"It's better than to be thirsty.” These were the sentences we remembered long after we did our first food delivery to Taupan island just a few months after COVID-19 had started.
Taupan is a small island in the southwestern corner of the Togean Islands. The islands only village is inhabited by a bajau (sea gypsy) tribe who live out of fishing. The women in the village make tikar, small carpets out of tree leaves. A few families have coconut trees behind their houses.
A few kilometres away lies one of the main islands, Batudaka, but when the weather is bad, nobody from the village can go out, or come back in. And it might be stormy for multiple days with waves too big for the small boats.
This turns into a big problem. Taupan has no fresh water source. The island is basically a donut shaped rock with a salt water lake in the middle. In some thousands of years it’ll turn into an atoll. But for now, one of the biggest concerns for the 18 households is water.
The amazing reef around Taupan island is one of our main dive destinations. But living in a paradise island comes with issues.
Fresh water is brought to the village in 10-20l water gallons in small bajau style boats, sometimes even from Malino (about 10 km) or Bomba (about 7km) when their closest village, Kuling Kinari, is also short on water.
Every drop of the precious water is carefully used from cooking to showering and drinking. The drinking water is usually boiled, but it's not the priority when they run out of gas for the cooker or there is no firewood.
The villagers also harvest rain water for the laundry and showering. And sometimes drinking.
Providing Clean Water Filter Systems to Taupan
Taupan was our priority when we had the chance to deliver clean & safe drinking water filter systems in our area in co-operation with the German based NGO “Support a Local”.
We are very happy that we were able to provide to the whole village. A total of 18 high quality water filtration systems were delivered during ramadan 2021. Each household got an own one.
The filter systems are simple and easy to use and can filter tap and well water, as well as rainwater. We also gave the villagers a training on how to use and wash the systems.
So many happy faces! We give all the donors a big THANK YOU on behalf of Taupan village! This was possible because of you!
Please have a look at www.supportalocal.net and check out @support_a_local on instagram and facebook.
You can also purchase a water filtration system as a gift voucher and give it f.ex. as a birthday present for a loved one!