Works of Mercy and Justice Committee – CAWST Water Project

We shall not finally defeat AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, or any of the infectious diseases that plague the developing world until we have also won the battle for safe drinking water, sanitation and basic health care.” -Kofi Annan, United Nations Secretary General

St. Laurence has been invited to join Holy Nativity and St John the Divine in collecting funds for the CAWST water projects. CAWST is the Centre for Affordable Water and Sanitation Technology. Their Vision and Mission are:

Our Vision is a world where people have the opportunity to succeed because their basic water and sanitation needs have been met.

Our Mission is to provide technical training, consulting, and to act as a centre of expertise in water and sanitation for the poor.

CAWST provides training programs to communities and other organizations in water and sanitation. This training teaches the recipients how to build Bio-sand water filters, maintain them and how to expand the program to others. CAWST strives to create replicas of CAWST, working closely with clients as they progress from training to implementation, to co-delivering training, and eventually independently delivering training programs. Some of the reasons for focusing on clean water are that having clean water addresses people’s immediate needs and prevents people from having to travel long distances to obtain often poor quality water, thus freeing up time for children to attend school and adults to start up businesses. The projects also provide an opportunity to initiate community education on related issues of sanitation and hygiene.

                                         Before and after samples of water in Equatorial Guinea

The Works of Mercy and Justice committee have obtained a Bio-sand water filter to collect funds for the CAWST water projects. It will be placed downstairs in the coffee area and it is our hope that you will consider contributing your loonies and toonies to clean water in the developing countries as we enjoy our morning coffee on Sundays. You may also donate larger amounts to CAWST and receive a tax receipt. 

If you are interested in more information Keith Siggins of Holy Nativity has kindly agreed to speak about the CAWST water projects at our Conversations, Sunday December 10^th.