Building this kind of sensor technology presents many challenges. In order for a sensor to withstand natural elements, it has to be durable. In order for a sensor to monitor water flow, it has to be food-grade quality. It can’t impede the flow of water. It has to be secure. It needs to be accepted by the community. It has to transmit data. The power needs to last a really long time. And it must be affordable.
We’ve made an incredible amount of progress in two years.
With the help of partners in San Francisco (PCH Lime Lab) and Ethiopia, we’ve tackled all of those challenges. Last year, we implemented 60 sensors at water points across Northern Ethiopia and built a software platform, called Dispatch Monitor™, that will receive incoming data packets from those sensors and visualize that information for anyone in the world.
Of course, we discovered hiccups: Firmware bugs. Transmission concerns. Logistical challenges. But we kept going. And today, we’re almost there.
In February of this year, we’ll send 100 more sensors into the field for final testing. Then we’ll approve mass production and put 4,000 more in different countries around the world to officially begin monitoring water flow.
This is huge. Not just for us, but for the entire water sector. Not only are these sensors capable of transmitting data from remote, low connectivity areas, they’re also smart enough to learn the “normal” behavior of a well and report immediately when there is significant behavior change.
This technology allows everyone who implements a water project to be accountable for it, to respond when it breaks and to make sure that people who receive clean water keep having access to clean water.
That’s why we’re open-sourcing all of our files.
We, along with our friends at Google.org, want to share what we’ve learned so engineers, fellow NGOs, students, tinkerers and dreamers can manufacture their own sensors or build upon what we’ve built.
Below you’ll find a living repository for both the sensor and the Dispatch Monitor™ platform. Firmware specifications, mechanical and electrical design drawings, test cases, code… this is where we’ll store everything you should need to build, rebuild, challenge and improve our technology.
We believe we can end the water crisis in our lifetime, and this is how we get there — by sharing new technology and making it better. Google’s commitment to innovation fueled this project, and we can think of no better way to honor it than to share it with people who can innovate even further.
We’re proud to announce that charity: water is a recipient of a Global Impact Award from Google.
The first projects we ever built were six wells in a refugee camp in Uganda. We wanted to prove to our donors that their money was spent exactly how we said it would be, and where it went.
So we walked into an electronics store and bought a handheld GPS device for $100. We took it to Uganda, went to each project and plotted six points on Google Maps™. Then we made the information public on our website along with the photos for everyone to see. We’ve been doing that ever since.
Fast forward six years later, and we’ve now funded over 6,994 water projects in 20 countries that will serve more than 2.5 million people. And although we’ve continued to map every single water project, we don’t think knowing their location is good enough anymore. We want to know whether each one of them is working right now, in real time.
Today, we’re excited to announce that we’re launching a $5 million pilot project with Google to develop remote sensor technology that will tell us whether water is flowing at any of our projects, at any given time, anywhere in the world.
Google has funded this entire initiative through the new Global Impact Awards. This award will help charity: water further advance transparency and sustainability in the water sector.
Although our staff and local partners visit our programs frequently, it’s simply not possible to visit every project often enough to ensure that water is flowing all the time. Thanks to this Global Impact Award from Google, we’ll be able to go from hoping that projects function over time, to knowing that they are.
Over the next few years, we’ll develop and install 4,000 low-cost remote sensors in our existing and new water projects in several countries.
These sensors will transmit real-time data to us and our partners, and eventually to you, the donor.
But just knowing the status of projects isn’t good enough. If a breakdown occurs, there needs to be a system in place to ensure that it gets fixed quickly. That’s why an important part of this pilot will be to continue training and establishing local mechanic programs all over the world who can dispatch to communities within their reach and make repairs. This will create new jobs and small business entrepreneurs in places where they don’t exist today.
We know the data will uncover new challenges, but we’re excited and committed to meet them head on. We’ve used Google Maps™ to innovate over the last six years, and today we’re incredibly excited to work with Google on remote sensor technology, this time to further increase transparency for our donors, and to deliver water more reliably than ever before, to the people who need it most.
Creativity has always been at the center of how we operate as an organization. Our team is made up of amazing designers, engineers, and producers who all share a passion for innovation. From a simple keynote presentation to the full out branding of a new product, we work hard to make each and every one of our designs meaningful and exciting.
That’s why we’re thrilled to announce a collaborative project we’ve been working on with our friends at Over. Over is an app that allows you to unleash your creative side by adding beautiful text and artwork to your photos just by using your phone.
Throughout the next few weeks, Over will be releasing a number of exclusive charity: water pieces created by an amazing group of designers. Some of our own, and some incredible guest artists who graciously offered up their time and talent to be a part of this project with us.
And before you go download the app for yourself, we’d love for you to meet them!
Meet Jillian
After splitting her time between studying graphic design at Syracuse University and booking, planning, and promoting concerts around campus for five years, Jillian Adel finally decided to pursue design full-time after she was inspired by people whose job it was to make beautiful lettering.
“I started spending a lot of time going to talks and workshops through the Type Directors Club and Cooper Type program. Between those opportunities, making type friends and becoming immersed in that community, and hours and hours and HOURS of practice, that part of my work began to grow.”
