Water Brigades FAQ

The objective of Water Brigades is to unite volunteers and under-resourced communities to develop and implement clean water projects through community assessment, water quality monitoring, water treatment, infrastructural development, community leader training, and hygiene, sanitation and water education

In the rural communities where Global Brigades works, families often have little or no access to sufficient quality nor quantity of water. Without sufficient clean water, the health of entire communities is affected, since water is fundamental for everyday activities including drinking, cooking, cleaning, and maintaining personal and household hygiene. The goal of Water Brigades is to connect volunteers with communities to implement sustainable, community-based solutions to address these dire water needs.

Volunteers of all interests and academic disciplines are encouraged to participate in Water Brigades. Passion and dedication are the most important requirements for our brigaders.

None at all. While volunteers with experience or backgrounds in engineering will surely find the hands-on experience of a brigade to be a valuable opportunity, Water Brigades are designed for people with any and all areas of expertise to be able to fully engage in the implementation of a community’s water solution.

We concentrate on communities with an established Global Brigades presence in order to take advantage of our already established reputation. From there, we use data collected by our monitoring and evaluation team to identify new community water projects based on their water needs.

The centralized water systems built by Water Brigades require a lot of preparation prior to volunteers arriving in country for the brigade. The Water Brigades Team spends several months working with community members to assess community water needs, design the new system that will meet those needs, collect and transport all necessary tools and materials, and coordinate community leadership to help facilitate the proper implementation and maintenance of the project.

Several weeks in advance, the community engages in a number of activities to prepare for a Water Brigade. These activities include, but are not limited to, establishing a new Water Council and Basic Sanitation Committee, clearing areas for construction of the new system, organizing work groups, and collecting the necessary tools and other materials available in the community. They also fit their brigade project into their daily work schedules and balance it with commitments to other Global Brigades disciplines present in the community.

A volunteer’s Water Brigade experience includes hands-on construction and implementation of a section of the community’s new water system, interaction and cultural exchange with community members, meeting with the Water Council and the Basic Sanitation Committee, and designing and presenting an educational component to community members.

The community is an integral part to every Water Brigade. Whether it is preparing for or helping with construction alongside volunteers or welcoming volunteers into their homes, community members are involved in every aspect of a Water Brigade. Members of the community also complete trainings and form a fully functioning Water Council and Basic Sanitation Committee that help ensure the sustainability of the water project.

Members of both the Water Council and the Basic Sanitation Committee are democratically elected by the rest of the community at a general community meeting. While the Water Brigades Team provides training and technical assistance, community members are fully responsible for the formation and continued functions of both committees.

Before leaving a community, Water Brigades ensures that the Water Council, plumber, technicians, and masons are fully trained in the operation, maintenance, and administration of the new water system. Additionally, in Honduras, each household that is connected to the new water system pays a monthly water fee to ensure the amount is sufficient to sustain the system. The Water Council collects and tracks these payments and uses the money to maintain the system, purchase chlorine for water treatment, pay the plumber, and finance any repairs for problems that may arise in the future.

For all brigade planning tools, volunteers should visit the Volunteer Resource Site. For Water Brigades specifics, please see “What to Expect on Your Water Brigade.” Be sure to reference the Water Pre-Brigade Curriculum.

For University Chapters, there is a minimum of 10 volunteers. To fairly serve a community’s needs, this number is non-negotiable. The maximum number of volunteers varies per country. Non-University Chapters- please contact admin@globalbrigades.org.

Volunteers do not pay to participate in a Water Brigade. Instead, volunteers fundraise to support Global Brigades’ Holistic Model. Once a volunteer meets a set Donation Goal, they are eligible to join us on-the-ground to see their fundraising efforts put into action by participating in a Water Brigade.

When a volunteer participates in a Water Brigade, the volunteer’s ground transportation, food, lodging, and emergency insurance are all covered. The funding that the volunteer raised also supports all the necessary costs for program implementation, such as construction supplies, coordinators, masons, translators, and support staff.

Visit our financials page to learn about how donor funds are utilized.

The safety of the volunteers is Global Brigades’ number one priority and is the single most important consideration when entering a community or choosing a project. Each country that Global Brigades serves in has implemented safety protocols and policies to decrease any risk of danger and to ensure that any emergency can be properly handled in a prompt and professional manner. For more information on safety precautions, emergency procedures, and insurance information, please visit Safety and Insurance on the Volunteer Resource Site.

First, find out if your University has a Water Brigades Chapter by searching for your University on the Chapters page. If your University does not have a Chapter, fill out the form below to get connected to one of our staff members.