Final Report Of Water Filter Distribution – Karuk Tribe
The Karuk Tribe is a Native American tribe located in northern California, primarily in the Klamath River region. They are one of several indigenous groups in the state of California and have a rich cultural heritage and history. The Karuk Tribe’s traditional territory encompasses parts of northern California, including Humboldt County, Siskiyou County, and Trinity County. The Klamath River and its tributaries are central to their homeland. The Karuk Tribe, like many Native American communities, faces contemporary challenges such as healthcare, education, economic development, and maintaining their cultural traditions in the modern world. The Orleans Community Service District has issued a BOIL WATER advisory and it is in effect until further notice.
Water Charity sent a large number of Sawyer hollow membrane filters to the Karuk Tribe in March of 2023. Water Charity has been working with the Yurok Tribe on a similar program, to view the details CLICK HERE.
We have arranged for the distribution of 270 water filters through the Office of Emergency Services. Orleans continues to be on a Boil Notice which has been ongoing for quite some time. Notices went out to Tribal members in the Orleans with assistance to install the filters with the households currently dealing with “boil water notices.” We demonstrated the proper use of the filters and ensure that they are maintained. With a small amount of back flushing, these filters can last nearly forever. The Karuk Orleans Health Clinic was the main distribution point for filters that Tribal Elders, Tribal Members, and Community could pick up. Fact sheets and instructions were also given out.
Project Manager:
Darrell Frost, Emergency Manager, Karuk Tribe
Distribution Points:
Orleans Medical Clinic
Happy Camp Senior Nutrition Center
Office of Emergency Services
Karuk Tribal Reunion
Project impact:
This project has impacted 270 households – Approximately 500-550 people.
Outcomes:
The tribal lands and communities have been ravaged by wildfires over several years with significant damage to our watersheds causing significant issues with water resources in our communities.
On May 28th 2023, their main water systems were overrun by flash floods and slides that went in the main source of water for the Happy Camp area. Citizens were given notice to boil water until further notice. Water in their homes was brown and unusable. During the next month and a half, Water Charity was able to distribute bottled water and water filters.
There were very little issues other than distribution was slower than expected. We were able to overcome this by getting the word out through flyers and social media.
Current Status:
Orleans community is still under a water boil notice.
Happy Camp’s water boil notice was lifted on June 24th, 2023.
The funds for this project has been advanced by Water Charity. This project has been completed. All the filters have been distributed. But boil water notices continue on the Klamath and the neighboring tribes are still in need of better water. We are still raising funds to expand this work to all of these tribes! Kindly make your contributions/donations using the donate button below:
Note:
We are thankful to our Tribal Council for their assistance with this grant and want to thank Water Charity for their commitment to helping Native American Tribal Nations. It was a lifesaver, and we are grateful to have been able to provide for our tribal communities.
This project has been completed. To read about the beginning of the project, CLICK HERE.
The availability of clean water is considered a basic human right, yet in many places, including the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), access to clean water remains a significant challenge. More than one billion people in developing regions still lack access to safe water sources, leading to severe health issues. Every year, 2-3 million children under the age of five die due to diarrheal diseases, often contracted from contaminated water sources, with nearly 90 percent of these fatalities occurring among young children. Shockingly, an estimated 4,500 to 6,000 children perish daily due to water-related diseases. The World Health Organization reports that approximately half of the developing world’s population is affected by six major diseases related to inadequate water supply and sanitation: diarrhoea, ascaris, dracunculiasis, hookworm, schistosomiasis, and trachoma. Nearly half of the people in the Marshall Islands are at risk of consuming contaminated water, affecting around 20,000 individuals. While some have access to improved water sources, only 58.8% of households employ proper water treatment methods, leaving the remaining 41.2% vulnerable to waterborne diseases.
