The challenge
Thousands of remote Philippine barangays sit beyond the reach of treated, piped water. Families drink from springs, shallow wells, and rivers that test positive for the pathogens behind chronic diarrheal disease — and after a long, hot walk to school or market, children often have no safe option at all.
These communities don’t need a mega-project. They need a robust, simple system that keeps working without a spare-parts lifeline to the city.
Our solution
We build a standardized three-stage system: a sediment pre-filter, an activated-carbon stage, and an ultrafiltration membrane that physically removes bacteria and parasites — with a booster pump and anti-microbial brass dispensers. We chose UF over reverse osmosis, which clogs and strips healthy minerals. Where water carries sulfide (as in a Tarlac well), we add simple aeration to vent it.
Our first system in Mariveles serves about 200 people for $533 — roughly $2.67 a person for years of safe water. Yes, we broke a UV lamp during commissioning and learned from it. That playbook now drives builds in Tarlac, Mindoro, and Palawan, each hosted by a local leader who runs a community water hub.
Who does what
We are force multipliers, not occupiers — the local partner leads and we supply the science, the design, and the funding.
- Test source water and design the matched system
- Fund the hardware (~$533–$700 per village)
- Build, commission, and verify with water testing
- Refine the playbook with every install
- Host the system at a church, school, or community center
- Provide a trained local maintainer for each site
- Organize the community and identify who needs it most
The team behind it
Volunteer scientists and engineers donating their expertise to this project — most names link to their work.
From the field
