The challenge
Look closely at any local partner we rely on and you’ll find someone who got an education against the odds. In the communities we serve, brilliant students are stopped not by ability but by tuition measured in a few hundred dollars.
Without local engineers, scientists, and organizers, water projects stay dependent on outsiders forever. The durable fix for the water crisis is local expertise — and that’s built one student at a time.
Our solution
Our partners PALPER and KCCO nominate promising students from the communities where we work. A sponsorship covers university tuition, school supplies, and modest living expenses for ~$1,000–$2,000/yr (depending on region) — and our volunteer scientists provide one-to-one mentoring in the student’s field.
For companies, it’s the most personal CSR we offer: your organization funds a named student’s year and receives their story and progress. It’s a scholarship a team actually remembers.
Who does what
We are force multipliers, not occupiers — the local partner leads and we supply the science, the design, and the funding.
- Vet nominations and send tuition straight to the institution
- Match each student with a volunteer scientist-mentor
- Report progress to sponsors every year
- Build the pipeline that staffs future projects
- Nominate students who will serve their communities (PALPER, KCCO)
- Support students locally through their studies
- Connect graduates back to water work at home
The team behind it
Volunteer scientists and engineers donating their expertise to this project — click anyone to see their work.
