This is Jason who works at the Water For Water Caloocan City water station out on a water delivery within the community. Thanks Jason for all your hard work!

From afar, it looks more like a pile of garbage - old plastics, rusting cans, rotting wood, spoiled goods. To enter the community, you have to wait for your turn so you can alternately cross the path with other people. For many, this is not what a community should be. But for the residents of Tonsuya, Caloocan City, this is their home.

Poverty can be clearly seen in their housing and environment conditions. Add to this their limited or no access to clean drinking water. The challenges just keep compounding.

Virginia who is 62 years old lives in this community with her two children and 82 year old mother. Her husband is a laborer and only goes home on weekends.

Virginia’s youngest son James has been hospitalised several times because of recurring diarrhea caused by drinking tap water. James’s doctor advised to make sure they are drinking safe clean water.

Virginia now gets water from Water For Water’s Caloocan City Water Station.

Here are some pictures from the community, our water station staff delivering water to the community and Virginia receiving clean water for her family!

Thank you to everyone who purchases Water For Water and for helping change the lives of Virginia and others in Tonsuya, Caloocan City. 

 

We get asked a lot "Why The Philippines?"
Watch our video to find out about the need for clean drinking water.

 

A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS….

It would take tens of thousands of words for us to truly describe Caloocan City.  The individuals we met, the steamy weather that’s always threatening to break into a thunder storm, the smell of the alley ways that lead into the labyrinths of dwellings and the faces of the children who grab your hand to proudly lead you through their community…

If these pictures are worth thousands of words, have you ever thought how much more your actions are worth?

Help us help the people of Caloocan City, Philippines. Our community water station will not only provide an alternative to unclean drinking water, but also generate business opportunities, employment and rescue people from death & illness caused by water related diseases.

Photographs are powerful but your actions speak louder.
 
Donate - buy online - or purchase Water For Water from any Gloria Jean's Coffee house today!  

 

 

I don’t know about you but my childhood memories revolve around water. Running through the sprinklers on a hot day, trips to the beach and a lot of sweltering afternoons in suburban swimming pools. MARIAM is an arts worker who grew up in the Philippines before migrating to Australia. We had a chat to Mariam about her chilhood memories.  

CHILDHOOD.
From age 4 to 13 I lived in Manila and Mandaluyong. In the neighbourhood I lived in there was crime, homelessness and poverty, so keeping your wits about you was a part of life.  People also got sick a lot due to contaminated water, so my family were always careful when drinking water at school, at other people’s houses, at restaurants. Basically, safe water meant warm water.

CLEAN WATER.
From an early age I got used to the idea that drinking safe water meant boiling it first. Water-related diseases were common, and sometimes you would see hints of bacteria floating in the water.Vegetables and fruits needed to be washed with hot water, you brushed your teeth with heated water and if you wanted to drink iced water (which is the tendency with Filipino weather) your ice cubes would need to be heated before freezing.

AUSTRALIA.
I was amazed at the privilege Australians have with their water supply! For so many years I was brought up to heat my water, to shower with pails and buckets, to conserve water, conserve water, conserve water! Then I migrated to Australia in 1996, and I didn’t have to do any of these things anymore. I could just put a glass underneath a tap and drink it straight away. The tap water was so clear, and naturally cold! I could launder my clothes in these machines, I could take regular showers and swim in pools.

WHAT’S IMPORTANT?
I believe people need to spare a thought for third world countries whose health and lifestyle suffer regularly because they do not share the same privileges. As capable, courteous human beings, we need to do whatever we can to help, even if it's through spreading awareness, donating to causes, and supporting products that are devoted to making a difference. So often people forget about the predicaments of our Asian neighbours simply because they are ‘out of sight, out of mind.' But the issue of water contamination is real, and people do die from drinking infected water, or not having proper access to sanitised water.

We in Australia are definitely in a position where we can make a difference, and I'm a big believer that even one individual can make an impact.