The Marshall Islands face a critical shortage of fresh water, with a majority of households (about 79%) relying on rainwater catchments for drinking water. This means that roughly 80% of the total population, or approximately 42,854 individuals, heavily depend on collected rainwater for their water needs. Sadly, island water sources suffer from bacterial pollution, as evidenced by samples from Majuro’s water company piping system showing contamination by total coliform and E. coli, both resulting from human and animal waste, leading to illnesses. Astonishingly, household water sources exhibit similar levels of contamination as urban areas, contributing to the increasing prevalence of waterborne diseases. Gastroenteritis ranks as the third most common cause of hospitalization among children under 5 years old in the Marshall Islands, with one in three Marshallese children experiencing stunted growth. Diarrhoea and intestinal parasites play a significant role in childhood malnutrition by reducing food intake, impairing nutrient absorption, causing direct nutrient loss, and weakening the immune system. Climate change exacerbates these challenges, with the Marshall Islands experiencing more frequent freshwater crises, including severe droughts in 2013 and 2016, where some individuals survived on less than a liter of water per person per day.
Project Details
The objective of this project is to identify sustainable and socially viable solutions to address the problems associated with contaminated water. Various purification methods such as chlorination, distillation, boiling, sedimentation, and high-tech filters have been employed, but they encounter obstacles like high costs, maintenance requirements, reliance on fossil fuels, and long waiting periods. Our proposed solution involves distributing an affordable and effective water filter, the Sawyer One Point System, which operates without electricity and is both sustainable and environmentally friendly.
Phase I of the project positively impacted nearly 14,000 people across 21 of the 23 inhabited atolls in the RMI, excluding Majuro and Ebeye. Phase II extended its reach to 33,000 residents in the urban centers of Majuro and Ebeye. This initiative aims to reduce waterborne diseases stemming from unsafe water and water scarcity, including scabies, diarrhea, and typhoid, while also addressing water quality issues. It aligns with national frameworks and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6, which seeks to ensure the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.
Project Summary
Regarding project implementation, the Marshall Islands consist of 7,738 households, with over half residing in Majuro and Ebeye. Phase I prioritized the 22 outer island communities, focusing on the most vulnerable populations. Phase II expanded its efforts to Majuro and Ebeye, reaching 33,000 more individuals.
Water Charity collaborated with the KIO, the national government, local community leaders, and organizations to identify families in need of clean water filters. Recipients were educated on the importance of safe drinking water and proper hygiene, and the filters were installed with the help of various stakeholders. Ongoing costs were minimal, with local authorities and recipients entrusted with the long-term maintenance of the filters. The project aims to distribute filters to every household in need in the Marshall Islands.
In February 2023, the project – Water is Life! successfully conducted water filter awareness consultations on Ebeye, distributing tap filters and bucket filters to households, churches, and schools. The initiative reached various communities, and follow-up surveys are planned to assess the effectiveness of the filters. The project is on the verge of providing 100% access to clean and safe water in the Marshall Islands.
Phase II, spanning from 2021 to 2023, targeted urban households in Majuro and Ebeye, distributing 900 filter systems on Ebeye and 3,968 filters on Majuro. Initial funding of $15,000 from Water Charity, facilitated this phase. Majuro Do it Best Company shipped filters from the U.S. mainland to Majuro and Ebeye Island. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Ministry of Health and Human Services provided additional funding to cover travel expenses for members to travel from Majuro to Ebeye. Faucet filters were chosen for Ebeye, as most homes had access to household faucet systems. Training workshops and assistance with water filter distribution were conducted on the ground.
In Majuro, filter distribution began in Laura Village, extending to Rita, Delap, and Jenrok communities, with nearly 3,000 filters distributed to households by mid-July 2023. The project held a dinner event to acknowledge the collective efforts of those involved in ensuring access to clean and safe water for all communities in the Marshall Islands.
As of July 2023, Phase II has distributed an additional 5,000 water filters to urban households on Ebeye and Majuro, benefiting 33,000 more Marshallese individuals. Since the inception of the Dren In Mour project in 2018, nearly 8,000 water filters have been distributed across all communities in the Marshall Islands, fulfilling the goal of United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6 on water. The project’s success has been made possible through collaboration and commitment from various project partners.
