Wine to Water fights thirst worldwide

By Tiffany Allison

Election time has finally arrived, and with it comes the plethora of campaign commercials and the rise of interest in hot-topic issues. This year, they happen to be economic stability, energy renewal and public health care.

Boone-based Wine to Water helps people in Third World countries, such as Uganda, Ethiopia and Cambodia, learn how to institute systems for clean water. Photo submitted

Imagine all the stresses of an unstable economy, no public health care, no energy system at all, working all day every day just to support a family, and to top it off, there is no running water available without walking 20 miles to the next town. This is the way of life in countries like Uganda, Ethiopia and Cambodia.

Doc Hendley, founder and president of Wine to Water, has been instituting water systems into Third World countries like Kampala, Uganda, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Khartoum, Sudan, New Delhi, India, and Phnom Penh, Cambodia since 2007, when his organization became an official non-profit.

The idea formed while Hendley was bartending in Raleigh in 2004. He thought to himself, “What is the biggest problem in the world?” He researched numerous global issues, including education, health care and food distribution, but out of all of the problems, water seemed to be a continuing crisis.

“We have to give the people water before we can fix something else,” he said. “How is a child going to go to school if they have to walk four hours every morning just to find running water?”

Hendley decided to act immediately. He raised $30,000 his first year through two large bar events with live music, wine tasting and beer tasting, which raised $10,000 between both events. The other $20,000 was donated later by e-mail, while Hendley was in Darfur, from the contacts made earlier from the bar events.

Wine to Water’s focus is not just on providing clean water systems, but teaching locals how to maintain them and eventually become completely self sufficient.

“Aid work is worthless if there is no focus on sustainable development,” Hendley said. “For us, it’s about training, sustainability and education, along with the gift of clean water. It’s all wrapped up into one.”

This idea is what Wine to Water has instituted in northern Uganda. Hendley and company have partnered with local communities to construct and distribute bio-sand filters for people affected by the region’s long history of rebel warfare. This program also trains a number of Ugandan locals each year on how to construct their own filters, so that they can bring that knowledge back to their home villages.

The sand filters are made of concrete and filled with different layers of sand and gravel. When made correctly, the filters destroy 99 percent of the bacteria and viruses in the water. Not to mention they are extremely cheap and made from local materials. One sand filter costs Wine to Water $100 to build and distribute. The filters will last more than 10 years without needing any maintenance, and they filter one liter of water per minute.

Hendley just received a cost-sharing grant for $240,000 in August to finish up the project in Northern Uganda. Wine to Water has to match a certain amount of money before the terms of the grant can be fully met, Hendley said.

“It’s like they are asking what are you bringing to the table,” he said. “ There’s still a huge financial need.”

This year alone, Wine to Water has drilled 16 wells in Cambodia, three wells in Southern Ethiopia, and has created a sanitation system in India outside of New Delhi. In the future, the organization hopes to create a training facility mimicking Uganda’s into Cambodia.

“So, even though we’ve received this major grant for our Uganda projects, there’s still a huge financial need that we have to work hard for here in the states,” Hendley said.

Hendley is also in the process of creating a local street team, which will focus educating Americans on what is happening outside of their country. They are looking for volunteers who would like to raise awareness about water issues in other countries.

For more information about Wine to Water, visit www.winetowater.org. Donations may be given online through PayPal, or checks can be made out to Wine to Water and sent to PO Box 2567 Boone, N.C. 28607.

“One of the biggest things that keep us going is the people who donate a little each month,” Hendley said.