On October 20th, 2024, H2O4ALL friends and supporters across the world came together for our annual Share A Drop Gala. Canadian guitarist Jacob Moon provided music, while Saphia Khambalia returned for her fourth year as host. We honoured two of our most dedicated volunteers — Amanda Vokoun for the United States and Peter Ruck for Canada— for a year of going above and beyond with the One Drop Award. Most importantly we celebrated the growth we’d seen from our client communities over the past sixteen years.
With the recurring Colours of Water theme, we celebrated the many ways in which safe water can impact a community. Like the colours shining through a drop of water, the impacts of a safe water system on a water-stressed community are numerous and varied. This year, our gala theme was the colour green – representing sustainability and the promise of safe water for the next generation.
Did you know that according to UN Children’s Fund, more than thirty percent of water projects fail within five years? Imagine being given the promise of safe water, a gift that could change your entire community for the better – only for it to fall apart within a few years.
At H2O4ALL, we aim to set ourselves apart in our approach to sustainability. Over sixteen years, we’ve helped struggling communities in more than a dozen countries grow, thrive, and build brighter futures with the help of sustainable safe water solutions. Communities that we first worked alongside more than a decade ago still benefit from H2O4ALL’s safe water endeavours. The key to sustainability has always been our relationships – with our partner communities, our volunteers, and our donors.
As we shared stories of the last 12 months success, each story was a testament to these relationships. From Uganda, community members at the recent project site in Kibaale Village spoke about the impact of their new water system, while a young student from Life Schools in Kyempene Village shared her dreams for her community’s growth. From Cuba, longtime volunteer Derek Hendricks explained how a group of volunteers had managed to expand the initial partnership at an Assemblies of God Church to include eighteen churches across two different districts of Cuba. Finally, a group of schoolchildren from Nairiri, Kenya shared their gratitude for their new safe water project.
By maintaining close relationships with these communities, empowering community members to maintain their own water systems, and utilizing sustainable technology, we’re moving into the next year with the goal of ensuring that these projects last for a long time.
To see the full gala celebration, watch the livestream on Youtube.