Couple's Ingenious Solution Tackles Deadly but Overlooked Hygiene Danger; Tour Starts April 2
Contact: Darin Campbell,
512-785-8350;
dributts.com/pressroom
DOUGLASVILLE, Ga., March 30, 2016 /Christian Newswire/ -- Michael Wahl and his wife, Starla, are launching the "#StopTheCrap Movement" to highlight a deadly, but often ignored global danger to daily health and hygiene – the indiscriminate spread of untreated fecal matter from naked babies who simply crawl around. Their tour of 10 states starts April 2.
Photo: Baby tests DriButts diaper designed by Michael Wahl, founder of the '#StoptheCrap Movement.' For more information on tour locations and dates, go to www.dributts.com/stopthecrap.
Wahl said his realization came as he installed water filtration systems during a church mission trip in Haiti.
"A mama was holding on to a baby that was naked, and she bent down and picked up the fecal matter with her hand and threw it out of the house," Wahl said. "I realized that without diapers, babies were creating the conditions for a host of deadly diseases simply by moving around in their own homes."
Wahl designed a high-tech diaper, which he named DriButts (www.dributts.com), specially suited for use in impoverished areas. His "#StoptheCrap Movement" is attempting as a nonprofit to raise $60,000 in 60 days to manufacture 30,000 DriButts diapers for distribution to 15,000 families. The first stop on the tour is Kingsport, Tenn.
Wahl knows how deadly untreated fecal matter can be. Through research, he found that more than 80 percent of diseases in the world are due to poor sanitation, and that more than two million children die each year from fecal-related diseases. The variety of maladies includes cholera, dysentery, typhoid fever, Hepatitis A and E, norovirus, tapeworms and waterborne illnesses.
"I knew I had to do something," Wahl said, adding that he needed to have a diaper to distribute, but also one that was easy to use in impoverished areas.
Cloth diapers are inexpensive and easy to find, but they have to be washed in high temperatures to remove bacteria, and they can take hours to dry. Disposable diapers are expensive, bulky and require an established delivery system to be effective. In areas with no history of diaper use, adding significantly to the household workload would be unlikely to win many converts.
What Wahl and his wife did was create a diaper that is durable, easy to use, easy to clean and quick drying.
"Last year, we distributed 3,000 diapers, primarily in Haiti," Wahl said. "This year, our target is 10,000 diapers, and we are looking to expand into Africa."
Wahl's patent-pending design uses a dri-wick outer shell with a pocket that holds an absorbent insert made from bamboo and other fabrics that are soft and bacteria-resistant. The outer shell has adjustable snaps to fit most children under 2, and the insert is specially designed to retain liquid and be breathable at the same time.
"The diaper inserts are a game changer," said Wahl. "We teach mothers how to use them and why they're a good idea. The diapers can be washed in a bucket and dry in less than an hour in a hot climate, ready for its next use."
Wahl started DriButts to manufacture and distribute his signature product, DriButts diapers. His ministry raises money through church events, sales to other groups and donations. He sends photos of families receiving diaper donations back to donors.
Wahl is hoping that his "#StopTheCrap Movement" will help his simple solution to a complex hygiene and public service problem catch on.
"We are praying that our ministry grows, there are literally millions of families around the world that could benefit."
DriButts (www.dributts.com) is a nonprofit that manufacturers and distributes DriButts diapers, an innovative approach to improving hygiene and public health in impoverished areas around the world.
For a video demonstrating the DriButts diapers, go to https://vimeo.com/160859502.
#StopTheCrap Movement Dates
(Go to www.dributts.com/stopthecrap for latest information. Some locations/times TBD.)
South
April 2-3
Nutty Java
www.thenuttyjava.com
Kingsport, TN 7p.m.
April 4
Cafe 4
www.4marketsquare.com/cafe4
Knoxville, TN 7p.m.
April 6
Birmingham, AL 7p.m.
April 7
Pike Road, AL 7p.m.
April 9
Villages, FL 7p.m.
April 10
New Life Presbyterian Church
www.newlifefp.org
Fruitland Park, FL 11a.m.
Atlanta
April 12
Irish Bred Pub
www.irishbreddouglasville.com
Douglasville, GA 7p.m.
May 2
Octane Coffee
www.octanecoffee.com
Grant Park, GA 7p.m.
May 3
Hope Church
www.placeofhope.org
Dallas, GA 7p.m.
May 5
Daily Grind
www.dailygrindnews.com
Marietta, GA 7p.m.
May 11
Audio Intersection
www.audiointersection.com
Canton, GA 7p.m.
May 19
Mountain View Church
www.mountainviewmarietta.com
Marietta, GA 7p.m.
North/East
May 24
Kentucky
May 25
Hope Missionary Church
www.hope4thefamily.com
Bluffton, IN 7p.m.
May 26-27
NY/NJ
May 29
CT
June 2
Oakdale UMC
www.oakdale.church/olney
Olney, MD Time TBD