Phase III, planned for 2023-2024, aims to improve drinking water systems in public schools in the Marshall Islands, furthering the mission of providing clean and safe water to all residents. Despite significant infrastructure improvements in public schools, many still lack adequate access to safe drinking water.
Beneficiary Testimonials
Ronnie Lia Graham mentioned “It’s dry in Rearlaplap now and this filter is saving lives….I drank coconut and waini for 3 days coz of no water in the house I stay at. That bucket with filter works! Wish I had my iPad with me to take pics.”
Ekta Madan said “I am highly motivated to present my testimony of this filter before all of you and how it has changed my life. Earlier I used to fetch water from town to my place of stay in Rairok which was really cumbersome and expensive too including the taxi fare. I had to find out ways every week to have safe storage of water for my domestic use. It was a life-changing moment for me few weeks ago when I was introduced to this new tap filter by Ms Monique Strauss. The problem of purchasing filtered water bottles no longer exists I am using this safe small filter every day to fill my water from my catchment on a regular basis. So far I have not found any physical illness due to consumption of water using this filter but I feel more empowered as it saves my time, money and efforts to spend on drinking water which is our natural resource. DREN IN MOUR. Thanks to all the project people for providing this valuable filter to all people in Majuro.”
Molly Murphy stated “The Water is Life project is hands down one of the most valuable projects implemented in our communities and we at MIEPI feel privileged to have been able to provide some support. I for one am a recipient of the water filter distributed here in Ajeltake. The filter has improved life for my family in many ways. We no longer need to haul heavy water jugs between Ajetake and town just so we can access clean drinking water. It has also saved us money.”
We gave clean water to an entire small island today in the Marshall Islands! We’re about to reach the finish line of border to border clean water!
The finish line recipients for border-to-border clean water in the Marshall Islands!
A little girl who is eager to learn how to use filters.
Training people on effective use of water filters.
Water filter Distribution.
Hands-on practice to use filters.
It’s easy to clean filters for the long run.
The funds for this program have been advanced by Water Charity. Your donation using the Donate button will ensure that we have funds available to accomplish this project. Kindly donate using the button.
This project has been completed. To read about the beginning of the project, CLICK HERE.
#WaterisLife! One of the last recipients of clean drinking water in The Marshall Islands
With new developments in filter technology, we can now provide needy communities with long-lasting, effective water filters that can provide up to 2000 gallons of water a day… for a reasonable price.
We are very excited about this program, which will include individual projects all over the world. The need for these filters is great, and there is almost no limit to the number of wonderful new filters we can distribute as the funds become available.
Trying the Filtered Water
Keep in mind:
80% of all disease is water-borne
Lack of clean drinking water is the leading preventable cause of death worldwide
443 million school days are lost each year due to water-related illness
6.3 million children under the age of five died in 2013
As an addition to our current roster of successful programs in water and sanitation, which have included well drilling, rainwater catchment, toilet and handwashing station construction, emergency relief, reforestation efforts and more–including a good number of filter projects–as well as our acclaimed Appropriate Projects initiative, this new program will be an umbrella for our worldwide push to get these new filters into the hands of those people who desperately need them. It will include all relevant projects, large and small… thus enabling people to donate to the overall effort.
There is no need for these statistics to be true anymore. We have all the tools we need to completely eliminate this suffering and waste of life. The predominant victims of this terrible situation are young children. These kids deserve a chance.
The projects in this program will be upwardly scalable, and as such, the more money we can raise, the more filters we can give out. Instead of creating and packaging the individual filter delivery projects one by one and funding them separately, it makes sense to raise as much money as possible and keep the filters flowing. In this way, we can also get larger grants from foundations and concerned organizations. We fully expect that this program will grow into the largest thing we have done.
For those interested in the filter technology we are presently proposing, please feel free to go to the Sawyer website and peruse the relevant materials. We will be implementing primarily their Point One filter, but for hospitals, clinics and other sites we will also be making the Point Zero Two purifier available. [note: normally viruses are not a major issue for drinking water.]
