Project complete · 2026

Clean Water, Lasting Connections in Myanmar

For the first time, a village of 789 people in the remote mountains of Karen State, Myanmar, has access to safe drinking water. The Rotary Club of Hawthorn led this project, delivered with the support of a Rotary Foundation District Grant, and it is now complete.

This is not just another water filter installation. It is the continuation of a story of connection between two Rotary clubs that began more than six years ago.

Villagers receive their certificates after completing WASH training in household water treatment and safe storage. Faces obscured, and the village unnamed, for the community's safety.

The Second Village

Funds for the second project were raised at a fundraising dinner held at the Community Centre during our club’s second road trip to Nhill in November 2023. The local Karen community once again prepared a wonderful meal and generously donated all the ingredients.

The village we assisted is home to 789 people, a primary school and a small health clinic. We have deliberately not named it, for the safety of the people who live there.

Water testing by the Safe Water for Every Child team found the only water supply, a local stream, unsafe to drink by World Health Organisation standards. Clinic staff reported that children and adults frequently suffered waterborne diseases, especially during the rainy season, and children under five were the most vulnerable.

Despite the difficulties of working in a region affected by ongoing conflict, the project team installed a SkyHydrant MAX water filter together with water tanks, roofing and piping, supplying clean drinking water to both the school and the village.

A trained village caretaker with the new storage tanks and SkyHydrant filter. Face obscured for the community’s safety.

WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) education was delivered in the Karen language. The village has elected and trained local caretakers who now serve as WASH ambassadors, keeping the system running and promoting safe hygiene practices.

Safe Water for Every Child, Disaster Aid Australia and Disaster Aid Thailand will return in October 2026 to provide further training, and the Safe Water team continues monitoring and evaluation to make sure the community has the support it needs.

From Nhill to the Mountains of Karen State

In April 2019, twenty-eight members of the Rotary Club of Hawthorn set out for what would become a transformative weekend in Nhill. The journey began when Noel Halford, our Club Service Director in 2018-19, first connected with John Millington, who shared Nhill’s inspiring story.

Nhill had welcomed 200 Karen refugees from Myanmar, breathing new life into the town. Thanks to the leadership of John and Margaret Millington, and the dedication of the Rotary Club of Nhill, the town has become a shining example of acceptance and mutual support.

At a special fundraising dinner showcasing Karen cuisine, our members were deeply moved by traditional dance performances and the stories of young Karen students aspiring to study medicine and give back to their new home.

What started as an exchange of information soon grew into a partnership grounded in shared values.

The First Project

Inspired by that visit, and in partnership with Disaster Aid Australia, we launched our first water project in late 2020. Working with the Safe Water for Every Child Myanmar team, we installed two SkyHydrant units in a Karen community near the Thai border.

Each SkyHydrant provides up to 10,000 litres of clean, filtered water daily, without the need for electricity, and is built to run for ten years without a replacement filter unit.

The local community was actively involved in installation and maintenance, received on-site training, and continues to benefit from built-in project support.

A Model of Collaboration

The project was led by the Rotary Club of Hawthorn with support from a Rotary Foundation District Grant, working with the Rotary Clubs of Nhill, Central Melbourne, Greater Dandenong, Endeavour Hills and Phutaluang (Thailand), Disaster Aid Australia, Disaster Aid Thailand and Safe Water for Every Child Myanmar.

Katrina Flinn from Rotary Hawthorn serves as the primary contact, coordinating the logistics and partnerships that make this work possible.

The Safe Water for Every Child Myanmar team, composed of local staff, implemented the project, trained the community caretakers, and provides ongoing monitoring, evaluation and support.

The Karen community in Nhill provides a crucial cultural bridge, connecting their new Australian home with family and friends still in Myanmar and Thailand — and they have been the heart of the advocacy for better health outcomes in their homeland.

Disaster Aid Australia and Disaster Aid Thailand contribute technical expertise and logistical support.

Safe Water, Secure Futures

In a region where communities have endured decades of conflict and still face the constant threat of attacks or forced displacement, this lightweight, portable filtration system offers a measure of security. If families are forced to flee, they can take the filter with them.

During natural disasters it continues to provide safe water without electricity, and it reduces both the need to cut wood for boiling and the plastic waste of bottled water.

Children will miss fewer days of school, and adults will lose less work time to preventable illness. Families won’t have to spend their limited resources on medicines for waterborne diseases.

The simple act of turning on a tap has the power to transform daily life.

Rotary Values

This project covers all seven areas of Rotary focus: providing clean water and sanitation, fighting disease, improving maternal and child health, promoting peace, supporting education, and protecting the environment.

It connects six Rotary clubs across two countries and multiple partner organisations, and it builds on years of relationship-building and trust.

Most importantly, it answers a community-identified need with a sustainable, appropriate solution that the Karen people own, operate and maintain.

To learn more about the Karen community in Nhill, read the SBS article “The Karen Road to Nhill”.