Ron Rivera, “Pied Piper” for clean water, dies of malaria
Ron Rivera spent his life traveling through Latin America, Africa, and Asia teaching communities how to purify their water. Shown how to construct his famous bacteria-killing, silver-coated clay pot by Guatemalan chemist Fernando Mazariegos, Rivera dedicated twenty-five years to the practice.
Using simple technology, Rivera’s pots eliminate at least 98 percent of the contaminants that cause diarrhea. According to the New York Times, a recent study shows that they halve incidences of diarrhea in Cambodia.
Rivera also worked with charities and non-governmental organizations. He joined Potters for Peace and helped to start microenterprises in thirty different communities.
“I saw Ron as a Pied Piper,” Robert Pillers, the treasurer of Potters for Peace, told the New York Times. “He had the capacity to draw people in and then give them the means to accomplish something.”
Read more here.
Source: New York Times
What a great life of serving others.
I just learned about a new initiative to bring clean water to communities that need it..
The American Chemistry Council has got a site with an easy quiz about the history of water chlorination; for every correct answer they donate money toward water purification in W. Africa.
Check it out; it’s here: http://www.americanchemistry.com/100years/index.html