AQUA CLARA FOUNDATION


Aqua Clara Foundation is truly an inspiring organization. It works and partners with organizations and local communities in developing nations to address the need for clean affordable water in communities of need. It have done this through putting together an innovative but cheap technology that cleans and purifies water for use in villages and local households.

In partnership with local people and organizations the organization is introducing this new technology to numerous villages in Africa. Its goal is to introduce the water reactors and purifiers to thousands of households that need them in order to meet the broader goal of cultivating healthy and thriving communities.

Below is an example of people they have partnered with to meet this noble goal.





AQUA CLARA FOUNDATION

Providing clean water to those in need as a tool
for the transformation of children’s lives




Two Women and A Village





By Marcia Buck


Rosaline and Rael decided they wanted to start a business. And so they did. They had a goal. They wanted to start a business of making water purifiers and bring clean water to the remote village in Kenya, Africa. They also wanted to start classes for women to teach them computer skills, sewing, and crafts. They wanted to make a difference. They wanted to do all this to bring the love of Christ to the village. They did it.

In the village near Eldoret where Rosaline and Rael live, the mothers and children go daily to the river to collect their water for drinking, cooking, and cleaning. When they arrive at the river, they visit with the other mothers and children and fill their jugs with water. In this same river, the women do their laundry, and the children and babies play, while their domestic animals including sheep, goats, and cows drink from the river.

Because of this kind of multiple use of the river, the water in it is often fecally-contaminated and this kills. One in five children will die from the contaminated water. Of the remaining four children, two of the four will be diseased with skin, intestinal problems, and disabling disease all of their life, prohibiting them from getting an education and unable to contribute to the work of the family. The psychological toll on the family and village is enormous, and the consequential medical costs and disabilities continue the cycle of despair.

Rosaline and Rael started a company called Kerio Clean Water Group -- they found a building, they got a license, they opened a bank account, and they signed the agreements. They were then licensed to build water purifiers, and their business was born. They held meetings with groups of women in the villages. There is an informal group of women called a merry go round where the women meet to discuss the issues of the day, and offer support and friendship to each other. They also have a fund they all contribute to that is used for emergencies. Rosaline and Rael met with these women in many of these surrounding villages, and they may not have called it marketing, but the women wanted the clean water. They paved the way for the new business.

KERIO Clean Water Company is a beta site for the Aqua Clara Foundation. Developed by Dr. Robert McDonald, the Aqua Clara Water Purifier is designed for use in developing countries to remedy the lethal effects of fecal polluted water. This Water Purifier has no moving parts, requires no power, can be made inexpensively with local materials and is designed as point of use for a family of five. The output has been tested by World Health Organization labs and is rated at 0% E.Coli, the best rating possible. KERIO Clean Water is selling this purifier for under $20.00 and the purifier will last for years without maintenance. Aqua Clara is intent on not only delivering the water purifier to those in need in the world, but also to manufacture and distribute this purifier through locally owned businesses for profit. When an existing infrastructure such as a church or seminary or hospital supports this business, there is local trust and confidence that helps to assure sustainability of continued use in developing countries. It is only as the bottom of the pyramid begins to experience the hope of a job and of income that the cycle of poverty can be broken.

The KERIO Clean Water Company wisely markets their water purifier through the local schools in addition to the groups of women. A purifier is placed in each class room so that the children can have clean water during the day. Then, as a special reward to one of the students, he gets to take home a pitcher of clean water for the family. This process has created quite a buzz, and the local people are gathering at the school to find out more about what is going on with water!

It is a great inspiration to watch Rosaline and Rael as they work this business near Eldoret, Kenya. They are not afraid to work hard. They are not afraid of hard work. They already have thought of ways to expand this business – they want to teach the women that they meet and serve the skills that they can use to start a business – and continue to break the cycle of hopelessness and extreme poverty.

You can see the sparkle in their eyes, you can palpably feel their enthusiasm and energy, you can sense their faith and hope. These ordinary women are doing something extraordinary! I am inspired by their undaunted courage to do whatever it takes -- GO!! Rosaline and Rael!

For more information go to: www.aquaclarafound.org