Planet Water Foundation (PWF), a non-profit organization focused on providing access to clean water and water-health and hygiene education in impoverished communities, is among the recipients of cash grants from the George Ty Foundation Inc. (GTFI), the philanthropic arm of the Ty family.

The grant was given by GTFI on the occasion of the 65th anniversary celebration of Metrobank, which is owned by the Ty family.

GTFI’s funding support will facilitate the provision of PWF’s AquaTower in one public elementary school in General Trias, Cavite and Cebu province, according to the foundation.

AquaTower is a water filtration facility that aims to provide clean and potable drinking water not only to the students but also nearby communities. It uses three-stage water filtration with UF hollow fiber membrane technology and activated carbon to remove pathogens — bacteria, fungi, protozoa, parasitic worms, viruses, and other contaminants greater than 0.01 micron. The result: clean, safe drinking water.

AquaTower comes with a handwashing facility for personal hygiene.

In August, an AquaTower was installed at the Lucena South Elementary School (LSES) in Quezon Province.

“Our main problem before was the lack of clean water. This led to cases of diarrhea among our students, causing them to miss class. Now that they have access to this water filtration system, we are assured that the children have a reliable source of healthy water. This greatly helps ensure regular school attendance and better health,” LSES principal Audones Duenas said in a post on PWF’s Facebook page.

PWF also installed last month an AquaTower in Alno-Kadoorie Elementary School (AKES) in La Trinidad, Benguet.

“Words cannot fully express how grateful we are for this life-changing donation. Clean water is the foundation for learning, health and dignity. We will carry this gift with us as we move forward, stronger and more united than ever,” said AKES headmaster Aida Pe.

Another AquaTower recipient was Kaong Elementary School, in Greater Manila where students previously collect their drinking water from an unsafe, contaminated source, and teachers buy gallons of purified water with their own money.