Danaeh Neptune-Miliano fills up water jugs at a well in Robbinston as part of the Wabanaki Public Health's efforts to bring clean water to the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Sipayik. Photo by Kylie Tompkins
Access to clean drinking water has long been an issue at Sipayik, home to about 700 people who live at the Passamaquoddy reservation near Eastport. Residents for decades have lugged water to their homes because water from their taps is discolored, smells bad, and contains high levels of a contaminant that increases the risk of cancer.
Now a new Maine law will provide Sipayik residents more control of their drinking water.
Podcast guest Lisa Sockabasin, co-CEO of Wabanaki Public Health and Wellness, talks about the water issue and shares how the organization serves Wabanaki people across the state.
MaineCF has supported Wabanaki Health and Wellness through several grants. In 2020, a $10,000 grant from the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color Fund supported a program that connects indigenous youth to leadership development opportunities and offers teachings of Wabanaki culture, traditions, ceremony, and language. A 2019 grant from the fund provided the organization $10,000 for staff professional development. MaineCF’s COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund has provided a total $35,000 in grants for Wabanaki Health And Wellness health services during the past two years of the pandemic.
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