The Canberra based Abundant Water fund-raising committee was interviewed by Canberra times reporter Megan Doherty about the work that Abundant Water is doing in Lao. This proved to be a great introduction of AW to the Canberra community.

Canberra Times article text:

Abundant Water – a project that grew from the social conscience of a Canberra engineer – is winning supporters from around the world including a French Canadian model and now possibly Yoko Ono.

Thanks to Twitter and Facebook, the reach of the group is extending far beyond the national capital.

Abundant Water is working to bring clean water to the developing world using simple, inexpensive clay filters.

It was started by Canberra engineer Sunny Forsyth, 29, who has taken research by Australian National University lecturer Tony Flynn and applied it to villages in Laos, working with local potters.

Dr Flynn’s work allowed water filters to be made from commonly available materials and fired on the ground using manure, without the need of a kiln.

Bacteria is removed from the water as it drips through the clay filters, reducing the risk of water-borne diseases such as cholera and typhoid. In Laos, used coffee grounds have been found to provide the clay with just the right porosity.

Dr Flynn is happy his work is being used by his former student, Mr Forsyth.

“I’m absolutely delighted that there is interest in it and it is being applied practically and investigated on the ground,” he said.

Four years ago, Mr Forsyth was an engineer with the Defence Department when he decided to spend a year with the Australian Youth Ambassadors for Development program in Laos, initially working for an anti-human-trafficking organisation.

Mr Forsyth said life in Canberra was very comfortable, “but something was missing. I would often ask myself if this was all there was. I had always wanted to make a difference and now I realised this was very important,” he said from Laos. Mr Forsyth has stayed on in Laos to continue work with the water filters, with the possibility the concept may be extended to Indonesia.

Back home, his parents Stuart and Barbara and volunteers including Jennifer Wong and Julian Milthorpe are organising a fund-raiser for Abundant Water next Saturday at Corroboree Park in Ainslie.

Mrs Forsyth said Abundant Water’s high-profile supporters included French Canadian supermodel Judith Bedard. Another Abundant Water supporter was meeting Yoko Ono in New York to garner her support. Mr Milthorpe said, “It’s one of the few projects to which we can contribute some of our time and effort, as opposed to just donating money.”