Plumbing Africa September 2017 | Page 53

Associations 51 Chairman of PWB attends Durban conference By Plumbers Without Borders The Institute of Plumbing has had a long-standing association with and support of Plumbers Without Borders (PWB) ever since the World Plumbing Conference held in Edinburgh in 2011. The chairman of PWB, Domenico DiGregorio, attended a conference in Durban from 26 to 30 June 2017. The IOPSA KZN committee, with the support of the Grohe Dawn Group, arranged a meeting with DiGregorio to be held on 29 June 2017 at the Grohe Dawn Lifestyle Design Centre, Durban. 1 Those in attendance were advised of the roles, functions, and achievements of PWB and their involvement in Haiti and parts of Africa. On a social platform, the KZN committee spent time with DiGregorio at the Durban harbour where he was introduced to his first Durban bunny chow. It was great to rekindle and further strengthen the bond with DiGregorio. About Plumbers Without Borders Following the devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti, local Seattle plumbers and members of the Northwest Washington Chapter and the Cascade Chapter of IAPMO, announced the formation of PWB. 2 Their mission is to connect volunteer plumbing and mechanical tradespersons with organisations committed to increasing access to water and sanitation. They believe that by connecting plumbing volunteers with organisations and their projects, everyone benefits, moving closer to reaching the ultimate goal of improving health in all communities, worldwide. Their vision is to have a world where everyone has access to safe water and sanitation, where senseless suffering and disease are eradicated by the implementation of appropriate plumbing and sanitary systems. Training and education in the prevention of water-borne diseases, together with the implementation of safe and sustainable sanitary systems, are critical to building and improving local capacity in all communities, whether developed or developing. PA 1. Bianca Brown and Domenico DiGregorio at the Grohe Dawn Lifestyle Design Centre front desk in Durban. 2. Steve Brown, Domenico DiGregorio, Lorna McArthur, and Patrick Gordon. 3. Domenico DiGregorio handing over the lucky draw T-shirt to Sipho Zibula. www.plumbingafrica.co.za 3 September 2017 Volume 23 I Number 7