Ontario Environment Staff Bring Help, Health and Hope to the Developing World

Ontario Ministry of the Environment
Thunder Bay, Canada, 22 Mar 08

Ontario Ministry of the Environment's staff help people obtain safe drinking water and improved sanitation facilities

Access to clean drinking water and basic sanitation are basic human rights enshrined in numerous international conventions and declarations that guarantee all people of the world the right to a standard of living adequate for their health and well being.

2008 is the United Nation’s International Year of Sanitation and on March 22 the world marks the 16th annual World Water Day (WWD). The WWD was designated by the UN as a day to draw international attention to the critical lack of clean, safe drinking water worldwide. Yet sadly, a child still dies every 15 seconds from diarrhoea caused largely by contaminated water and lack of improved sanitation.

Jim Gehrels and Glenn Stronks from Northern Region’s Thunder Bay office have seen this grim reality first hand. And they’re doing something about it.

As co-founders of Lifewater Canada, a non-profit, volunteer organization established in the 1990s, they and other volunteers work to help people obtain safe drinking water and improved sanitation facilities. Glenn and Jim train and equip local workers in Haiti, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, and Zambia. These crews then mobilize villages and drill wells, build washrooms and provide hygiene training. Donors from Canada and abroad help sponsor projects in villages that otherwise could not afford these basic facilities.

Since their first trip together to Liberia in 1995, more than 250 wells have been drilled and they look forward to surpassing the 300 mark by November 2008. An estimated 100,000 people now have access to clean drinking water, basic sanitation and hygiene as a result of this community-based activity!

Lifewater Canada believes that buy-in and village participation are essential. They have found that if wells are provided for free, there is little village ownership and the well pumps will often spoil and remain unusable. To build a sense of local ownership, villagers must actively participate in the project work, raise on-going repair funds and establish the operational rules for the project. Local people are also selected to receive technical repair training and caretakers are appointed and trained to provide daily supervision of the pump and washroom.

Providing basic sanitation and hygiene education is another key focus of Lifewater’s work. Many communities are now building latrines and washrooms with technical assistance from Lifewater and donations from international sponsors. Health and hygiene workshops are held to help villagers learn how to break disease transmission pathways and how to respond with life-saving treatment when diarrhoea strikes.

Jim’s and Glenn’s efforts are a mission of urgency and faith. As Jim explains, “When I was diagnosed with a congenital eye condition in the early 1990s, I realized I couldn’t wait until retirement to get involved. This was time and a way to put my faith into more meaningful action and step out of my comfort zone.” Similarly, Glenn’s dad became ill soon after retirement and motivated Glenn to get involved now rather than wait and potentially live with the regret of having never reached out a helping hand.

Last year, Jim and Glenn were awarded the 2006 Ministry of the Environment’s Emerald Award for Community Service in recognition of their outstanding commitment and, courage. This year, those attributes are being further tested as two of the recipient countries – Kenya and Nigeria – are increasingly embroiled in turmoil and violence.

Glenn and Jim recently returned from a three-week trip to the war-devastated country of Liberia. While there, they worked with local teams to make the pump maintenance and repair program more sustainable. As well, together with volunteer specialists from Canada and a local project team, they installed a major septic system at a five-acre compound recently purchased by the Liberian-run organization they work with. As part of their 5-year development plan, Lifewater Liberia Inc. plans to start building a 2,000 square foot, multi-purpose community building this fall.

Lifewater Canada is proud of its low, five per cent overhead costs. As Glenn puts it, “We are volunteers working from home and our headquarters is a small mailbox.” Despite this low overhead, Glenn and Jim still have to raise over $275,000 per year to carry on this work.

They continue to be touched by the many offers of help they receive. One of their main sources of funding is OPS co-workers who route their United Way donations to Lifewater. Recently Lifewater received $190 from a young girl who celebrated her 11th birthday by asking for donations to help kids in Africa get safe drinking water. And last year, a group of 19 young people in London, Ontario performed “The One-World Talent Show” and raised enough funds to sponsor a $3,000 well.

Together, these and other donors are making a difference that has a huge ripple effect – help, health and hope for thousands of people who otherwise might die from contaminated water and the lack of basic sanitation.

If you want to help make a difference, you can:
• Donate on-line at http://www.lifewater.ca, designate your United Way contribution to Lifewater or send a cheque to Lifewater Canada;
• Contact Glenn if you have construction trade experience and you are interested in traveling at your own expense to Liberia between October and December 2008 to help build the community centre; and/or
• Contact Jim if you have PHP computer coding skills and are willing to help them complete SQL database links to their web site.

Contact: Svetlana Volkova <svetlana.volkova@ontario.ca>