The children at the high school my group was visiting in Port Vila, in Vanuatu in the South Pacific, were model students. They listened politely, and although they volunteered reluctantly when asked, they had beautiful smiles and they paid careful attention to the instructions we provided; they  performed the required tasks flawlessly. We were joined in the common cause of passing on information and skills around the proper use of the water filters my companions and I had brought to be distributed around the country.

This was an important topic. More than 660 million people on our planet do not have access to clean water and more than six million people die every year from water-borne diseases. The Water Bearers is an organization co-founded by Spryte Loriano, one of the organizers of our trip to New Zealand and Vanuatu, and she is on a mission to bring clean water to a million people. As we travelled throughout this beautiful part of the world, we distributed water filters to a number of communities and trained local residents in their proper use.

One of the $50 filter systems we were giving out can provide 100 people with clean water for up to 10 years. The systems are small and light, and most of the components can be replaced courtesy of a trip to a local hardware stores in towns and villages almost anywhere in the world. The children in Port Vila who listened so avidly to our instructions receive their water from a large tank situated at the side of the school. It collects rainwater from the roof and almost anything on that roof is washed down into the tank. Contamination is a given and the water filters will make a huge difference.

We left a number of filters behind with some of the adults our group trained, and they will be distributed, with more training, to communities farther away from Port Vila. A lot of the outlying islands in the region have no running water and, where there are no tanks to collect rainwater, people must resort to streams, which can be polluted by animal and human waste. I didn’t realize that you have to boil water for half an hour in order to ensure all germs are killed. During that time, about half of the water evaporates.

I take it for granted that when I turn on a tap I will be rewarded with a clear stream of drinkable water. I wash my dishes and my clothes without ever giving the purity of the water a second thought. And I certainly don’t have to devote a large portion of my day to collecting, hauling and boiling water so my family can stay fed and hydrated. I returned home feeling more grateful than ever to be so lucky.

Our group was able to make a difference to more than 200 community groups during our time away. And there is still much work to be done. If you’re moved to support this wonderful cause, I invite you to donate to the wonderful work Spryte and her team are doing. Water is everywhere. Drinkable water should be, too.