History
Jerry and Judy Bohl, founders of Clean Water for the World (CWFW), have been traveling to El Salvador since 1995 and to Haiti since 2010 with delegations working in marginalized neighborhoods. Given bottled water to drink, Jerry and Judy were saddened to see the young children drink out of the local water tap that had contaminated water.
After researching options of how to purify water, they learned of a UV-light purifier used in Haiti as a trial developed by a professor and student from the Rochester Institute of Technology. Having met with the leaders of the trial effort, Jerry and Judy were given the blessing to develop the trial even further. Several years and many tweaks later, an inexpensive, portable and efficient water purification system was created that provides up to 5 gallons of water per minute (rate of 300 gallons per hour).
Originally called ”The Water Project” in 2002, Clean Water for the World became a full-fledged 501(c)3 non-profit organization in 2007 with the help of Paul Flickinger, first Executive Director of CWFW. Since then, the volunteer-run board has improved the purifier from its original wooden box prototype to the transportable, carry-on size installed today in numerous communities all over the world. Each purifier has the capacity to serve a community of 300-600 persons.
Incrementally over the last 10 years, CWFW has installed water purifiers the world over. Most concentrated in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Haiti, purifiers are donated to communities who provide public and free access to the water purifier. The purifiers are given to those who need it and are meant to be an accompaniment and complement to already existing community projects, now with 290 installed worldwide.
Mission & Values
Mission
We support work that provides and promotes access to clean water.
Values
Dignity and Improved Health
Clean water is a human right. Having access to bacteria and virus-free water prevents water-borne diseases. By supporting and promoting work to improve access to clean water, we improve the overall health of the community.
Free Equal Access
Every member of the community should have equal access to clean water regardless of their ability to pay. No person or organization should make a financial profit from offering clean water to the community. Any charges for water distribution should be limited to the actual costs of paying for parts/maintenance/education to keep the unit running, or the cost of delivery where applicable.
Collaboration
We aspire to work through established, local non-governmental organizations in developing countries to establish a lasting relationship with the communities we serve.
We strive to build relationships within the U.S. to educate people on the need for clean water around the world.
Longevity and Community
We believe that the long-term success of providing clean water depends upon a sense of local ownership and commitment which is developed over time through regular contact between Clean Water for the World and local NGO partners.
We believe the long-term success of water projects may include supporting a community holistically, such as paying for transportation for water promoters to perform maintenance, providing education on how to build and maintain a water system, investigating different styles of units to best serve a community, etc.
Accountability
We recognize that we are accountable to both the donors and receiving communities. To the donors: We wish to serve our mission in a sustainable way that ensures the longevity of clean water access. To the communities: We wish to support them in their needs to gain and maintain access to clean water for all, with a special focus on maintaining any CWFW-built water purification units. To both: We promise to work with transparency and grace.
Through our financial policies, we strive to ensure that any CWFW grant awarded is used for its intended purposes.
We strive to work with communities in solidarity and to focus the conversations and work on letting communities speak for themselves.
Specific conversations will be held by the Board to educate themselves and then will consider the systemic impacts of free and equal access to water in our work, and will be considered when/if any grants or sponsorships are received by CWFW.
Environmental
We are aware of the connection of the environment, the climate, and care of the Earth and our work to give more people access to clean water, and keep it in our discussions for education and decision making while navigating a priority of providing and promoting clean water access.
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