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.

The most direct result of this activity is a reduction in cases of serious water-borne illnesses, such as cholera or E. Coli bacteria strains. Water-based infections can lead to severe cramps, vomiting, fever, dehydration, and other abdominal problems; the most severe cases can result in death. Young children are particularly susceptible, but these illnesses can affect people of all ages merely through the ingestion of a small amount of contaminated water.

With clean water at their schools, children’s exposure to water-borne pathogens is reduced. A knock-on effect of access to clean water is that school attendance rates often improve, since children are more likely to avoid sicknesses that force them to stay home. Improved school attendance is seen as an important factor in reducing the risks of child labour – schools provide children a safe place to go while their parents work, and higher educational attainment opens a broader array of opportunities.

Collage: Water purification units have been distributed to schools in the Eastern and Western Highlands provinces.

This project also highlighted the importance of potable water to school principals and teachers. Our local Volcafe Way farmer support team also noted that coffee growers themselves were pleased to see the improvement resulting from connections between their work and the involvement of coffee exporters and roasters.

Phil Maloney (left) visiting one of the schools involved.

Phil Maloney, Senior Director for Coffee Purchasing at Peet’s Coffee, visited some of the schools where the systems had been delivered, noting that, ‘Clean water is essential to every community, which is why Peet’s is partnering with PNG Coffee Exports to help meet this necessity for communities in Papua New Guinea, where we have a long history of sourcing coffee. 

'At Peet’s, we care deeply about coffee farmers, workers and their families, so we're extremely pleased to be able to contribute to a project that enables them to stay healthy and helps keep students in school.’

Mandana (light blue shirt) and Czerny (light grey shirt) visiting the school.

In 2024, Volcafe managing director Trishul Mandana and Michael Czerny, Regional Director Asia-Pacific and East Africa, visited one of the schools involved, near Goroka, Eastern Highlands. 

Mandana commented: ‘One of the joys of my job is watching how we can give back to the communities in which we work… It was such a joy to see the happy and motivated students at Okiufa Primary School, one of the schools that Volcafe and our roaster partners support with essentials – including potable water filters, improved sanitation, and classroom desks.’