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
Provide simple, adaptable water purification systems to communities without access to potable 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 providing adaptable UV water purification units to communities in developing countries, we improve the overall health of the community.
Free Equal Access
Every member of the community should have equal access to the 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 to keep the until running, or the cost of delivery where applicable.
Collaboration
We wish to work through established non-governmental organizations in developing countries to identify new communities and host sites, to teach and encourage healthy sanitation practices and to develop local community oversight.
Sustainability
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, the host community and local NGO partners.
Accountability
We recognize that we are accountable to both the donors and the receiving communities. To the donors: we wish to supply ad maintain these units in the most efficient and cost effective method possible. To the communities: We wish to ensure their on-going access supplies necessary to maintain the units. To both: We promise to work with transparency and grace.
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