Australia’s leading supplier of plumbing and bathroom products, Reece has announced the recipients of the Reece Grant, which aims to help improve water supply and sanitation for communities in need around the world.
Three Australian plumbers have received a total of $25,000 to kick-start their international projects that will improve sanitation and hygiene facilities in underprivileged communities in India, East Timor and the Philippines.
More than 750 million people around the world do not have access to clean water and sanitation. The Reece Grant aims to address this problem by encouraging plumbers to contribute their skills towards helping bring sanitation into the developing world.
According to Reece, the inaugural Reece Grant not only supports plumbers willing to give up their holidays to help those in need, but also highlights the significant impact they will have on these communities from stopping spread of disease to increasing retention rates in schools.
Reece Grant recipient Justin Morris has been awarded $15,000 for his project in India while additional grant recipients James Millis and Timothy Brideson have each been granted $5,000 for their projects in East Timor and the Philippines respectively.
Reece Grant Recipient: Justin Morris
Working with the We Can’t Wait Foundation, Justin Morris from Notting Hills, Victoria will embark on a project in October to install toilet and sanitation facilities in a school in Nasik, India. Observing that lack of toilets in India is the number one cause of disease, and the main reason for dropouts among girl students, Justin explained that the Reece Grant will enable them to install 12 toilets and handwashing facilities, two 1000-litre water tanks and water filter systems at the Jila Parishad Prathamik School, benefiting more than 650 students.
Additional Reece Grant Recipient: James Millis
James Millis from Edithvale, Victoria will support Red Cross and the Friends of Manatuto to restore remote villages in East Timor prone to landslides and flooding. Though he won’t be onsite, he will assist the construction of water and sanitation facilities, and help the team in educating the communities on how to run sanitation systems themselves.
Additional Reece Grant Recipient: Timothy Brideson
Additional grant recipient Timothy Brideson from Mount Waverley, Victoria will be putting his $5,000 grant toward a 14-day mission in Tacloban, a small village in the Philippines that was destroyed by Typhoon Haiyan in 2013. Timothy’s funds will go towards the construction of toilet facilities in a school heavily damaged by Haiyan.
According to Timothy, they will also educate the students on the importance of proper hygiene and teach local builders how to cyclone-proof buildings.
Commenting that plumbers truly are the unsung heroes in these communities, Adam Watson, Plumbing Marketing Manager at Reece said they were excited to support the grant recipients in their venture to improve the world’s water sanitation crisis, one project at a time.
