On April 27, the Humanitarian Action Club hosted its annual partnership event with the non-profit Wine to Water.
Wine to Water is a non-profit organization committed to developing sustainable water solutions for communities in need. Since 2004, Wine to Water has constructed in excess of 166,000 water filters for more than 1,500 communities, both domestically and internationally.
Over the past five years, the Center for Social Impact’s Humanitarian Action Club has raised more than $25,000 and assembled upwards of 400 filters, each one providing ten years of clean water to families in need. This year, Humanitarian Action fellows Kai (Carl) Meiser ’25 and Grace Lannigan ’25 co-organized the event and successfully fundraised $4,340. With the cost of water filters at $62 each, the club was able to purchase and build 70 filters.
Elementary schools, universities, and businesses partner with by hosting their own fundraising campaigns and filter-builds. Celebrating five years of partnership with ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏÍø’s Humanitarian Action Club, two Wine to Water representatives attended the on-campus event. The reps shared stories from their visits to Tanzania and other regions around the world.
"It was beneficial to hear directly from Wine to Water reps about the impact filter-builds make on a community," said Meiser, a double-major in environmental studies and political science. He noted that in places like Tanzania, children used to walk 10-12 miles every day to bring water to school.
Meiser's most memorable part of the build was when students attached handwritten letters to each filter package they completed. “It was great to see students get excited and connect with the communities receiving these filters,” he said.
Grace Lannigan ’25, political science and international studies double major on a pre-law track, said, “As a graduating senior, it is wonderful to see how the project has evolved. I look forward to seeing the work continue to flourish after graduation.”
Julie Mughal, associate director for humanitarian action, described the annual filter build as “a way for our students to celebrate Earth Day while promoting the Jesuit ideal of care for our common home.”
