Water First is Canada’s leading charity dedicated to working in partnership with Indigenous communities to address local water challenges through education, training and meaningful collaboration.
We are guided by the Indigenous youth and young adults who participate in our programs, our Indigenous staff and board members, local Indigenous community partners, and by members of our Indigenous Advisory Council. Our collaborations are built on respect and meaningful partnerships, with Indigenous youth and community partners at the heart of our work. While we strive to meaningfully engage with many Indigenous individuals through our work, we do not identify as an Indigenous-led organization.
Sustainable access to safe, clean water in Indigenous communities continues to be a pressing issue in Canada.
Nobody understands the evolving challenges and needs more than the people who live there. Drinking water challenges are complex: in some communities, local concerns may be around infrastructure, for others, source water contamination. And numerous communities have challenges recruiting and training young Indigenous adults to join the drinking water field.
Infrastructure and technology alone cannot solve the water crisis; having enough skilled people to operate and maintain the systems is also critical. Safe water needs skilled people.
