instead of all for one and one for all, it’s turned into something else.

There isn’t that commitment and awareness of duty, responsibility and the unspoken understanding of love. There isn’t that dedication. Instead there’s a sense of entitlement…I deserve the fruits of my family’s sacrifice…I demand my inheritance…Others should suffer so that I can succeed even if they are family or friends…Me first…How dare you spend my inheritance enjoying your life!
Such behavior is unpalatable. Yet, it seems commonplace in our culture. How strange.

My responsibility was to go to school, learn, develop skills and to accept the assistance, support and love of my family. I know the burden it placed upon them and their sacrifice. It motivated me to take charge of my future and succeed for all of our sakes. Knowing when the time comes, it’s up to me to contribute back and ensure that family takes precedence.

My mother and father are special human beings. They’ve evolved through life into caring, aware, spectacular people. Their philosophy in our upbringing was natural. There was a time for scheduled restricted learning, and there was a time for unbridled play. Hours upon hours of just being boys, of playing in the surf. A child’s basic right to explore, develop, and play. Not punished for curiosity or called ‘boisterous and disruptive’, but accepted as boys. Cherished for that natural male energy. I’m sure if they’d had a daughter they would have focused on her natural female energy and embraced her as a whole being as well.

The turning point in my familial development came in that hell of hormones and torture known as high school. It had been building for a long time. We’d always had “special time” growing up. Time set aside for just one parent or the other to be with us and have an adventure. Taking apart radios, televisions, toys- anything we could get our hands on at the thrift “take apart” store, or going for ice cream, making balsa wood planes etc. Most importantly, it was that moment when, emotionally distraught and frustrated, my mother sat me down and said, “Special time is going to change. We’re going to have time together where I’m not your ‘mom’, I’m not judge and jury, I’m not the executioner. I’m not your parent. Time when I’m just your friend.” It was a monumental shift in my reality. Not a parent, alien and outside of my life, pushing me to be someone or something I’m not. But a sage friend, encouraging me, discussing, and most of all supporting me to learn my own lessons. There to catch me when I fell without judgement. My father and I had a similar discussion. We became more than some traditional family unit. We became friends, counseled one another, and provided a safety net where we could speak freely without fear. We were elevated to equals within the family. My brother and I became adults in a smooth, mostly painless fashion.

It was a wonderful series of moments that shaped, and continues to shape, the man I am today. That’s why I say there is nothing more important than family. Negative or positive they are the framework- the skeleton- we build our lives upon. To Ed, Jo, Alex, our extended family, the Wolf Pack, and those special others who support me unconditionally – Thank you! You are a part of me. You are reflected in all the good works that I do.

What a surprise…a rumble…a crack…cement splitting, the floor turning on angle, walls sliding out, brick mortar raining down, a flood of light and a quick exchange of fouled air for fresh.

At least that’s how I imagine it.

While in Mansa, on business my pit latrine collapsed into it’s, well, it’s pit, haha. It seems I have some basic construction lessons to teach in addition to my work as a health volunteer.

My community, in its excitement to welcome me (well, that’s not totally accurate…let’s say in its headlong rush to appease a pissed-off volunteer when he arrived and found his latrine incomplete) they built me a king-sized version. A pit 2m by 2m and here’s the kicker – it was square.

Now Chisunka has a loamy sandy clay soil, prone to compaction and crumbling. A square shaft 2m deep and 2m by 2m square presents itself as a perfect opportunity for such soil to take aforementioned action and naturally attempt to fill such an unnatural void. Add shortened floor beams, rain, the unusual weight of a cemented floor and walls and you have some serious issues.

So, you can imagine my surprise and derision when I took note of the construction, wondering how lucky I was it had lasted as long as it did, and that I hadn’t been in it when it collapsed!!

There are a few quick fixes to the above. First make it a cylinder. The pressure of the soil is better distributed and the tube significantly stronger. Second, if the soil is really a problem, add a wicker/threaded bamboo shell the size of the tube to reinforce the soil and prevent collapse. Also, make the floor beams a bit longer than the pit and if using concrete make sure the concrete cap also has a healthy overlapping margin – mine didn’t.

