About WFL - Water For Life Institute exists to help people develop safe and sustainable water sources for their communities
Water for Life Institute:
Water for Life Our Approach Our TeamThe Water for Life Institute is a non-profit (501c3) organization incorporated in the state of Hawaii, USA. As an institute of the University of the Nations, Water for Life serves existing U of N projects as well as managing its own projects around the world. Water for Life has an independent trustee board and financial structure and serves communities in need regardless of race, religion, or ethnicity.
Water for Life uses a combination of appropriate water technologies, water health education and basic research so that communities can identify and solve their water problems. Our mission is not to simply provide safe water to those in need, but to train individuals and communities to create and maintain their own local water resources. We do so by a highly interactive process combining formal instruction with hands-on training.
Water for Life operates with an all volunteer staff, many of whom raise their own support as well as the finances needed to complete their projects.
- WFL is hands-on — Most of our staff are actively involved in the projects in the field for significant periods of time during the year.
- WFL is assistive — We work alongside those responsible for their community's water needs to find solutions that will work for their unique situation.
- WFL is long term — We build relationships, use technology and resources available to the community and train community members to maintain their safe water systems for future generations.
- WFL is investment minded — We train the community to care for its own needs and to share what they have learned with neighboring communities.
- WFL is local — We specialize in simple techniques at the household and small community level rather than large-scale centralized water systems that are difficult for local communities to resource and maintain.
- WFL is holistic — We address the related issues of sanitation and hygiene so that the community can use its safe water in a healthy environment.
Derek Chignell
Nicholas Greener
Daniel Hefley
Jeff Waddell
Andrew West
Allan Robbins
Aaron Shadow
Heidi Shadow
Derek Chignell
Dr. Derek Chignell has been a part of Water for Life from the beginning. He chairs the Water for Life Trustee Board and works in the area of Research and Development. He has spent the last 25 years educating young men&women both as a Professor of Chemistry at Wheaton College and a leader of the Humanities and Science program at the University of the Nations. Derek has been using his experience in science education to find solutions to water problems in India, Kiribati, Hawaii, and Indonesia. Originally from Great Britain, Derek has four grown children and currently resides in Kona, Hawaii, USA
Nicholas Greener
Nick Greener is the Project Leader for Water for Life's work in East Africa. With a background in project management and logistics, including a Master's degree in Public Administration from the University of Southern California, Nick has worked on development projects in the South Pacific, Latin America, and Africa. Nick, his wife Jennnifer, and their two children are living presently in Kigali, Rwanda where they oversee a project to provide drinking water for local schools. Roughly 80,000 children in the Kigali area attend school each day without access to a safe water source.
Daniel Hefley
Daniel Hefley joined Water for Life in 2003 after working as a high school science teacher, and serving for several years on the staff of the University of the Nations in Norway. His science background coupled with experience gained in community development and appropriate water technology projects has equipped him to work in places like Indonesia, Brazil, Kiriibati, and Kosovo. Daniel and his wife Signy currently reside in Fort Collins Colorado, USA, and are the proud parents of three beautiful children.
Jeff Waddell
Jeff Waddell is a founding member of Water for Life and has worked with the University of the Nations in Hawaii since 1999. Having taught science and technology for many years, Jeff is skilled at helping people understand how water technologies work, and gain the practical skills to build them. He has worked cross culturally on water projects in Kiribati, Brazil, Uganda, and Fiji. He and his wife Melissa have three beautiful daughters and currently reside in Kona, Hawaii, USA.
Andrew West
Dr. Andrew West leads the Science and Technology Department at the University of the Nations Kona, Hawaii, USA. A marine biologist, he conducts his own research and oversees environmental and agricultural projects within the community. He has worked with Water for Life since its inception in 2003 and regularly leads seminars in water, aquaculture and permaculture. He has brought expertise to community development projects in South East Asia and the Pacific. Australian born, Andrew and his wife Jane and their two young boys currently reside in Kona, Hawaii, USA
Allan Robbins (DPHC MPH)
Allan Robbins is an experienced community health practitioner, having worked in more than 30 countries over the past 20 years. He has a Master's in Public Health, and is trained in all aspects of health care, community health and tropical diseases. He supervises the health care training for the University of the Nations internationally, and has worked with Water for Life since its founding in 2003. Allan is married to Dee; they and their three children reside in Kona, Hawaii, USA.
Aaron Shadow
Aaron Shadow joined Water for Life in 2010 bringing twenty years of leadership experience in both non-profit and for-profit organizations. His work in administration and business has taken him to the USA, England and Africa, and he worked with Water for Life in Rwanda, Brazil and the South Pacific. He is married to Heidi, also a WFL staff member, and they have two children. He loves working with cement, playing basketball and drinking good coffee, but not all at the same time.
Heidi Shadow
Heidi Shadow was born to a military family in Hawaii, and grew up in California. She has done a variety of things including working with a youth oriented non-profit organization. She married Aaron (also a WFL staff member) in 1994, with whom she has two children. She is a talented teacher-trainer, a hands-on worker, and a good problem solver. She has been with Water for Life in Rwanda and the South Pacific. She enjoys jewelry making, baking and working with her hands.