WASH (Water, Sanitation, Hygiene) Program of Samaritan’s Purse

Speaker Bio: Ron Orcajada, B.Sc., B.Ed., M.A., is the Water Program Manager for Samaritan’s Purse Canada. He provides oversight for WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) programming conducted through Samaritan’s Purse Canada.  He additionally serves as an international WASH Technical Advisor for Samaritan’s Purse International.  Ron has been deployed as an emergency WASH lead for Samaritan’s Purse Disaster Responses, in particular to Typhoon Haiyan (2013) and Pablo (2012). He is a Land Use and Environmental scientist and has worked in the natural resource industry in Canada with focus on environmental mitigation and operational compliance.  He has worked to promote community level environmental awareness through advocacy.  Additionally, he has participated in waste containment studies within the mining industry.   

Ron is an experienced teacher with qualifications in science and geography and has taught for several years in schools and adult continuing education settings. Ron completed Discipleship Training School with Youth with A Mission and a subsequent school in Worship, Intercession and Spiritual Warfare with YWAM.   He completed his Masters of Arts in Religion and worked as a pastor with the Christian and Missionary Alliance.  While pastoring, Ron co-developed and managed a not-for-profit settlement organization that served over 25,000 clients annually. Ron has particular interest in promoting the practice of faithful Kingdom presence through faithful discipleship.   Ron believes a grounded theological perspective and the adoption and adaptation of best practices for creation care must be championed by Christ’s followers.   

Ron was born in the Philippines to an Agricultural Engineer (father) and a Nurse (mother) and immigrated to Canada at the age of 3 with his two older siblings.  He lives in the City of Calgary and in the summer enjoys community gardening with his wife Dahlia and their son Gavriel.