Our Mission Continues in the Dominican Republic
Since 2012, H2O4ALL began working with Wine to Water to bring safe water to the Dominican Republic. With our partners Wine to Water, we’ve provided vulnerable families in water-stressed communities with safe water filters. These filters have been life-saving for tens of thousands of families, empowering them to avoid waterborne diseases and create healthier environments for their children.
Volunteers are the backbone of this project. Nearly every year since the inception of the project, we’ve had volunteers working alongside our ground partners to build filters, distribute them to communities in need, and work with communities to educate children about water safety. In February 2025, our volunteer team was a group of twelve students from the University of Waterloo, with their Associate Dean Laura Deakin. The volunteer team was organized by Chris Houser, Dean of the Faculty of Science at the University of Waterloo and a veteran of the volunteer project. Professor Houser previously worked with Wine to Water student organizations at Windsor University and Texas A & M University.
This year’s project targeted vulnerable families in the communities of Canta Rana, El Aguacote and la Colorada. All three are small communities without access to larger running water systems, leaving families dependent on small wells or buying from a water vendor where there is no guarantee that the water is safe. Because of the lack of running water, many families in these communities struggle with the threat of waterborne illness.
Our volunteers’ mission began at the Wine to Water filter factory, where they helped the locals employed by Wine to Water build our point-of-use ceramic filters. Made from locally sourced clay, silver and sawdust, these filters remove 99.9% of all pathogens from water. Even in communities without access to a protected water source, one filter can provide a family of five with clean, safe drinking water for up to seven years.
Then the team built several rainwater harvesting systems to provide a steady water source to family homes, to overcome the need for access to water. From here, the ceramic filter is used to provide a safe, clean water source.
The final morning was spent at a local school in Moca where the team provided WaSH training to the pupils. Local children played games to learn how germs spread, learned a song about proper hand hygiene, and talked about why proper sanitation is important in all aspects of life.
All volunteers enjoyed the time they spent with the community, from working alongside locals in the filter factory and installing rain harvesting systems to talking to the children at the water safety training. “This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.” A student named Sarah remarked. “You have to come into it with an open mind.”
