Our Grand Challenge

Whenever we are thirsty, we can simply go to the fridge, the nearest water fountain, or the store and get some cold, refreshing water. We see this as a normal living situation while 884 million others around the world see this as a major luxury [1]. These people have to work many hours or walk many miles to obtain often unsafe or semi-clean water. Even in our own country, 2 million Americans live without basic access to clean drinking water and sanitation [2]. In our research, we choose to focus on two countries that both have major issues with clean water accessibility: India and Ethiopia. Ultimately, this challenge has far-reaching effects on human health and prosperity for everyone around the world.

Project Pitch

Did you drink coffee this morning? Did you take a shower or wash your hands?

Who has a bottle of water with them right now?

Imagine that you didn’t have running water, that you couldn’t turn on a tap and have a stream of fresh water. That would be fine, right? You could still walk down to Clear Creek, and filter water for yourself. It would be a bit more difficult, but you wouldn’t go thirsty.

But what if there wasn’t a stream nearby? The closest water was a thirty minute walk away. Or the next rain. This image is difficult for us to conceptualize, having water whenever and wherever we want it, but for many people in our world, it is their harsh reality. These communities are plagued with disease, poverty, and death from unsafe drinking water.

Let’s take this one step farther: Imagine that the rivers of the world have run dry. Snow and ice melted into the sea. There is no rain to speak of, and the last safe drinking water is in one glass. While the water crisis may not affect you directly at the moment, we urge you to ask yourself the next time you turn on a faucet, walk by a river, or take a sip from your bottle: what would you do for the last glass of water on Earth?

Our Statement

We are researching areas without accessibility to clean water because we want to learn how we can expand access to clean water. Ultimately, we would like to help people understand why it is so vital that people have easy access to clean water in all communities around the world.