Project Maa

A volunteer tradie and a volunteer community member working together to clear a pile of rubble
Australia
Location
Maringkik, West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia
Partners
Project Hiu

Project Maa (meaning ‘water’ in Bahasa)

Maringkik is home to a vibrant community of shark fishermen and their families. With no natural drinkable water source on the island, families had to import bottled water to the Island to survive.

Project Hiu, an organisation dedicated to marine conservation, knew that if they wanted to create an alternative pathway to shark fishing, education was key, and saw that students on the Island were not going to school if they could not afford bottled water.

A group of school children sitting casually at school desks in a colourful classroom
Two people on a small fishing boat at sea
A volunteer tradie wearing a straw sun hat drilling wooden beams on a structure
A woman pulls a silly face as she balances a rock on her hand and hold another in her hand

The Project

The community was united in their support for children to access safe, clean drinking water, which is why the school grounds were chosen as the location for the water tank.

This involved the construction and installation of a 65,000L water tank with associated guttering, rainwater filtration and distribution systems.

Over three weeks, a team of Reece Foundation trade volunteers along with the Project Hiu crew members who were former shark fishermen, worked hard to build the clean water solution.

A group of volunteer tradies laughing together on a small boat at sea
A young girl holding a pink water bottle makes a peace sign as she smiles to the camera
heart

Supporting the next generation

Project Hiu, the Reece Foundation and seven trade volunteers worked together to provide the community with access to a sustainable and safe water source.

We want to extend our thanks to the generous support of our partners for making this project possible: Reece Australia, BWT, the AQUA PEARLS Foundation and C.H Robinson.

A young girl drinking from a pink water bottle
A volunteer tradie sitting on a bench surrounded by a group of children, engaging in conversation and laughter.
A volunteer tradie in a Reece Foundation hat and tshirt smiles softly for the camera

It was an amazing experience for me – I learnt a lot about myself and working in a team.

The highlight for me was achieving the project milestones working with the community and the volunteers.

Fabian Schweizer

Reece Foundation Volunteer
A child happily cups his hands under a stream of fresh water being poured from a container
A group of school children smile for the camera as they pose atop a rocky hilltop
A woman wearing a cap sticking her tongue out smiling for the camera carries a young girl also wearing a hat and smiling for the camera

The mission of Project Hiu is getting the shark fishermen doing something else and that starts at the schools.

Being able to partner with the Reece Foundation to make sure the kids at school have clean drinking water just makes so much possible. I never thought saving sharks would have such a human element.

Madison 'Pip' Stewart

Founder of Project Hiu

Our impact

Project Maa had a ripple effect across the Maringkik community, supporting health outcomes for school staff; providing further employment opportunities for Project Hiu crew during the construction phase; and expanding Project Hiu’s reach on Maringkik through this island-wide project.

a stylised graphic of a circle, semicircle and a wave

3,000 people

with access to clean drinking water without needing to outsource or leave the island.

a stylised graphic of a wave, circle and a hand

Increased wellbeing

of students and staff with access to clean water.

a stylised graphic of a stack of semicircles

Higher attendance

of students at the local school with noticeable boosts in their energy levels.

A better world starts with you.

Every donation helps us and our partners on the ground make real change for the people that need it the most. If you’re a qualified tradie, you can join our list of volunteers to be notified when there's a project that needs your expertise. Have a project idea? Apply for a Reece Foundation Grant to help a community here or overseas.

Get involved
A volunteer tradie smiles as he works, standing on a ladder holding a pipe

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