Exciting lessons! The most exciting part, I get to rebuild it (wooooo) and modify it to my specifications, including a pipe to make it a VIP – ventilated improved pit latrine – which will eliminate the fly issue. And a squat facilitating bar. That’s right a knee saver – a cross bar at squat height to hold on to. As well as making the structure taller so I don’t have to crouch to enter. No, no, it’s okay you can laugh…it’s really that awesome.

Hahaha.

Good night y’all.

Hey all, thought I’d take some time tonight to write a quick review of my GoalZero gear.

You guys know me pretty well, but for those newcomers, My name is David N. Berger. Age 24, an ASU graduate in Global Studies.

I’m a community development and health volunteer in Eastern Sub-Saharan Africa. Specifically I’m located in remote Northern Zambia in the sub tropic zone near Congo. Surrounded by natural beauty – waterfalls, green, gorgeous undeveloped land, and of course my Zambian neighbours.

I’m assigned to a rural health clinic here 56 km from the nearest town. I live in an African village. A mud-brick hut, grass roof, no potable water ( I use a river some klicks away.). There is no electricity ( I have a small portable solar panel (the GoalZero Nomad 7). The local school uses a old, outdated solar system with a couple of deep cycle 12v batteries that I use to charge my biggest price of technology – a netbook. Mail (letters and packages) take about a month to get to Mansa the provincial capital. Then, it’s an 8km hike to the nearest passable road and an hour or more hitchhike in to pick it up. Plus there’s the excitement of getting back!

My RHC – Rural Health Clinic – services a roughly rectangular catchment of 56km x 11km, with a population of 9127. Its broken into eight zones and I have a monthly outreach cycle bicycling up to 112km round trip in a day in the African sun for my furthest zone. The staff is spectacular, but…, well it’s difficult. There are three of us. If we had our full assigned staff there’d be five – not great odds. Nine thousand one hundred and twenty seven to three. We’re working on outreach and education to train community health workers and neighborhood health committees for our zones, but it’s slow work.

I bet you can imagine how much time I spend out on the sand. That’s why GoalZero’s Guide10 and rock out speakers are such a great fit. The quick charge times for my Cell, backup charging of batteries for my SteriPEN, and Camera while on the go or at the clinic is indispensable. The power for my Ipod and the speakers allows me to use my gadgets to share podcasts and educational materials with an audience, play motivational sing alongs for my women’s empowerment groups, and of course dance with my local youth groups. The panels are durable, water-resistant and routinely survive strapping to the back of my pack and jostling on a 100km off-road ride.

The panel construction aside, GoalZero uses the highest quality of panels, stands behind their product, and offers excellent info on understanding solar and finding the package that’s right for you.

That in mind here’s the setup I decided on:
GoalZero Guide 10 – that’s the Nomad 7 panel, guide 10 AA/AAA battery pack/charger, DC and USB charging cords and 4 of their rechargeable batteries. I bundled that gear with their Rockout speakers – a durable, portable, self powered, rechargeable speaker box that sounds fantastic and has some great punch to it – heck, if it can run an impromptu dance party I’m the African bush that speaks to something right there doesn’t it.

I use the system to charge an IPhone 3, iPod, the speakers, my SteriPEN water purifier, my batteries for my Grundig shortwave radio, my headlamp and flashlight, and my Cannon G-10 digital camera.

Tied into my bag or hanging from my hammock my Guide 10 and Rock out speakers have kept me sane and in a great mood while stranded in some pretty wicked monsoon storms, I’m definitely a fan!

Oh man, that’s a lot of positivity isn’t it. I’d say I only have two real complaints. #1 I didn’t buy a big enough setup – and #2 the battery charger runs a bit hot, and sometimes emits a slight high pitch noise while charging a gadget (usually the phone). Other than making me nervous, as it’d e a nightmare to have the pack replaced, even though I know GoalZero would bend over backwards to get me up and running the logistics could drive a man crazy. (think a minimum of 2 months just in shipping) even so, I haven’t had a single issue in over 200 full charges and probably another 2-300 partial top ups.

What’s more GoalZero has a variety of products, from full scale base camp to a hike in your local wilderness. Give em a look, www.GoalZero.com

I’ll be here in Zambia for the next two years, It can be difficult, but every moment is worth it. I can’t begin to tell you what this experience is like. Or how wonderful and amazing the roller coaster ride is, or the impact made every moment. I’m glad I have good, reliable gear with me.

Thanks guys!

