DUBAI: According to a UNICEF report released in August 2010, more than three million children are at high risk of deadly water-borne diseases in Pakistan, making them the most vulnerable victims of the worst natural disaster in the country’s history. If only the murky water unfit for drinking in these areas could be purified to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards, or the swarms of mosquitoes infesting unclean camps and slum areas could be wiped out, and the innumerable flies carrying diseases such as cholera could be eliminated, thousands of lives could be saved. Vestergaard Frandsen is a humanitarian enterprise that aims to do just that: prevent these diseases by providing simple solutions to grave issues.

Vestergaard Frandsen is a Danish company with headquarters in Switzerland, that produces textile-based devices which help prevent diseases. Vestergaard supplies its products to ministries of health and non-profit organisations, which in turn distribute these commodities to calamity-hit areas in Pakistan, sub-Saharan African countries, as well as many other developing nations around the world. One of its products, LifeStraw, a simple water-filter has been supplied in the flood-affected areas of Pakistan to good effect.

Following is an exclusive interview with Patrick Sieyes, regional director at Vestergaard Frandsen in Dubai, UAE.

Q: How did Vestergaard Frandsen come about? What was the motivation behind it?

A: Vestergaard Frandsen is a family-owned company, established in 1957 in Denmark. It originally produced workmen’s clothing for the hotel and catering industry but as it was passed down to the younger generation, the current CEO, Mikkel Vestergaard Frandsen decided to move toward the aid and development sector. As he travelled through sub-Saharan African countries and various developing nations, he recognised the need for an entrepreneurial outlook to social work. Mikkel Frandsen discussed the shift with his father and the company began working as a humanitarian enterprise, and hasn’t looked back since.

We now supply innovative and potentially life-saving devices like the LifeStraw, PermaNet, ZeroFly and ZeroVector to a number of countries across the globe. We also actively work towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) identified by the United Nations (UN).

Q: What exactly is LifeStraw and how does it work? How long has it been around?

A: LifeStraw (Family) is a point-of-use water treatment system intended for routine use in low income settings. It can filter up to 18,000 litres of water, enough to supply a family of five with microbiologically clean water for three years.

It is based on the latest technology in this field, the capillary membrane. This membrane is pre-programmed to physically block parasites, bacteria and viruses and it complies with the US EPA standards; i.e. 99.9% of all three types of pathogens (infectious germs and agents) are blocked.

The science behind it is similar to that of an industrial sieve, but since viruses are minute – between 0.001 and 0.004 microns, to block them, the pore-size it requires is infinitesimal. This is a proven science and one of the most cost-effective ways of providing safe drinking water, especially in the case of an acute emergency, since it is portable and durable, does not require electricity or a running water supply and is fairly easy to operate.

LifeStraw Family, the newest version of LifeStraw has been around for about two and a half years.

Q: By your estimate, how many people in the flood-affected areas of Pakistan have been supplied LifeStraw? How can people get involved and get LifeStraw in the hands of those who need them?

A: 300,000 people already have access to Lifestraw (Family). That means 125 billion litres of microbiologically clean water over the next three years. In terms of units, we have already deployed 100,000 units and another 150,000 are in the pipeline - soon to be supplied to these areas.

On how any individual can make a difference, we are currently collaborating with a group of young and passionate people with excellent project-management skills called the Karachi Relief Trust (KRT), who will distribute 50,000 LifeStraws. We will soon have a button on our website that will directly take you to the KRT website where anyone can sponsor a LifeStraw Family for Rs. 2500.

Q: How much more does the community need to do in order to create a significant drop in the number of cases of water-borne diseases?

A: We need to recognise that water-borne diseases in Pakistan have been rife for many years, and recent statistics state that there are already in excess of one million cases of water-borne diseases in the country.  Only 10 per cent have access to clean drinking water and the masses, i.e., 90 per cent don’t. This problem has never been addressed and now is the time, a critical opportunity in fact, to raise this issue and to solve it.

When I went down to the camps in Thatta and Makli, I interviewed a lot of people. People were coming to the medical camps with a lot of ailments, and the doctor there very clearly said, “These people have never had access to medical treatment. Now they have medical camps where they are offered a free medical service, so of course they will seek help for all sorts of illnesses that probably existed long before the floods.” So one thing is for sure – the diseases were already there. But the tremendous amount of water in these areas because of the flood – has dramatically increased their occurrence. So how much more do we need to do to create a significant difference? A whole lot more, because a deep-rooted problem panning generations, needs to be solved.

Q: Tell us something about some of Vestergaard’s other products.

A: PermaNet is a mosquito net that has insecticide impregnated into the yarn, and has been recommended by WHO for the prevention and control of malaria. It is washable and lasts up to three years, and can protect a family of five from mosquitoes. Our other product, ZeroVector, is like a wall-paper – a thin sheet of woven shade cloth impregnated with insecticide which is installed on the walls of a hut or house to offer protection from diseases such as malaria and dengue. We also produce ZeroFly, which is another type of insecticide-incorporated plastic sheeting. CarePack, another one of our products is a box which comprises of evidence-based interventions designed to improve the health of HIV-infected individuals and their families.