This is an exciting program, and we hope you will see the need for it and join in. Water Charity is currently active in over 60 countries around the world. As the money comes in we will take the Filters for Life – Worldwide program into all of them and beyond.
If there are certain regions where you are especially interested in helping, it will be possible to donate specifically for those countries or areas. Just send us a message with your donation. However, we are hoping people will recognize that a general donation to the program itself will be the most effective way to get the maximum number of filters out in the shortest amount of time.
We are water… literally. The human body is about 70% water by mass, and a typical human cell is composed of 98.73% water molecules.
Individual FFL projects in their entirety can be found HERE, and are listed at the bottom of THIS page. Please consider supporting this monumental effort.
This project has been completed. To read about the beginning of the project, CLICK HERE.
Water Charity has partnered with and supported Kora in Okrane (KIO), a non-profit charitable organization in the Marshall Islands, which in July 2018 launched an initiative to provide every single household, school, and dispensary in the outer islands with SAWYER Point One Water Filter Systems.
Water Charity is one among a number of partners that have been supporting the KIO’s initiatives including the United Nations Development Program and GEF Program, RMI government, SDG Committee, Ministry of Health and Human Services, Ministry of Natural Resources and Commerce, Environmental Protection Authority, and Women United Together Marshall Islands.
Since 2018, KIO distributed filters to all the outer Islands. Its partnership with Water Charity will help KIO reach the last urban areas in the Marshall Islands. In 2021, the last remaining areas left to distribute water filtration systems were Majuro and Ebeye.
After completing Majuro, KIO started Phase 2 with the Launch of the Ebeye Component. Ebeye has 10,000 residents and is the second most populated jurisdiction in the Marshalls. The team from Majuro joined members on Ebeye for a week in early March, to train the women volunteers and conduct community consultations.
It was serendipitous timing because, on April 19th, 2022, the Ebeye Hospital Syndromic Surveillance reported of a diarrheal outbreak. The laboratory department confirmed the presence of Entamoeba Cysts (E‐cysts): a microscopic parasite that spreads through human feces and causes diarrhea, nausea, and weight loss.
A landmark child nutrition survey in 2017 by the Republic of Marshall Islands and UNICEF found serious malnutrition among Marshallese children, with stunting prevalent among one‐in‐three children, with links to poor sanitation and lack of clean water. Ebeye is known to be one of the most compactly populated places with no clean and safe water where waterborne diseases have been a pervasive threat.
The project allowed the distribution of water filters to eleven villages. Household-level surveys, as well as community-wide consultation and training, were conducted prior to distributing the filters.
To read details about the Water filter distribution – Marshall Islands, CLICK HERE.
It is hard to comprehend the scale of the flood disaster in Pakistan, the 5th most populated nation in the world. Nearly 1600 dead, 1 million houses were damaged or destroyed, and over 60,000,000 people were displaced. 1/3 of the country is underwater. The extent of the August flooding in Pakistan was unprecedented.
As the floodwater slowly recedes, a new disaster is emerging as tens of thousands grapple with diseases such as diarrhea, dysentery, dengue fever, cholera, and malaria. And it is the nation’s poorest that are most vulnerable. Every day children die from dehydration or from diseases due to drinking contaminated water: like cholera, an acute diarrheal illness contracted by drinking water contaminated with bacteria.
More than 10 children die every day at the Mother and Child Healthcare Hospital in Pakistan’s Sindh province alone, according to doctors at the facility – all from water-related ailments stemming from this summer’s devastating floods.
Moreover, there are an estimated 650,000 pregnant women without homes or access to healthcare, with around 100,000 due within the month of October.
“Many children are not even reaching hospitals because the medical facilities they could access are either underwater or just not accessible,” said Aadarsh Leghari, UNICEF’s Communication Officer in Pakistan.
Pakistan’s residents are at extreme risk of waterborne diseases and need support immediately. Water Charity, along with partners Wine to Water and Sawyer International, as well as the cooperation and coordination of our Liberia team, has funded the distribution of thousands of Sawyer (hollow-membrane) water filters to the affected regions in Pakistan. Please use the button below to donate to our efforts in providing water filters to those suffering in the aftermath of the floods in Pakistan. The more we can send, the more lives we can save.
