An expert in water management, recycled water, and wastewater, Monther Hind is a Middle East consultant for Building Together and an esteemed partner in the organization’s recent triumphs.  

“Monther’s connections, ideas, and actions are key to our great successes,” said Roland Lewis, President and CEO of Building Together. “He’s a forward-thinking civic engineer, environmentally minded, with a huge heart. We’re lucky to know him.”

Monther Hind grew up in Palestine, and in the 1990s went to Italy to obtain a degree in civic engineering. Possessing a European education and an impulse to do good, he decided to return to Palestine to build a business, raise a family, and work to improve the lives of the people of the West Bank.

In 2004, Monther founded the Palestinian Wastewater Engineers Group (PWEG), with the goal of providing environmental guidance to local and national authorities with a special focus on protecting water resources. PWEG works with marginalized Palestinians and Israelis, offering practical solutions to address water scarcity, improve water security and develop effective solid waste management strategies. For example, PWEG installed a cistern to help one 82-year-old farmer manage watering his olive trees. In a Palestinian village of fewer than 300 inhabitants, PWEG built several household-size, gray-water treatment plants that direct reclaimed water to irrigate crops, thus improving the village’s health, productivity, and food security.

Monther Hind came to know Building Together about five years ago, when the young organization, newly founded by Ben Jablonski, funded his project to implement a solar energy system that pumps water to West Bank farmers. “From that moment, we were in contact,” he said.

Monther has been involved in various BT plans and projects, including this month’s delivery of a pollination machine to West Bank date farmers. “This will save a lot of time for the farmers,” he said with satisfaction. “With this machine, the fruit will be larger—and their sales will increase.”

Hard-working farmers in the Jordan Valley get special attention from Monther and his PWEG and Building Together colleagues. “Their life is not easy,” he said. “They work the whole year. They don’t have assistance. They don’t have marketing strategies. Their main focus is to live with dignity with their families. 

Sharing knowledge and offering training in operations, maintenance, and even marketing, Monther and his team work with people from local and national government agencies, as well as those from community groups and the private sector.

Still, he finds time to enjoy life with his family. A fan of football (soccer to you Americans), he is encouraging his talented teenage son in football matches, and is working with an Italian friend to get his son’s team to a tournament in Tuscany.

As Building Together expands and initiates new projects and new connections, Monther is ready to contribute. “I admire Ben and Roland, and how they are trying to get people to work together and to know each other,” he said. “I see great, transformative possibilities for Building Together.”