Q: How many countries have been supplied these products?

A: We have supplied our products to over a hundred countries and territories including African countries, Pakistan, India and Afghanistan. We have fourteen offices in ten countries including Kenya, South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria, UAE, India and Europe and North America, so we are able to supply super fast when there is an emergency in any region.

Q: Has there been a decrease in the spread of diseases that Vestergaard aims to prevent? If so, by how much?

A: We have played a pivotal role in the elimination of guinea worm (a parasite infection that is brought about by drinking stagnant water). We partnered with Jimmy Carter’s Carter Center in the Guinea Worm Eradication Programme (GWEP) and supplied 23 million LifeStraws in all parts of Africa.

We are the world’s largest suppliers of long-lasting mosquito nets. When I started working at Vestergaard seven years ago, we produced one million mosquito nets per year. We now produce 120 million. The scaling has been tremendous, and 200 million PermaNets have been supplied to African countries where malaria was an endemic. At the end of 2010, we are to achieve access to 60 per cent of our target population. There has been a documented decrease in the amount of malaria cases over the past six years. [Malariajournal.com supports this claim by stating that 39 studies in Africa from 1986 – 2007 prove that malaria cases have seen drops between 22 – 44 per cent.]

According to a 2006 review by Cochrane Collaboration, water filters were found to be the most effective household interventions in preventing diarrhoea, with an average 63 per cent reduction. And a field study by Clasen T. et al in rural Ethiopia over eight months involving 1516 individuals, showed a 25 per cent reduction in diarrhoea cases after the usage of LifeStraw.

Q: Social entrepreneurship can be exciting and rewarding at the same time. To what extent is it financially viable?

A: I’d say very financially viable for us as a company. Our business model is unique: that of a humanitarian enterprise, which means that yes, we are doing business, but we’re in the business of doing good and saving lives. We realise the need to make a profit, but our profit is very much for a purpose. Our model needs to be sustainable one, both for business as well for the donors we supply to, and gladly, we have been able to achieve that.

Q: It is true that prevention is better than cure, but how cost-effective is it to distribute products such as LifeStraw, CarePack, PermaNet for health ministries or NGOs? For instance, a LifeStraw (Family) costs around $25...

A: I feel it’s very important to discuss this point. Cost-effectiveness can be measured in many different ways. It can be measured in terms of dollars; for instance, the cost of deploying and distributing life-saving products to hard to reach rural areas. On the other hand, it can also be measured in terms of health – of life. A tool that helps to prevent disease is actually a much cheaper solution than treating a disease after it is diagnosed.

Since we align ourselves to the funding available, it is essential to look at things from the point of view of donors as well. After the financial crisis, there is lesser money available to donate and donors are very particular about the type of aid they give, more demanding and we must ensure that our product is efficient as well as cost-effective.

Q: In order to supply to developing nations where most do not have access to electricity and the people face numerous other problems, your products must be must be simple, easy-to-use and should be sustainable – how is this achieved?

A: We work entirely for solving the problems of the masses in developing countries, and we devise volume solutions which would be practical in an emergency.

Our company has four core values that help us achieve our high standards: ‘imagineering’ (a combination of engineering and imagination), precision, passionate people and speed of response. The quicker we act at the time of an emergency, the better it is for us.

We are a company who makes no claims of its own, because we base everything on science, and all our products are thoroughly tested by reputable organizations and universities such as the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, John Hopkins University, CDC Atlanta(Center for Disease Control), University of Arizona and Emory University Atlanta. We would never allow a product to be released to the market unless it lives up to our own standards.

Q: How did you get involved with Vestergaard Frandsen? Tell us about yourself.

A: I yearn passionately to make a difference to regions where just malaria and water-borne diseases, if not addressed, can easily become the most prolific killers. I joined the company seven years ago and what attracted me was that my role would be fundamental to establishing a foothold for Vestergaard in the Middle East.

I belong to a truly multi-cultural background, and hold three passports, English, Irish and Brazilian and speak six languages. I have lived in 10 countries, so I do not follow a flag; rather I consider myself a global citizen.

Q: How did you find the reaction of the Pakistani public to the flood relief?

A: I have been travelling to Pakistan for the past six years and I have always found the people of Pakistan passionate, energetic and willing to help. I knew from the earthquake of 2005 that Pakistanis are quick to get on their feet when disaster strikes and this time was no different. The students volunteered, the people got together – the spirit of philanthropy in the country is simply commendable. And the fact that it was Ramazan really helped as people donated their zakat to the flood-relief. We, at Vestergaard Frandsen, were receiving up to 250 emails per day from people inquiring how LifeStraw could be supplied to the affected areas.

On the downside though, aid is commercialised in Pakistan as people sell aid commodities at double the prices. Corruption, of course is another evil of society which needs to addressed.

When I went to Karachi a few weeks back, I visited Machar Colony. The condition there is the worst I have ever seen – absolutely deplorable. There are vendors selling food, but you can’t see the food because of the flies that swarm it! I am eager to bring about a positive change in such communities, where a simple solution like ZeroFly can wipe out flies and prevent a number of health problems as a result.

- Mehmudah Rehman, in Dubai, contributed for Dawn.com