At the end of July, after working with the Yurok tribe in the past, Water Charity heard that some of its members were served a boil water notice. The water was not safe to drink without boiling it.
Working with Sawyer Water Filters, Water Charity ensured that every household on the Yurok Reservation received a filter for their tap; more than 900 Yurok households received water faucet-attached filters.
The filters are capable of filtering up to 500 gallons of water per day. Filters were installed for Yurok tribal members in Klamath as well as upriver in Weitchpec.
The contamination stems from the conditions of the district’s water storage tank in Klamath. The tank had been severely damaged in 2017 when part of a dead tree fell on its roof.
The Yurok Tribe, citing the State Water Resources Control Board, stated the tank’s condition “creates a significant sanitary risk to the drinking water customers.”
To read details about the Final Report Of Water Filter Distribution – Karuk Tribe, CLICK HERE.
See Our Past Work with the Yurok Tribeby CLICKING HERE or on the image below.
The Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) comprises a series of 29 coral atolls and five islands in the Pacific just north of the equator. This tiny republic of some 53,000 inhabitants has major water supply challenges, particularly on the two main islands, Majuro (28,000 people in 970 ha at 6.8 people per household) and Ebeye, (10,000 people in 40 ha at 8.4 people per household).
The Marshall Islands were a Spanish colony until they became a German protectorate in the late 1800s. During WWI, Japan occupied the Marshall Islands. After the war, Germany was forced to renounce all of its Pacific possessions, including the Marshall Islands. In 1920, the League of Nations approved the South Seas Mandate for Japan to take over all former German colonies in the Pacific. During WWII, in 1944, The United States invaded and occupied the islands. Following capture and occupation by the United States, the Marshall Islands, along with several other island groups located in Micronesia, passed formally to the United States in 1947.
From 1946 to 1958, the early years of the Cold War, the United States tested 67 nuclear weapons at its Pacific Proving Grounds located in the Marshall Islands. In 1956, the U.S. Atomic Energy commission regarded the Marshall Islands as “by far the most contaminated place in the world.” In 1979, the Government of the Marshall Islands was officially established and the country became self-governing. With climate change, rising sea levels are now threatening the islands.
RMI’s Water Problems
For the Republic of Marshall Islands (RMI) as a whole, the supply of natural freshwater is severely limited. The primary source of freshwater is rain which (due to the low elevation of the atolls and islands) soaks directly into the soil and disperses into saltwater which permeates atoll subsoils. In some favorable locations some of the freshwater may accumulate and float on the saltwater below and can be accessed with wells. The major issues and concerns related to overall water management in the RMI are insufficient quantity. Various studies have identified that Majuro’s current 36.5 million gallon reservoir capacity as insufficient and should be doubled in order to help meet growing demand.
The two main water utilities, MWSC on Majuro and Kajur on Ebeye, continue to face great challenges in delivering quality water and services on a consistent and reliable basis. Contamination and pollution are real and present threats to water resources everywhere, including in the water systems, in the groundwater (especially in urban areas), in household catchments, and in coastal areas. For Outer Island households, the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has dramatically increased its water quality testing in recent years and has revealed that a high percentage of home water catchments are contaminated, this also is the case in the urban centers. This, in turn, supports the data that show a high and increasing prevalence of water-borne diseases.
Contaminated Water & Health Outcomes
Recent surveys by EPA states high levels of contamination in water catchments across many outer island communities and while methods of treatment are taught at the household level, many are still drinking water straight from the source. As a result, Gastroenteritis is rampant in the Marshall Islands and is the third leading cause of hospital visits for children under the age of 5. Similarly, the RMI has seen outbreaks of Cholera, Typhoid, and Conjunctivitis in the recent past yet little national effort has been made to address and improve water quality in the RMI for both urban and outer island communities.
