The Mercer on Mission program has served seven communities. They plan to continue serving those in the Dominican Republic.
MACON, Ga. — In America oftentimes, we take for granted having clean water to drink, so Mercer University created a three-week mission trip working to bring clean water to underserved communities in the Dominican Republic.
Ritij Sarvaiya, a junior at Mercer studying neuroscience, said, “Here in the United States, we never really worry if we have water for the day or not.”
He knew he always to wanted to do service work in a foreign country. “I know the value that water can bring to communities, especially clean water, because dirty water can, in fact, bring more diseases and more problems,” Sarvaiya said.
The late professor Michael MacCarthy started the clean water initiative back in 2017. Natalia Cardelino, Assistant Professor of Environmental and Civil Engineering, says he specialized in providing clean drinking water for developing countries.
“Three times a day, they would go with buckets on their head to go get water. The women were talking about back and neck issues,” Cardelino said.
15 people went on the trip this year where they focused mainly on the San Juan province. The students split into teams.
“Provide any sort of infrastructure that needs to be there, so we are digging trenches, we are laying pipework, we are building tanks. We are building spring boxes,” Cardelino said.
Another group tested the water to make sure it was clean. Students also conducted in-depth surveys with residents who now have access to clean water.
Civil engineering major Marlo Mecredy says this trip gave her a new found perspective on life.
“To see everybody so happy, and to see them just playing in the water and drinking the water, dumping it on each other’s heads and splashing each other with it, you would think they struck the Fountain of Youth,” Mecredy said.
The Mercer on Mission program has served seven communities. They plan to continue serving those in the Dominican Republic.