I am a volunteer. A man, free. I choose to give of myself, its a price I pay willingly in exchange for complete freedom of my soul. I can never forget it, it permeates every ounce of my being.

Freedom isn’t free, its a choice, and each choice has a cost. But sacrifices make what you earn so sweet.

It’s raining again. This afternoon the storms rolled, dark foreboding castles, streaming across the sky, as I stand, legs strongly placed on the steps of my clinic, shoulders set and arms crossed, I breathe in fresh air. I feel the moisture of life, listen to the deafening roar of a storm battering against the sheet-metal roof.

The drops fall with such force that I can feel the spray and splash against my face. Cellphone service cut, backup power exhausted, the familiar hum of our immunization refrigerator missing, and my nerves frayed by fear of the loss of necessary refrigeration. Silence in a roaring tempest of sound, both within and without. Me, I’m standing a free man living a dream.

No, freedom isn’t free, freedom is a choice. We choose the freedom we seek. We exchange some things for others. We weigh our costs, and then we pick. It’s true I’m not making money, part of the cost of my freedom. When I’m finished with my two years here I might have made 8000 dollars, less tax. 4000 dollars a year, so little, yet it means so much.

I forsook a career of money and comfort in the US. I left my home, family, car, computer, technology, and traded it for freedom.

Freedom of spirit, of soul, of moments.

I spoke with my brother just last week. A hard moment. Our family communicates always. Alex and I saw each other almost daily. Now we talk once a week. But you know what? We’re living our dreams. We didn’t wait for someone else to make it happen…we chose. We stepped up. We made it happen. When you take charge of your own future, is there any other greater freedom?

On rainy days like today, we’re led forward into deeper thoughts. Here I am, standing, staring out at raw earth, at history that may be transient… cultures that are disappearing, traditions and ways of life that are changing, and being irrevocable altered. This world might not exist in 20 years. That’s part of my work – to preserve, protect, remember, and destroy. All at the same time. On rainy days like today I’m filled with the sweet nectar, the ambrosia of the gods, freedom.

Struggles, hard times, spectacular moments. A funeral for an innocent 7 year old girl…in the same week the birth of a beautiful child. The juxtaposition of life. Some ask, what would a free man do? It’s simple, a free man chooses his future and makes his dreams real.

Isn’t it time you took a moment to find your future and make it reality?

I was riding in a bus today, seated just there in the corner seat. The smell of field, sweat, fertilizer, growth and rural life thick on me. I fit in, yet stood apart, an unusual mixture of smells, musk and scent.

I took a deep breath…there was lime, mango, chickens and goats, dark rich earth, crisp morning soaps…a hint of perfume as an older woman nestled into the seats behind me.

I glanced around the bus. Men, women, children safely strapped and wrapped in chitenge, all jostling in a uniform manner as we hurtled across the broken road. Bumps, sudden braking, gravity, momentum trapped in physics, a moment shared by so many unique individuals.

Sighing I let moment pass to moment, sensation to sensation. Life moving forward in its cruel, benevolent persistence. I looked out the window, at fields of tall grass, rows of corn and cassava. I wished for a breath of that unsullied natural air, knowing at the same instant that it would smell of fertilizer and chemicals, not earth.

Another internal sigh and I caught the eyes of a strange man. We were both looking in the mirror. Ruffled hair, stunted curls struggling for ringlets, a thick fiery-red beard, blue green eyes…well built, thick shoulders, worry lines and some hint of stress. I searched the cabin. Who is this man staring at me in the mirror?

Suddenly I knew! It was the first time in three months I’d seen myself in a mirror. What a shock. Was that me? Familiar traits, dirt worked into a beard redder than I remembered. A tan and tousled curls. My face – a man I knew from the inside, but could only recognize parts of the outside.

My mind struggled, the cogs and parts squealing with stress and excitement. Processing, updating files, making new images, marking changes and associating features. I was my reflection once again. I’d become familiar.

Imagine before mirrors, catching sight of yourself in a clear stream, trapped as narcissus by an image that couldn’t be you.

We change with age. As time passes and life grinds forward, we discover a discrepancy between who we see inside and what a chunk of metal and glass shows us. I can only imagine being 73, feeling young and alive, capitalizing on my knowledge and experience, looking in the mirror and being shocked… Who the heck is that?

I guess that’s what’s so wonderful about living life without my reflection. I feel and believe I look one and the same. Who I am, how I decide to feel, governs how I perceive myself and my abilities. No chunk of glass and metal will tell me I’m not something I know I am.

So, its time for one of those free writing exercises.

You know those ones where you sit down and decide its time to work on your thoughts, to organize yourself, and to bring your mind into focus and clarity. It’s a difficult series of moments, the flow of thoughts, images and feelings through your mind. Processing, channeling them through your experiences and moving those thoughts into actions. Giving them substance and making them tangible.

Here we go. Woooooowie! What a ride!

Today has been such a whirlwind, this way and that, here and there. I woke up today a little on edge. I’ve been on antibiotic for my spider bite and as such it’s thrown off my daily rituals a bit. Bathing three times a day, and taking my medicines, and then of course there’s those warm fuzzy side effects to taking medications that destroy the natural biotic balance inside you. Worth it? Absolutely judging by the rate of infection before I started taking them.

Soooooo cool. I read Dune last night and wrote a late night blog about the importance of letters, the hidden meaning, and why it’s a measure of respect and deference that is demonstrated by how you respond. There’s just so much to think about.

I’m at a cross roads just now. The projects I have left require materials. I’ve built a bamboo solar drier at my hut and I’ve built another at my EHT’s house. I’ve also built the frame for a third. In conjunction with those projects I’ve put together two electrified driers which utilize solar and electricity where available. Just now I’m working over the designs in my head on how to create a hybrid device. A mixture of an electrified light bulb drier and a solar drier. Built of mud brick using clear plastic and blast plastic with a cardboard or sisal material cover. We’ll see if it comes to fruition. I finally have the bamboo required. So, it’s time to get to work! As for the rest of the materials, burned/fired brick is surprisingly hard to come by in the wet season. Go figure… sun dried and then fired mud is difficult to get in a season with high humidity and daily rains. I couldn’t have expected that….Oh wait! Yup! It’s in them there calculations haha. Oh, the glories of seasonal living.

So maybe I’ll just end up biding my time until winter – dry season. But there are projects that should be done now. I just need to find the funding and transport. For 150 dollars I could build two circular 6000 liter rainwater storage tanks and the necessary gutter system. If I got more creative I could probably do it for even less – maybe $100 for a five to ten year system. It could provide 12,000 liters of clean, drinkable water.

But I’m severely limited. It’s hard to sit here during this first rainy season and not impose my will. I see people suffering from lack of clean drinking water, watch children fade and die, and the sick grow sicker from lack of clean water and diarrhea. I know the solutions, but it’s not for me to fund their projects and do the work. It must be sustainable. There must be understanding even if it comes at a high cost. Otherwise, as soon as I leave, the projects will fail and the suffering will be returned – if not 10 fold. These projects must be something they want and do or change will not occur. That’s a whole different kind of thought process, a new diplomacy, a new subterfuge. I guess that’s the really difficult part, manipulation through information and sensitization. Not in a negative sense, but in a life saving, benevolent sense. Rough man. – Slow and frustrating. And the suffering that happens in the interim as you shape awareness and bring about change is heartbreaking.

I guess that’s the hardest and best part about Peace Corps mentality. It’s such a specialized and specific track of mind. What other organization works in such a manner? What other organization understands, joins, and works within a culture, to effect change in such a positive grass roots way? Sustainable, community- led development, guided and co-facilitated by a volunteer, but not carried out by them, not imposed upon the community. A shining light of peace and good will, illustrating the future, and capacity and opportunity, without impressing imperialistic or colonial ideals, without controlling. Subtle manipulations of information and culture to bring about change from within. Like Planetologist Kynes joining the Fremen in Frank Herbert’s Dune, leading through information and subtlety – leading a people toward improved health and development. The development of struggling nations in their own way, through their own understanding and shaped interpretation.

What better way to teach than to live and understand a people by staying with their poorest and suffering, understanding their needs, and using only what’s available to them. Finding solutions that they can manage. We as volunteers are the binding clay that allows the community to build a bridge. It is us that allows for all the pieces to come to together and be bonded. To join, support, and create the foundations of the future. What a thrill and what a responsibility.

Man, that got deep quick didn’t it. Sorry ya’ll. We’ll I’m signing off on those deep thoughts and I’ll return to you soon with another update.

Knowledge is power, power is education, education is empowerment, empowerment is knowledge. Marcus Aurelius stood as a great philosopher king in his time. Today his memoirs offer us a glimpse of the man, his thoughts and his character. It’s up to you – the choice is yours seems to be the most recurrent theme in his writing. A theme I heartily agree with.

Knowledge is the key to everything. Empowerment – the act of gaining power and opportunity is simply a product of gaining knowledge.

Life is what we choose to make it. More so, it’s up to us to make life what we choose. I’ve written on this topic before, but educating and sharing knowledge often leaves me frustrated with lack of results and motivation. It’s a part of every activity I do. A group mobilization session and motivation session.

Fighting against years of donors and others using the pit of ignorance model has left me in a tough place. Where There Is No Doctor – officially my favorite field manual for health – illustrates the difference so well. Picture a man, sick, in a pit. Along comes a doctor, he throws down a handful of pills and says, “Don’t ask questions, just do what I say. Take two morning and night.” Now imagine the same situation – the doctor offers the man a hand and helps him out of the pit, saying, ” Come up here with me.” Metaphoric for the act of educating and creating long term sustainable development.

On a basic level all humans are curious. We want to know, see, feel and understand. On that same level at times we understand a quick fix without realizing the cause or source and solving that.

Prevention vs. curative right? But it’s a lot easier to take a pill than change your daily habits, even if it’s just a small one like washing your hands. It’s usually not until your children die, or even you almost die, that you decide it’s time to find out the source.

Depressing right? Like behavior change it can be a nightmare. It doesn’t mean these people want to suffer, or that they don’t care or are lazy. It means that they don’t understand. They haven’t been given the knowledge in the right way. I guess that’s a failure so far on our part.

You can’t blame the students if they fail, instead you have to step up, take responsibility, problem solve, and find the proper way to access each student and help them understand – teach them and empower them. Maybe they know the information but don’t implement it. Why is that? What’s going on? It’s time to explore the situation, look with eyes unclouded and learn how to teach.

We never stop learning, and as a function of that blessed gift, we are always growing more powerful, strong, and able. There’s a reason that every culture on the planet values elders. They’ve had more time and learned longer than we have. Even if we’ve absorbed more content there’s no substitute for that time.

After all it’s us who affect change. It’s up to us to empower ourselves; to seek knowledge and find the way forward.

It is up to us

Death. That cold patient friend who waits with us for our entire lives, and when our time has come welcomes us without so much as a grumble about the weather.

That’s a funny way to think of it isn’t it? I guess it’s part of growing up, processing and learning. I’ve been overseas for two close family deaths. It’s hard. Sometimes you feel like it’s ok. You have rational control of your mind and heart. You keep yourself busy, on track. Then suddenly, there are those times… When you are alone in the dark and you feel lost at sea. You know the fullness of life is waiting but you can’t seem to reach it. Those are the painful moments, but they’re also the moments when you remember most fondly the warm, loving memory of your times together. It’s the time where you stand up in your lifeboat, and balancing precariously, you dance and sing and celebrate the person you know and love.

I guess that’s the best part of it. Those loving memories and moments of celebration for the time you could spend together. A celebration of life, of joy, of happiness, and experiences.

Africa is beautiful. Not in that corney oh look, a lion, although yes, that is really really cool. But in that enveloping, world changing, life altering way.

That get surprised by a mud pit, fly over your handle bars, break your lamp and bruise two ribs and your thigh, but it’s ok, because as your panting on the ground, checking to make sure your not bleeding or have broken anything, you see Africa. You breathe fresh sweet air, full of life and growing things, you feel dark rich earth filled to the brink with potential. As you gather yourself up, you look at stars you never knew existed, pathways and trails written into the heavens in whites and blue starlight. You see the walkways of God, energy and etherial pathways. You turn your gaze earthward and see fireflies frolicking across tall grass lands. It’s just then that you know this is God’s place.

Bulbs of light, Will-o-wisps and magical splurts of color and sound erupt all around you. Dancing and twirling, flickering in a scintillating euphoria of nature beauty. Orange here, white there, blue reflected from the stars in the rain, slowly being drunk by this land.

