Beautiful Virgin Islands

Sunday, Jul 20, 2025

Unite BVI teams up with WAVES4WATER for st. Vincent volcano relief

Unite BVI teams up with WAVES4WATER for st. Vincent volcano relief

The Unite BVI Foundation recently teamed up with ‘Waves4Water’ to provide clean drinking water for St. Vincent residents affected by the La Soufrière volcanic eruption.

Waves4Water is an international non-profit organisation and creator of portable water filtration solutions for vulnerable communities, with a particular focus on emergency disaster response.

The Unite BVI team worked directly with Waves4Water Community Director, Mr. Fritz Pierre-Louis to provide a total of 200 ‘MVP Point ONE water filters’ and 200 five-gallon water buckets.

Unite BVI Foundation Manager Kim Takeuchi said that this is the second time we have worked with Waves4Water, who first partnered in 2017 after the passing of Hurricane Irma.

Ms. Takeuchi remarked, “We first met Waves4Water following the storms from 2017. They had a simple method of distributing these filters by empowering community leaders to train and distribute the easy-to-use, effective filters exponentially throughout the community. We wanted to help make a similar impact on the island of St. Vincent but the concern was, will they be able to filter out the ash? The answer is – Yes!”

The MVP filters eliminate various contaminants which cause illnesses including Cholera, Botulism, Typhoid, Amoebic Dysentery, E. coli, Coliform Bacteria, Streptococcus, Salmonella and toxic volcanic ash. One filter can provide 100 people with clean water daily, for up to 5 years.

Unite BVI, and its donor partners, raised the funds to purchase and transport 200 water filtration systems and buckets. Funding also covered the transportation and accommodation costs for one Waves4Water representative to travel to St. Vincent.

Ms. Takeuchi thanked Mr. Pierre-Louis, Honorable Caesar, Ms. Michelle Forbes from CDEMA, the Government of the Virgin Islands, Mrs. Aliaka Jones, Mr. Luke Browne, Mr. Brain Glasgow, Mr. Michael Clarence Thomas of CTL, Alex Dick-Read and everyone who played an instrumental role in the St. Vincent relief effort.

On the Ground in St. Vincent


Mr. Pierre-Louis arrived in St. Vincent on April 3, where he partnered with Honorable Saboto Caesar, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries, Rural Transformation, Industry & Labour to distribute the filtration systems in the areas of Sandy Bay, South Central and Rose Hall. He worked for six (6) days in the ‘red zone’, the area delineated as most vulnerable to the volcanic eruption. While there, he trained residents on how to properly set up, use and maintain the filtration systems.

“The residents were very happy to receive the donations. I observed how residents got together in a time of need, and they waited for their turn to get the filtration systems,” Mr. Pierre-Louis said, adding, “Sometimes in emergency responses, people are aggressive, but they were very patient.”

He also stated, “I was happy to be on the ground to help residents. Now they have their own mini ‘water plant’ in their homes. Even when the water situation improves, they’ll still be able to save their systems, for any possible future events.”

The community director said that one farmer lauded the filtration systems, as he was able to access clean water “in just seconds”.

La Soufrière volcano, on the island of St. Vincent in the Caribbean, began erupting on April 9, spewing plumes of ash and gas on the island for over a week. Dense masses of debris, called pyroclastic flows, have caused much destruction.

The Unite BVI Foundation brings together people, great ideas and resources to tackle community and environmental challenges in ways that bring about sustainable, positive impact for the benefit of this and future generations.

Go to www.unitebvi.com for more information on the activities and programmes of the foundation. For more information on Waves4Water, go to https://www.wavesforwater.org/.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Defends Attorney General Pam Bondi Amid Epstein Memo Backlash
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
President Trump Visits Flood-Ravaged Texas, Praises Community Strength and First Responders
×