Jillian started her career in the agency world where she designed art for Broadway theater advertising. But after five years, she decided to relocate to Los Angeles to work independently and build out her art direction and illustration voice in her independent practice.
When we asked Jillian to be a part of the charity: water/Over project, she was thrilled to get involved.
“I’m always happy to make art for a great cause, and charity: water has a reputation of doing a lot of good! I was excited to imagine how users of the Over app might discover and use my art with their photos. I wanted to make something that related to what they might be feeling when they choose the word “Empathy” or “Gratitude” to use on their photo. I love using art to connect people, both me to them, them to me, and them to others.”
Her favorite design: “I dig the ‘Water is Life’ bit because the nature of the script allowed me to play with water drops as a visual in the composition.”
Meet Joseph
As a letterform enthusiast and a lover of language and its various visual expressions, Joseph Alessio is a self-taught designer who is best known for his dimensional and animated lettering projects.
“I love exploring ways to render ideas through type and lettering. I like to make messages meaningful, fusing words and images together; it’s a powerful form of communication.”
Collaborating with charity: water on the Over project not only gave Joseph the chance to utilize his passion for a good cause, but to also re-explore a type of artwork that he had not visited in quite some time.
“It’s always great to apply skills towards benefitting a good cause. I took this opportunity to draw all the lettering by hand, start to finish. That was fun. I hadn’t done a project where it’s entirely hand-done on paper, without any digital tools or tweaks, for a while, and it was great to work with my hands in this way.”
Additionally, working on this project gave him the opportunity to connect with a cause that hits close to home – literally.
“Water is necessary to life, but we take it for granted so often. This is highlighted in the current water crisis in Flint, in my home state of Michigan. So many of us can’t imagine a life without easy access to safe water, but we forget that much of the world lives in need of it. I’m happy to do what I can to assist in raising awareness and resources to provide this necessity to those who need it.”
His favorite design: “I really like the fat letterforms in the “Do Good Work” piece. It’s a slightly casual, fun-loving script that I dressed up with a spur treatment, for a funky vintage flavor.”
Meet Nate
Nate Utesch was first introduced to the charity: water story when he attended the Creative Works Conference in Memphis, Tennessee last year where he got to hear charity: water’s VP of Creative, Viktoria Harrison, speak.
“Viktoria’s speech took my appreciation for the charity: water mission to another level. There are of course so many needs on this planet. Seemingly insurmountable. And, in turn, so many incredible people who have dedicated their lives to not only fight for those needs, but just simply find ways to make the world aware of what maybe the western world can easily forget or admittedly not even be aware of. charity: water does a great job of making their mission clear and making participation simple. It’s hard not to want to be a part of something like that.”
Nate, who originally thought his career would be in music (before his band split up a year into college), studied visual communication and design at Indiana University Fort Wayne. His first job was as an art director at a firm that did advertising for GE’s Heating and Air Conditioning division. But after three years of work he wasn’t too excited about, Nate wanted to move on to something that provided him with more meaning.
This drive led him to a “scrappy-design-shop-turned-full-service-agency” called One Lucky Guitar where he got to dive more into his passions for eight years. Nate now makes up half of Secretly Group’s art department and was excited to partner with charity: water on this project.
“Not unlike every designer on the globe, I try to keep a steady flow of nonsensical – cool cause I like it – personal work in my portfolio. This was a great opportunity to do something quirky and appealing to me personally, but overlapping with a great cause like charity: water is a win-win.”
His favorite design: “I’m a lifer proponent of the “he not busy being born” adage and I thought “the craziest thing” design was a nice spin too.”
Meet Joey
After recently finishing internships at Matchstic and Cartoon Network, Kent based designer and illustrator Joey Wathen returned to school at Kent state University to finish off his senior year studying visual communication design.
“I love to work on creating fun images that will make people smile.”
Joey decided to become involved with the charity: water/Over project because of his desire to help us expand our mission.
“We live in one of the wealthiest nations and its important to remember we have a responsibility to take care of the planet and the people of this planet. I wanted to raise awareness of the basic resources people live without every day. It makes me happy to help charity: water, because they are always busy helping others.”
His favorite design: “I enjoyed creating “Make Waves” because it was done with a fun poster marker and it took many attempts. Still not sure if it’s perfect, but I enjoyed making it.”
Meet Keith
Keith Davis Young first became interested in design at an early age. He started drawing when he was only 7 or 8 years old and followed this passion through high school and undergrad where his interests grew in both building personal works and the commercial side of design.
This year marks Keith’s 10th anniversary as a freelance designer in Austin, Texas, where he had the opportunity to share studio space with many local creative and inspiring artists before moving into his current creative/collaborative space at Public School.
“Sharing space with other productive talented artists was a huge influence on myself and intentions behind my design career.”
When Keith first heard about the charity: water / Over project through his good friend, and our Senior Designer, Garrett DeRossett, his interest was immediately sparked and he was thrilled to lend a hand.
“I had always known and supported the charitable works of charity: water and I wanted to help out in any way I possibly could. When the opportunity arose, I jumped on it and submitted as much artwork as I could. And aside from the charitable motive, it was a lot of fun having looser parameters to an assignment like this. The project seemed to encourage artists to have fun and make something they felt would resonate to others in its message and aesthetics.”
As someone who values the importance of design in every aspect of his life, