Stories from DR Congo
DR Congo: Finding New Ways to Save Lives
In the rainforests of Beni Territory, families face life-threatening challenges—conflict, forced displacement, and outbreaks of disease. Medair supports 12 health facilities in the region; without them, tens of thousands of people would have no viable way to receive medical care.
Maintaining good hygiene and disinfection practices in these health clinics is essential to keeping vulnerable patients safe from new infections. Yet until recently, it was difficult to obtain enough chlorine for disinfection. The supply was unreliable, and the quality wasn’t always good.
When chlorine is scarce, a clinic can become a high-risk area. “Disinfection is very important, but the need is not always visible, especially as people cannot see with their own eyes when bacteria are killed,” said Yannick, Medair WASH project manager.
Yannick proposed an innovative solution to the problem. Instead of waiting for chlorine to be delivered, what if remote clinics could make their own chlorine? He began experimenting with small, solar-powered WATA kits, developed by the Swiss foundation Antenna Technologies, which convert easy-to-access kitchen salt and filtered water into chlorine through a process of electrolysis. Within hours, he was able to produce enough chlorine to disinfect an entire clinic. He soon began training clinic staff how to safely manufacture high-quality chlorine themselves.
"We can now produce our own chlorine at very low cost" Dr Jude
Yannick proposed an innovative solution to the problem. Instead of waiting for chlorine to be delivered, what if remote clinics could make their own chlorine? He began experimenting with small, solar-powered WATA kits, developed by the Swiss foundation Antenna Technologies, which convert easy-to-access kitchen salt and filtered water into chlorine through a process of electrolysis. Within hours, he was able to produce enough chlorine to disinfect an entire clinic. He soon began training clinic staff how to safely manufacture high-quality chlorine themselves.
“We can now produce our own chlorine at very low cost,” said Dr Jude, the Medical Director of Biakato-Mines clinic. “The supply is reliable, and the quality is good. We have become independent from suppliers and do not need to worry anymore; the chlorine is very strong and always at hand. Thanks to Medair, we can now provide a safe place for our patients always.”
