On a mission to serve

Nonprofit Water Mission receives help from DI in response to Indonesia earthquake

The death toll in Indonesia hits a new peak every few days. September 28 brought a 7.5-magnitude earthquake, causing a tsunami to strike the coastal city of Palu on the same day. In the two and half weeks since the 18 foot wave crashed onto the shores, the situation has turned into a humanitarian crisis.

Early reports from the disaster cited 400 deaths, but in the following week, that number would seem small. Well over 1,700 deaths were tallied nine days after the tsunami.

“It’s a major disaster,” said George Greene, president of the global nonprofit Water Mission International, based in North Charleston. “Hurricane Florence was not a pleasant experience for North Carolina, but the number of people that were killed as a result is less than 50, and in Indonesia right now, we’re talking at least 1,500 people killed and 5,000 people missing.”

In the time since Greene made those comments, the numbers have been updated. Approximately 2,000 have been confirmed dead, 5,000 are missing, and over 70,000 people have been displaced from their homes.

Assisting in the recent disaster in Indonesia and others across the world, is a regular affair for Water Mission, which has several Daniel Island residents who regularly volunteer. The Daniel Island Community Foundation and the Rotary Club of Daniel Island have also been strong supporters of the organization.

“We’re a Christian engineering ministry and our focus is water and sanitation,” said Greene describing the nonprofit. “We do that in disaster relief projects and we also do it in development projects.”

“We see that God’s given us specific gifts and skills from an engineering, technical capability to come in and help with bringing access to safe water and sanitation solutions,” he stated.

Water Mission was founded in 2001 by George Greene’s parents, Molly and George Greene. The elder Greene and his wife traveled to Honduras in 1998 to survey the damage done by Hurricane Mitch. Upon seeing the devastation, particularly the deplorable conditions of the drinking water, the couple hired engineers to build a portable water filtration system. After the couple realized that the situation in Honduras was similar to what was happening in many other parts of the world, they created Water Mission around the turn of the century. Greene’s father is the presiding CEO of the company and Molly Greene is the current chairwoman of the board.

“The joke is in their mid-life crisis they sold their for-profit business and started Water Mission as a charity,” Greene quipped.

The nonprofit has had long lasting effects in some areas of the globe, sometimes staying after an initial disaster.

“Water Mission responded to Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico a year ago, and we still have a presence there as we continue to work on community development projects,” said Public Relations Manager Stefani Drake.

Water Mission also aided efforts much closer to home by providing support in Columbia, South Carolina during the 2015 flooding caused by Hurricane Joaquin.

“Today, looking back at all that experience and from past responses, we knew that we needed to be able to do something here,” Greene stated.

Daniel Island residents Kim Sermersheim and Dave Iauco are regular volunteers at Water Mission, and have assisted in the nonprofit’s recent initiative to help Indonesia.

“What got me involved in this last shipment to Indonesia, I can operate equipment and they have a forklift, so I loaded the truck with supplies going to Indonesia,” said Sermersheim.

“I do anything required,” he added. “From going out and buying some parts for them, to sweeping the floor, to counting bacteria in the lab, to assembling water systems, these packages that service up to 300 people in a single package.”

“To be able to respond to disasters, you have to have equipment that’s ready to ship and go wherever when it’s needed,” said Greene. “So, we have equipment stockpiled here in Charleston.”

Iauco aides in constructing the water filtration systems.

“The systems that they designed, volunteers like me actually put those systems together and ready them for shipment all over the world,” he said.

Iauco stated that the systems are not complicated to put together, thanks to volunteer-friendly instructions.

“Clean water is a huge problem in many parts of the world, and it’s wonderful that this company that’s been operating for about 20 years now has developed these systems that can be economically put together and shipped to solve this problem of clean water in many communities around the world,” Iauco added. “I’m very proud of the fact that they’re a local company, that they’re a local nonprofit.”

Water Mission claimed that each of their water filtration systems can provide water for 5,000 people a day.

The Daniel Island Community Foundation has been a key supporter over the years. In 2018, the foundation contributed $10,000 to WMI ($5000 was donated by individuals and matched by the Community Fund).

“Water Missions International was one of the nonprofits residents wanted to support this year,” noted Jane Baker, vice president of community services for the Daniel Island Property Owners Association. “We have been proud to support Water Missions International in the past and hope to continue supporting them as their global impact is so significant.”

Although the company has seen support from local groups and individuals, Water Mission is always in need of help, primarily from volunteers, Greene said.

“This is a big need, obviously. We have people that are in different stages and capacities, and if there are people that have an interest in helping support it, and helping us impact more lives, obviously that would be welcome.”

A little help can go a long way when trying to bring an essential item like water to impoverished parts of the world.

To find out how you can help, visit www.watermission.org.

Daniel Island Publishing

225 Seven Farms Drive
Unit 108
Daniel Island, SC 29492 

Office Number: 843-856-1999
Fax Number: 843-856-8555

 

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