Water Charity Partners with Kora in Okrane
Water Charity has partnered with and supported Kora in Okrane (KIO), a non-profit charitable organization in the Marshall Islands, which in July 2018 launched an initiative to provide every single household, school, and dispensary in the outer islands with SAWYER Point One Water Filter Systems.
Water Charity is one among a number of partners that have been supporting the KIO’s initiatives including the United Nations Development Program and GEF Program, RMI government, SDG Committee, Ministry of Health and Human Services, Ministry of Natural Resources and Commerce, Environmental Protection Authority, and Women United Together Marshall Islands.
Since 2018, KIO distributed filters to all the outer Islands. Its partnership with Water Charity will help KIO reach the last urban areas in the Marshall Islands: the last remaining areas left to distribute water filtration systems are Majuro and Ebeye.
This project has been completed. To read about Ebeye Water Filter Distribution, CLICK HERE.
To read details about the Water filter distribution – Marshall Islands, CLICK HERE.
This project is made possible with the partnership of Water Charity & The Yurok NationLocation
Yurok Nation, Humboldt County, Northwest California, USA
Community Description
Yurok Indian Reservation is located from the confluence of the Klamath and Trinity Rivers in the Village of Weych-pues (Weitchpec) and follows the Klamath into the ocean at the village of Requa (part of the town of Klamath) in what is now Humboldt & Del Norte Counties in Northwest California. Many of the Pu-lik-lah or Yurok People’s Ancestral Territory included villages here on the River as well as on the Pacific Coast from what is now Little River (close to town of McKinleyville, CA) to Damnation Creek (just north of Klamath, CA).
The Reservation is approximately 350 miles north of San Francisco and approximately 450 miles south of Portland, OR. The upper ancestral territory shares boundaries with two other Tribes; the Karuk People that live along the Klamath and the Hupa who live on the Trinity River. The lower portion of the reservation neighbors villages of the Tolowa People to the North and Wiyot to the south on the coast. Yuroks also neighbored with the Chilula People of the Redwood Creek watershed. Significant bodies of water within Yurok Ancestral Territory include the Rivers, its many tributaries, approximately 3 lagoons, and the Pacific Ocean. The coastal Redwood rainforest is one of the most integral parts to the ways of life for Yurok and the other Tribal groups in the region. The dugout canoes were the main mode of transportation as the Klamath River was the original "highway" system.
"Currently threatening their way of life as there are four hydroelectric dams (Copco 1 & 2, JC Boyle, and Iron Gate) on the Klamath River and two on the Trinity River (Trinity, Lewiston). The communities in the Klamath - Trinity basins are actively advocating for the removal of these dams and transition away from this type of obsolete infrastructure.
Problem Addressed
The Yurok Tribe issued a boil water notice in July 2018 warning of potential presence of E. coli in the four community water systems on the upper reservation and has not since been lifted. While the Tribe continues to actively pursue funding to improve the current system, many challenges continue to leave Tribal citizens and local community members out of the assurance to clean water or no water at all.
The presence of illegal dumping, lack of control of cattle and unregulated heavy-pesticide marijuana grows adjacent to the community systems create a direct threat to the community’s well being especially young families and elders. Additionally, reliability in these systems needs much improvement but when the water goes out people being using the creeks more often. Filters can prevent people from getting sick from exposure to contaminants in the tributaries in future system failures. The immediate need is in distributing water filters to households on the upper portion of the reservation specifically people who rely on one of the four community water systems listed above (Wautec, Ke’pel, Kenek, Weitchpec).
The Pu-lik-lah or Yurok People have lived along the Klamath River since time immemorial. However, with the spread of the Doctrine of Discovery, many of our Tribal citizens continue to face challenges in health, shelter, and ways to balance their costs of living. Primarily depending on the fish, deer, and acorns life on the Lower Klamath has always been from the Rivers to the Ridges. The Yurok Ancestral lands are just as diverse as the People. With the upper portion of the lands being much more seasonal with freezing winters and hot summers while the downriver and coastal portions of the homelands are much more wet, welcoming fog and rain on a daily basis. Because the areas are so isolated, the need for individual and system-wide back up plans for clean water are crucial.
