Delivering Aid Through the Denton Cargo Program 

In 1998, George and Molly Greene delivered their first safe water systems to Honduras after Hurricane Mitch. Since then, we have been grateful to participate in the United States Department of Defense’s (DOD) Denton Cargo Program.

Through this initiative, the DOD transports Water Mission equipment and other humanitarian cargo to communities hit by natural disasters. This past fall, several flights brought our safe water systems to Honduras in the aftermath of Hurricanes Eta and Iota. 

The back-to-back category 4 hurricanes affected more than 3 million people in Honduras. Nearly 180,000 people were displaced, and 93,000 people were forced to seek emergency shelters. Just days after Thanksgiving 2020, a C17 United States Airforce cargo plane departed from Joint Base Charleston with eight crew members, led by Captain Sofia Schmidt, and more than 43,000 pounds of humanitarian aid.

The cargo included 30 Water Mission safe water treatment systems and other urgent relief supplies.

“When we landed in Honduras, we saw first-hand the people needed help, they needed [safe] water,” said Captain Schmidt. “They needed help and it was wonderful to know that the [United States DOD] was able to coordinate with nonprofits like Water Mission to provide help to people in Honduras.”

With your support, 250,000 people had access to safe water in the days and weeks following the hurricanes. Nearly 6,000 hygiene kits were also distributed to help people in need amid COVID-19. Partners like the DOD and you enable Water Mission to serve when we are needed, wherever we are needed.