The children from 1st to 6th classes were today treated to talks from Prof. Kevin McGuigan from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. Kevin is a physicist who has been working for 20 years or more on the SODIS (Solar Disinfection of Water) project in many developing countries around the world. The project has helped introduce a means to treat unsafe water so that it is safe to drink. The process involves exposing clear containers of the unsafe water to direct sunlight (which is in plentiful supply in most developing countries) and thereby killing off all waterborne diseases and threats to human health. Surprisingly simple perhaps, but this process has helped reduce sicknesses, mortality rates, school absenteeism in these countries and has even meant that children have developed according to expected developmental milestones as there bodies better absorb nutrients than previously was the case.

You can access more about this work that Kevin has done by viewing his TED talk here and at: http://www.waterspoutt.eu/