Clean water for PNG pupils

Peet’s Coffee and Volcafe in Papua New Guinea partner to provide safe water at 100+ schools

Clean water is often taken for granted by people – turn the tap and water flows. But in many places, routine access to potable water is far from guaranteed, whether it’s due to water scarcity, inadequate infrastructure, or sanitation issues contributing to water-borne illness. Securing access to safe and reliable drinking water can make a real difference in people’s lives.

Through a partnership between Peet’s Coffee and PNG Coffee Exports (Volcafe’s local company), scores of schools in the Eastern and Western Highlands provinces of Papua New Guinea are implementing a solution to provide a steady supply of safe, clean water. This targeted improvement results in many direct and indirect benefits for more than 28,000 pupils at the 110 schools involved in the project.

Since 2023, the partners have distributed MadiDrop purification tablets and water canisters to the schools. Each tablet can cleanse water for up to 12 months, and the partnership has resupplied tablets to the schools when replacements were due. Of the initial 110 schools involved, one year into the project 98 schools remained engaged while 12 schools had not used the filters for reasons including local political issues, cultural beliefs, or school closures; twelve other schools will join the project to continue supporting coffee-growing communities.

More details on volcafe.com