The National Ground Water Research and Educational Foundation (NGWREF) is awarding $40,000 to four projects in Haiti, Malawi, Philippines and Uganda.

The funding, from the NGWREF Developing Nations Fund, will help provide safe drinking water.

The fund provides assistance grants to improve the quality of life for people around the world who don’t have access to existing supplies of potable groundwater.

The grant awards are as follows:

Engineers Without Borders-USA, Philadelphia Professional Chapter.

EWB-Philly’s Water for Life project focuses on the community of Apatut, in the province of La Union, Philippines. The project’s goal is to provide a potable water source to the 800 residents and the 300 school children in Apatut. NGWREF is providing $14,000, which will be used for deep well drilling, pumping, treatment, storage and gravity distribution.

Haiti Mission Inc.

The goal of Haiti Mission is to bring potable water to within 500 feet of each family in the area of Jeremie, Haiti. The Foundation is providing a $5,000 grant to help fulfill the mission. Lloyd Duplantis, an NGWA Honorary Award winner, accepted the gift on behalf of Haiti Mission. “HMI is proud to represent the best of what NGWREF stands for, especially as it pertains to freshwater well drilling in developing nations,” he said.

Hope 2 One Life Inc.    

Hope 2 One Life is the recipient of its third grant from the Developing Nations Fund. This time for $9,475, the funding will be used for a groundwater development project at the Lairobe Village and Moroto West area in the Palabek District in northern Uganda. The wells funded by this grant will bring potable community groundwater supplies to more than 400 village residents and farmers. It will replace surface waters and mudholes.

Mzuzu University Centre of Excellence in Water and Sanitation

The grant to Mzuzu University in northern Malawi will be the first educational and training program to be funded by the Foundation’s Developing Nations Fund. The $11,525 grant will fund a five-day conference targeted toward drillers, pump installers, government employees and students. Instructors will teach proper well construction, ethics, drilling fluid application and project sustainability.

The NGWREF, founded in 1994, is the charitable arm of the National Ground Water Association. It is focused on conducting educational, research and other activities that promote a broader understanding of groundwater use and access. NGWA is a nonprofit that supports responsible development, management and use of water resources. It’s comprised of groundwater professionals ranging from contractors to equipment manufacturers to scientists and engineers. For more information, visit www.ngwa.org.