Written by Shaz Memon
Jul 14, 2020 (IssueWire via COMTEX) — London, Jul 13, 2020 (Issuewire.com) – Water scarcity impacts nearly 10% of the global population and disproportionately affects people in developing countries. Even now, in 2020, people must travel long distances to supply their families with water that has the potential to cause life-threatening illness.
Life amidst a pandemic exacerbates the problems caused by water scarcity. Villages without reliable water access are unable to take the necessary measures, such as frequently washing their hands, that may be able to mitigate the effects of the contagion. The rightful desire to practice good hygiene only puts more pressure on women and girls who must transport water to their homes.
These ten inspiring water charity philanthropists are taking extraordinary steps to ensure the most vulnerable communities around the globe can safely access clean water and improve their quality of life.
Eleanor Allen – CEO of Water for People
Eleanor Allen got her to start as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Dominican Republic before transitioning to a consulting engineer and finally becoming the CEO of Water for People. As a water project expert and a passionate proponent of empowering local communities, Allen runs the organization with the end goal of bringing clean water to all people in mind.
Allen is an advocate for using social entrepreneurship to solve some of the most challenging problems the world faces. Water for People aims to establish reliable water services across schools, communities, and clinics. The process creates jobs and includes an exit strategy that consists of local communities attaining full control over the maintenance of their water services.
Seth Maxwell – CEO & Founder of Thirst Project
From an early age, Seth Maxwell set his sights on acting, but he quickly switched gears when he learned about the water crisis in India. Maxwell began raising awareness about the problem with some of his college friends, and he continues to raise awareness today through the Thirst Project.
As the largest youth water organization, the Thirst Project has served nearly half of a million people from 13 countries. Maxwell continues to speak about the issues that matter at schools, churches, and conferences. Donations to the project are used to build water projects that bring potable water to the people who need it most.
Shaz Memon – Founder of Wells on Wheels
Shaz Memon is the founder of Wells on Wheels, an innovative program that eases the water carrier burden of women and girls in rural India. Nearly 163 million Indians do not have access to clean water near their homes and the responsibility of travelling long distances in high temperatures to collect water falls on women and girls.
Memon, a multi-award-winning entrepreneur, and author used his experience as CEO and founder of Digimax and Digimax Dental to launch Wells on Wheels, which supplies villages in India with Water Wheels.
Memon was inspired by the modern water cooler present in most office spaces to design a robust and affordable, high-density polyethene wheeled transportation solution for water. Each water-filled cart carries 45 litres of water, reducing the number of trips to the water source and allowing two previously water-collecting girls to attend school.
The Wells on Wheels organization has been well received in India and has been featured in the Times of India. Memon received the Corporate Social Responsibility award for 2019.