Project Description
Water Charity has sent a large number of Sawyer hollow membrane filters to the Yurok Indian Reservation. We are currently arranging for their distribution through our friend Isaac Kinney, who lives on the YIR. A number of tribal members are being conscripted to help install the filters with the households currently dealing with "boil water notices." They will also demonstrate the proper use of the filters and ensure that they are maintained. With a small amount of backflushing, these filters can last nearly forever. They are guaranteed for over 1 million gallons and/or 10 years, but in our experience, the only way they stop working is if you smash them or decide not to use them anymore.
We plan on continuing to do projects of this kind with all of the native tribes in the region. Most of the Tribal communities in the region are subject to water shortages at some point in the year. Giving them the ability to easily clean the water from any source will give the people a greater degree of sovereignty, by allowing them to not be dependent on outside help, purchasing of drinking water from corporations that have taken local waters for profit, or reliant on insufficient water systems that currently exist. The goal is to eventually make all their water systems first-class and reliable, but until that is possible we can at least eliminate the hardship of having to boil their water.
Project Manager
Isaac Kinney (Native Rights Advocate, Yurok Tribal Member)
Isaac says:
"Up until the Boarding school and Relocation times in our history, Yuroks have always lived in a village structure with over 50 villages along the Klamath and Pacific Coast. This gives us an inter-generational understanding that the health of these tributaries and aquifers will be the health of the plants, animals, and the people. Please join the Yurok People in advocating and directly improving these watersheds to continue the efforts for language empowerment, sustainable infrastructure development and improvement of health/wellness for all living along the rivers."
Water Charity is committed to helping the Native American sovereign nations, and we plan on doing a good deal more of this work with Native Tribes across North America. As with our recent Sioux Nations Disaster Relief Project - South Dakota (check it out). Keep a lookout for more of this kind of work, and consider supporting us by donating money earmarked for "Native Project Use." In this way, we can not only recoup the funds we spent out of pocket on these projects, but have a working fund with which to do more of the same in an expedient manner. Water Charity is one of the only philanthropic groups that do projects immediately with our own money, and THEN go to find donors to "pay us back." This allows us to be extraordinarily light on our feet, and respond to emergencies and disasters in real-time. Most groups come up with a project, talk about it endlessly, then shop the proposals around for months or years before acquiring the funding to do anything whatsoever. By contributing to our Native American Water Aid fund, you can ensure that these projects are assessed, organized and completed as fast as possible and that our tribal brothers and sisters are not left waiting for months or years for projects that (all too often) never actually materialize. If you like what we are doing here on Yurok land now, help us do the same for the Hoopa & Karuk... the Modoc, the Wintu and the Pit River tribes, etc. etc. Aho! Mni Wiconi.
Project Impact This project has impacted 700 - 800 people.
This project has been completed. All the filters have been distributed. But boil water notices continue on the Klamath, and the neighboring tribes of the Karuk and the Hoopa are still in need of better water. We are now raising funds to expand this work to all three tribes!Fundraising Target $30,000
Funds raised in excess of the project amount will be allocated to other Native American water & sanitation projects in the region. Donations Collected to Date $2,200ADOPT THIS PROJECT BY CONTRIBUTING THE DOLLAR AMOUNT OF PROJECT Donations of any amount will be appreciated. Dollar Amount Needed $ 27,800
This is a follow-up to two great projects completed in recent years in partnership with Safe Passage, a nonprofit operating in Guatemala City, to provide for the clean water needs of those living and working in Central America’s largest landfill, the Guatemala City Garbage Dump.
These garbage dump workers spend long days sorting through trash to find and sell recyclable items. They live in homes without running water and experience frequent health problems including gastrointestinal infections, parasites, and amoebas.
Safe Passage is a U.S. registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit with operations in Guatemala City. The organization provides approximately 550 children with education, social services, and the chance to move beyond the poverty their families have faced for generations.
Water Charity partnered with Safe Passage in 2009 in the Project for Garbage Dump Workers of Guatemala. The goal was to improve the health of families participating in Safe Passage’s programs. 46 ceramic water filters from were provided to 42 women enrolled in the Adult Literacy program, as well as one small filter for the Literacy classroom and three large filters, one for the Early Education Center and two for the main Reinforcement Building.
In 2010, under the Guatemala City Garbage Dump Water Filters Project – Part 2, 35 ceramic filters were provided to new families. Safe Passage continued to work with the beneficiaries and provide education and training and to document the health benefits that have accrued from the consistent use of the filters.
In 2012, Water Charity recognized the evolving technology becoming available to purify contaminated water, and started the Filters for Life Program – Worldwide. The program uses the Sawyer filter technology, involving carbon nanotubes to remove all known pathogens, bacteria, cysts, protozoa, and even the smallest viruses. The filters have been proven to last for 10 years with minimal maintenance.
The efficacy of the technology has been shown in various locations, including in the recently completed Water Charity Typhoon Haiyan Relief – Philippines.
With a continually changing population in need of clean water, and in consideration of the success of the first two projects, it was recognized that it was time for another filter project it partnership with Safe Passage.
This new program is to assemble and deliver 50 Sawyer PointONE filters to families of children enrolled in the Safe Passage program.
The filters can be set up in a matter of seconds. They have a high flow rate, eliminating the need to store water, and reducing the chances of water being contaminated after it is filtered.
The program will provide safe water to over 300 people.
Recipient families will be trained in the use and maintenance of the filters as well as other aspects of hygiene and sanitation. Safe Passage will ensure that the filters are being used and maintained properly and will evaluate the health benefits that have been achieved.
This project has been fully funded through the generosity of Michael and Carla Boyle, of Nelsonville, OH, USA.
Additional donations for this effective and worthy project will go to other projects in Guatemala.
This project has been finished. To read about the conclusion of the project, CLICK HERE.
Conclusion of San Juan Water Filter Project- Dominican Republic
This project has been completed under the direction of Peace Corps Volunteer Jocelyn Dorland.
To read about the beginning of the project, CLICK HERE.
This project was originally designed to be implemented by MUDE (Mujeres en Desarrollo) an NGO and INAPA (Instituto Nacional de Agua Potable y Alcantarillado). They did not have the capability to install the filters. The Peace Corps office stepped in and took over the responsibility, assigning the project to Jocelyn Dorland. This resulted in an extremely successful project in the Punta Larga community.
We would like to thank Jocelyn once again for stepping up and completing this project. We also again extend our thanks to long-time supporters of Water Charity Michael and Carla Boyle for their generosity, which made this project possible.
Jocelyn reported the following results:
The community’s name is Punta Larga and it is part of the municipality of Cotui in the Dominican Republic. It is a small rural village of roughly 100 homes. Their main source of income is cacao, which is the fruit that makes chocolate, and they used to harvest lots of coffee as well but recently the coffee crop has mostly dried up due to a plant illness and drought.
The greater majority of the working youth population has left the area to work in the tourism industry and therefore it is mostly the older generation and children that live in this community.
The filters we received from Water Charity were distributed among families that were considered eligible after executing a community-wide census that took into account: which homes exclusively used rain water as drinking water, homes that had no present form of filter, and homes that had many children. After collecting all the data, we made a list of eligible homes, held a community meeting, and distributed the filters to these families. I received 48 filters to distribute.
The number of people who are receiving benefit was slightly more difficult to calculate because there are many families who are sharing filters and many people who pass through one’s home very frequently to drink water and pass the day, but the average number of persons within a “normal” Dominican home is 5. Using this as a guideline we can assume that at least 240 individuals are receiving benefit.
The filters are being used well. Most women use them daily and filter up to 5 gallons of water per day. The women using the filters are happy with the results and I have had no negative feedback thus far.
![sawyer-water-filters-men[1].jpg](https://s3.us-west-1.wasabisys.com/webmedia/product-images-additional/sawyer-water-filters-men%5B1%5D.jpg)