Africa my friends is beautiful – its people, cultures, and the land itself. It’s intangible – it’s the sights, smells, tastes and feelings.

It’s the sounds of baby goats racing and playing kit of the rock. It’s toads and crickets singing nature’s songs and lulling you to sleep. Africa brings us back to what technology and development have stolen from us. It brings us back to nature. It’s a place of self discovery where you learn to love yourself. Where you sing and dance because you can’t hold in how wonderful it is anymore.

Africa is.

My followers know my background, but since I’m giving my thoughts on a product I figured I’d include this! My name is David N. Berger. Age 24, an ASU graduate in Global Studies.

I’m a community development and health volunteer in Eastern Sub-Saharan Africa. Specifically I’m located in remote Northern Zambia in the sub-tropic zone near Congo.

I’m assigned to a rural health clinic 56 km from the nearest town. I live in an African village. No, not that national geographic concept I know you just pictured, but a mud-brick hut, grass roof, and no potable water (I use a river some klicks away). There is no electricity. I have a small portable solar panel made by Goal Zero and my steriPEN adventurer opti carrying case which has a solar charger built into it to charge the pen. That keeps me running. Mail (letters and packages) take about a month to get to Mansa, the provincial capital. Then, it’s an 8km hike to the nearest passable road and an hour or more hitchhike in to pick it up.

My RHC – Rural Health Clinic – services a roughly rectangular catchment of 56km x 11km, with a population of 9127. It’s broken into eight zones and I have a monthly outreach cycle of bicycling up to 112km round trip in the African sun for my furthest zone. The staff is spectacular, but…, well it’s difficult. There are three of us. Nine thousand one hundred and twenty seven to three. We’re working on outreach and education to train community health workers and neighborhood health committees for our zones, but it’s slow work.

It keeps us motivated and keeps us moving hard through the area. We’re on the go all the time. There’s never safe drinking water. With the exercise and heat I drink 6 to 7 liters of water a day, and at least five of those liters are purified by my reliable, compact, and hardy SteriPEN!

I’m writing to give you an idea of how important my gear is to me and those I serve. If I’m sick, there’s no one to step up and fill the void, and base prevention – starting with safe water and hygiene – is where my good health starts.

I’ve got to admit when I first bought my SteriPEN I was hesitant. This little thing with this fragile bulb is going to survive the hard life of the African bush? I’d gone out on a limb and bought it off the suggestion of a good friend and fellow humanitarian who used one in South America and swears by it. I trusted him, and I’ve been nothing but impressed and satisfied with the product. The battery is good, has a good power retention rate, although I use it so much I find myself wishing I’d had the cash to buy an extra (I bought just one larger single battery pack). The solar case works well is sturdy and keeps the pen safe n sound when strapped to my bamboo bike rack. More so, the pen itself is hardy, intuitive and simple to use. I don’t feel nervous strapping it to my belt in the included synthetic belt carrier. You just hit one click for a liter, there’s a built in flashlight which automatically turns off, and a water sensor to ensure you aren’t wasting battery. Then there’s a comforting characteristic bright UV purple glow that let’s you know it’s working.

Let me paint you a picture. You are on a sandy, loam soil, trudging along and gulping down water in 90 degree tropical heat and what feels like 95% humidity. Your bottle runs dry.You’ve got another 35 kilometers to go and then 52 to get back to home base.

You’re hunting along and come across an unprotected surface water source. You let out a sigh of relief knowing you’ve got your steriPEN and filter tied to your bag. You grab your bottle, slide in the multi-sized filter, submerge it and fill your bottle with clear water. You slide the filter out, shake it dry, and pull out your SteriPEN. One click and you’re good to go. The indicator is blinking and you know the bottle’s naturally reflective enough to sterilize the mouth with UV. Just 90 seconds later your back on your way with clean, safe drinking water. I do that nearly every day.

It’s really a life saver! More than that it’ll purify 1 liter or .5 liter at a go. Quick, hardy – life saving.

When friends ask what my two most important tools are in my service, I say my mind and my body. Without SteriPEN I might not have either.

I’ll be here in Zambia for the next two years. It can be difficult, but every moment is worth it. I can’t begin to tell you what this experience is like…Or how wonderful and amazing the roller coaster ride is, or what it means to me and the thousands of people I serve. Thanks SteriPEN for being a part of that and supporting me!!!!!