Project #21 - Philippines
Ellie Mcgovern
4 villages. 160 filters. 539 families. 2,602 lives changed.
Late last year, the PARGO team travelled to the remote islands of the Philippines for our 21st clean water project.
These communities have no road access. Almost everything, including filtered water costs more to reach them, making it largely unaffordable for most families.
Before we arrived, people were drinking water running down from the mountains, doing their best to filter out sediment and bacteria using a t-shirt. The result was ongoing illness: diarrhoea, Typhoid, E. coli, and other waterborne diseases.
These villages were also among the communities hit hardest by Typhoon Odette, and unfortunately didn’t receive as much support and aid as some of the larger, more accessible areas. That made it even more important for us to be there.
We partnered with Jon and Diane from the Waves for Water Philippines team and prepped the Sawyer gravity-fed bucket filters and hand-washing stations before setting out by boat each morning to reach the communities.
Over two full days we visited four villages:
Brgy. San Carlos, Brgy. Santa Filomena, Brgy. Corregidor and Brgy. Bagakay
In total, we implemented 160 filters, helping 539 families, 2,602 people gain access to clean drinking water for the very first time.
Each Sawyer gravity-fed filter can process 4.5 million litres of water and lasts up to 15 years when maintained correctly. The filters are shared between multiple households, making them a long-term, community-wide solution.
We also donated hand-washing stations to every school and kindergarten in the four villages, paired with education around hygiene. Teaching children and families the importance of washing hands after using the bathroom and before eating to further reduce the risk of illness.
This project was made especially meaningful by the involvement of PARGO team rider Josie Prendergast, who grew up close to these very islands.
Josie speaks Siagaoan and her ability to connect with the locals instantly, earning their trust, demonstrating the filters, and answering questions in their own language, was something truly special to witness.
Watch the short film 5% Project with Josie Prendergast below to see the impact your PARGO purchases have made
None of this is possible without the PARGO community. Every purchase directly funds projects like this one.
We can’t wait to help more communities gain access to clean water.
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