“staying home saves lives”
One afternoon, my father brought home the masks that were being distributed to factory workers. Curious to see how masks work, I deconstructed it piece by piece. I was surprised: when I blew air into one side of the filter found in the mask, I could feel the same force of air coming out through the other side.
These were the best masks that the factory owner could find. When going through a medical emergency, everybody's attention veers to panic buying food supplies and masks.
What happens to the more impoverished individuals within our society who can't afford to buy adequate protection? Those who still have to go out and earn money for their family - even amidst this pandemic?
After many hours of extensive research, here was what I sought out to do:
1. Find a source for cotton and adequate filters
2. Learn how to most effectively sew these materials to offer optimum protection for the user
3. Teach other people how to do so and spread the movement
4. Donate all these masks to those impoverished communities
I collaborated with the Knit and Stitch club and Mr Calvert's Social Impacts class, spreading posters and a homemade instructional video throughout the school. Within 3 days, offers from teachers and students came, pouring in to help out.
I can proudly say that we have made 120 masks each with 1 micron filters and are donating the first wave on the 28th of April. Together with the JIS community, we are in the process of making more. The spirit of the JIS community is the collaboration that is needed to support our community during these unprecedented times.