H2OPE Beginning

After graduating from Trinity in 2020, McAlister took on a new role as the Director of Community Conservation at Potomac Conservancy. Despite his busy schedule, he stayed true to his roots and became a dedicated advisor to the H2OPE Trinity College (H2OPE TC) branch. McAlister's expertise played a crucial role in boosting the organization's initiatives.

In his advisory role, McAlister actively guided H2OPE TC, especially as it focused on educating communities and fundraising for more water wells. As the impact of H2OPE TC grew beyond its initial scope, McAlister's vision led to the creation of Bridge H2OPE or H2OPE, an overarching entity. 

As the central coordinating body, H2OPE manages various branches, including H2OPE TC, and actively works on establishing new branches on different university campuses. Serving as the parent organization, H2OPE provides steadfast guidance, fostering the growth of its branches to ensure they are well-prepared to achieve both their individual goals and the broader organizational objectives with maximum effectiveness.

This story reflects McAlister's commitment and the collective effort toward a shared goal of bringing clean water to Ethiopian rural communities, inspiring us all to make a positive impact on the world.  

Following McAlister's impactful 2018 journey to Ethiopia, during which he distributed portable water filters to his community, a deepened commitment stirred within him. The experience ignited a passion to pursue more extensive solutions for clean water accessibility. 

Motivated by this desire, McAlister delved into researching organizations dedicated to implementing large-scale clean water projects in Ethiopia. It was during this exploration that McAlister and the H2OPE Trinity College (H2OPE TC) team forged a meaningful partnership with Drop of Water, a distinguished non-profit organization specializing in constructing water wells in rural Ethiopian villages. 

Through collaborative efforts and strategic fundraising initiatives, H2OPE TC successfully raised the necessary funds for Drop of Water to embark on a transformative project. The outcome was the inauguration of the first H2OPE TC-sponsored well, strategically located in the Wolaita Sodo Zone of Southern Ethiopia in 2020. This impactful endeavor marked a significant step forward in the shared mission of providing sustainable clean water solutions to underserved communities in Ethiopia.   

The progress of H2OPE Trinity College (H2OPE TC) in fulfilling its mission to provide clean water to Ethiopian communities faced unprecedented challenges due to a confluence of external factors. Foremost among these challenges was the widespread disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The pandemic significantly impeded H2OPE TC's ability to conduct essential fundraising activities, resulting in a loss of momentum that hindered the planned construction of another crucial water well in Ethiopia. The economic uncertainties and restrictions imposed during the pandemic made it challenging to garner the necessary financial support, thereby impacting the organization's capacity to carry out its projects effectively. 

Adding to the complexity, the situation was exacerbated by a large tribal conflict in Ethiopia that escalated to the point of the country declaring war. This conflict had far-reaching consequences, forcing a shutdown of operations and hindering the collaborative efforts with our key partner, Drop of Water, the non-profit organization specializing in well construction. The volatile environment created by the conflict not only disrupted our plan but also placed a temporary hold on the collective mission to bring sustainable water solutions to rural Ethiopian villages.   

Despite the setbacks, H2OPE TC remains committed to its goals and is actively seeking innovative strategies to overcome these forms of obstacles and resume its impactful work in providing clean water access to communities in need. In 2022, H2OPE TC collaborated with Drop of Water to build more water well in the South Wollo (Amhara region), North Shawa (Oromiya Region) of Ethiopia for School and community, and the list goes on. Now H2OPE TC is a official Bridge H2OPE chapter at Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut.