Uplift Project to fund 500‑gallon tanks after drought warnings; founder plans 100‑mile Guyana walk

Forest McSweeney said climate shifts and local pollution have made traditional surface water unsafe in parts of rural Guyana, and that many families rely on roof-captured rain stored in large black tanks that now run dry in prolonged droughts.

"These tanks are not always clean enough for you or me to drink," McSweeney said, describing village reliance on 500‑gallon storage tanks, roof gutters and poured concrete pads. He said stream contamination has increased in part because of local mining and increased use of gas and diesel engines.

To address immediate needs, McSweeney said the project plans to deploy 500‑gallon tanks mounted on poured pads with gutter systems at an estimated cost of about $650 per household for tank, pad and collection hardware. The immediate goal announced on the show was eight tanks and 15 water-collection systems to be installed before the next dry season near the end of August.

To fund the work, McSweeney plans to walk about 100 miles through Guyana in June—starting in Wakapau, with an eight‑day bush segment and a final stretch to Bartica—and asked listeners to donate to the Uplift Project's fundraising effort, which he said will be directed to tank and collection purchases.

McSweeney said the water initiative is an expansion of the group's mission and that keeping families healthy is the priority: "If we can achieve this goal, there will be eight more families that have clean water throughout the dry season," he said.

He advised donors and listeners to consult the project's social pages for progress and specific fundraising targets.