Hawaii Working for WASH
Briefing Prepared for ______
Improving Access to Clean Water Is at the Top of Americans’ Global Health Priorities
People in the state of Hawaii are leading the effort to solve the global safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) challenge. There are numerous faith-based, civic, and academic initiatives for WASH underway throughout the state. The top programs in the state include:
a) The Rotary Club of Santa Rosa partnered with the Rotary Club of Butare and 10 other Hawaii Rotary Clubs to implement a clean water project in Rwanda that provided a school with two 50,000-liter rainwater tanks.
b) Hawaii-based NGO, Water for Life implements water projects and trains community members in Cambodia, Kosovo, Rwanda, and Uganda on proper water system operation and maintenance.
c) The Rotary Club of Honolulu Sunset raised $3,400 and sponsored a Rotary Matching Grant that provided 120 biosand filters for 27 villages in the Philippines.
Other notable efforts include:
Rotary Clubs in Hawaii
· Rotary Club of Hanalei Bay, Kauai
o Collaborated with Rotary Clubs in India on a well drilling project to fund a clean water project in Egypt
· Rotary Club of Lahaina, Maui
o Provided Shelter Boxes to communities in the Philippines after Super Typhoon Haiyan that included emergency food and water purification tablets
· Rotary Club of Kihei Sunrise, Maui
o Partnered with Rotary International to fund a Matching Grant for a WASH project in Russia
· Rotary Club of Hilo
o Funded a WASH in Schools project in Thailand
o Funded science curriculum that educates students about the impact of dirty water and the importance of health and hygiene
· Rotary Club of Windward Oahu, Oahu
o Sponsored the El Salvador Water Well Project that drilled three wells and provided clean drinking water to a rural community
Faith-Based Organizations in Hawaii
· Aloha International Mission, Honolulu
o Sponsored a mission trip to Nepal that constructed wells to increase water access for communities
o Sponsors short-term missions to support Hawaii-based mission teams that promote health and well-being in the Philippines and Nepal
Schools and Universities in Hawaii
· University of Hawaii at Manoa
o Study water and waste management challenges that Pacific Islanders experience at the Water Resources Research Center
o Hosted Second Conference on Water Resource Sustainability Issues on Tropical Islands that provided a forum for researchers to discuss the impact of climate change on water resources
· University of Hawaii – Engineers Without Borders, Manoa
o EWB-UH founder Jacob Tyler and faculty adviser Amarjit Singh co-authored a paper entitled “Enhancing post-earthquake disaster resilience” about the EWB chapter’s Peru water project
WASH-Focused Organizations in Hawaii
· American Water Works Association Hawaii Section, Honolulu
o Organizes annual conference for scientists, environmentalists, manufacturers, academics, regulators, and public health professionals engaged in water issues
· Water for Life, Kailua Kona
o Worked with local staff to build nine rainwater harvesting systems that serve health clinics and primary schools in Kiribati
o Installed a hydraulic ram pump, storage tank, and piping system for two villages in Indonesia in partnership with 25 students from the University of the Nations
o Facilitated workshops in Brazil that taught communities how to build rain catchment systems and biosand filters for water purification
· Engineers Without Borders Honolulu Professional Chapter
o Met with community and village leaders, local engineers, and agriculture administrators and conducted a community needs assessment in Thailand
o Utilized needs assessment results, designed infrastructure, and educated communities about water challenges and water resources in rural Thailand
For more information, please contact John Oldfield at WASH Advocates:
202.293.4049 Updated: December 2015