Clean water can make a huge difference when it comes to improving quality of life for communities. That’s why WaterAid Australia is part of a global organisation that enables the world’s poorest people to gain access to clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene, allowing them to unlock their potential.
Interflow’s long-term commitment to WaterAid Australia is helping to provide clean water and sanitation to those who need it most.
“WaterAid’s work is diverse,” said Mark Trembath, WaterAid Australia’s Corporate Partnerships Manager. “Over 750 million people across the globe do not have access to daily safe, reliable drinking water, sanitation and good hygiene. We help to change this by providing storage for spring water, by placing walls and a door around open pits to provide privacy and dignity and education around hygiene.”
Give back to communities
Interflow’s involvement with WaterAid Australia began in 2004 when Geoff Weaver, Interflow’s Managing Director at the time, was approached by a customer who had recently become a part of WaterAid Australia’s starting initiative.
“He gave me a call saying he wanted to start with a gala ball, and he was looking for companies related to the water industry that might be willing to support WaterAid through this first initiative,” Mr Weaver, now Chair of the Board for Interflow, said.
Mr Weaver would later ring the customer back and give him his commitment to support WaterAid. “I saw it as a chance for Interflow to give back to communities that don’t have the same opportunities as we did in Australia. We never looked back,” Mr Weaver said.
Empowering local people
Fast forward to 2023, and WaterAid reached out to Interflow and gave them the opportunity to visit Timor-Leste on their first visit back since the pandemic. Mr Weaver and his wife Sophie, accepted the offer and made the trip to Timor-Leste in August. “My parents got to visit Timor Leste in 2013 with WaterAid.
So, to take my wife in 2023 was a very special experience for me and my family,” Mr Weaver said. “Visiting the communities in person is a humbling experience and I’m very grateful to have had the chance.” What stood out most for Mr Weaver was WaterAid’s model for empowering local people. Communities were heavily involved with the design and build of their new water supplies and took great pride in upgrading their village.
“It was Timor people doing it for Timor people,” Mr Weaver said. “Visiting villages that have received support from WaterAid, you could clearly see a difference. Instead of walking for hours each day, people could spend that time in other ways that benefited their futures, their families and their communities since water access was right outside their homes.
“This was most notable for the women and children of these communities. The opportunity for education is the example most in front of mind for me.” On hearing about the work WaterAid does, the first question people tend to ask is ‘how can I help?’ The answer is to support the organisation through one of their regular fundraising initiatives.
“With just under 80 cents in every dollar raised ending up in WaterAid’s programs, we are proud of the fact that donations are able to stretch far in the communities we support,” Mr Trembath said. “These funds help to make a difference to improving the lives of the local communities.”
To find out how Interflow is empowering communities with access to clean water, visit www.interflow.com.au
