Clean Water Changes Lives

For every case of Waiākea you buy, Waiākea donates one month's worth of clean water to those in need in Malawi, Africa.

In 2014, 650 million people lacked access to clean water—about two times the population of the United States alone. Simultaneously, more than 2.3 billion people live without basic access to reliable clean, safe water from functioning water points and adequate sanitation.

As a result, every 20 seconds, a child dies from a water-related illness. It has become the fifth leading cause of death in Malawi, with younger generations at even greater risk – about 45% of water-borne disease-related death is in children under 5 years old. This has a huge impact on the wider social and economic development of Malawi, as children hold the key to the future.

Waiākea was founded to create positive change for not only the environment but also for people in need throughout the world. Our non-profit partner, Pump Aid, has a mission to address water poverty, food security, and aid dependency, and achieve lasting positive change in poor and disadvantaged communities by improving the quality, availability, and use of water and sanitation. They harness the power of community and local businesses to provide access to affordable, innovative, and sustainable solutions, in ways that encourage self-reliance, self-sufficiency, and independence; ending aid dependency. Their programs go far beyond solely providing water.

Their integrated water, sanitation, hygiene, and nutrition program at pre-schools gives children under 5 the chance to flourish and reach their potentials. Improved hygiene behavior is taught within the pre-schools and wider communities, improving health and opportunities for all. In addition, establishing a network of trained Area Mechanics with the skills and spare parts available to make pump repairs helps develop small sustainable businesses, improving incomes and livelihoods for the Area Mechanics and their families. Each Area Mechanic provides up to 1,000 children, community members, and farmers with access to clean, safe water: life-changing.

Providing communities with convenient access to clean, safe water, significantly reduces the distance needing to be walked for water, and frees up their time to do other things. Crucially, they are helped to reach a point of self-reliance where they no longer needed external ongoing support to maintain pumps, instead able to use trained local Area Mechanics with the skills to repair, service and maintain pumps. 

Clean water brings better hygiene and health, while access to irrigation allows small-scale farmers to grow crops, and produce up to three harvests a year, resulting in nutritious diets and improved food security. For millions of people living in extreme poverty in rural Malawi, access to safe water is truly a life-or-death challenge. Together with your help, we can reverse these statistics.

Securing safe and sustainable water supplies in rural Malawi involves a comprehensive approach that puts communities at the very center. Our teams work closely with community members to identify the most suitable site to install Pump Aid’s award-winning Elephant Pump. Our building teams dig the well, build the body, and assemble the pump’s interior mechanism, while the community provides the necessary materials and assists with assembly.

Our community empowerment teams are engaged with each village right from the start to properly assess every village’s need, ensure participation, as well as to conduct baseline surveys to ensure proper project monitoring and evaluation.

COVID-19 Response

Due to the lack of basic health infrastructure, containment and prevention is the only way to give Malawi a fighting chance to beat COVID-19. Access to functioning water points with clean, safe water and frequent handwashing in rural communities are fundamental to ensuring transmission of the virus is minimized. 

Due to the lack of basic health infrastructure, containment and prevention is the only way to give Malawi a fighting chance to beat COVID-19. Access to functioning water points with clean, safe water and frequent handwashing in rural communities are fundamental to ensuring transmission of the virus is minimized. 

Looking towards the longer-term, COVID-19 will have a devastating impact on food security in rural areas. With over 85% of the population reliant on small-scale farming, it is crucial that farmers cultivate now, in order for there to be enough food later on in the year. Pump Aid is supporting farmers with irrigation and seed and fertilizer packages to help promote cultivation and increase productive capacity.

To help assist, Waiākea increased our donations in March to 4 times the usual amount, equating to 4 weeks of clean water for each liter purchased. To learn more about Pump Aid’s COVID-19 response, you can visit www.pumpaid.org.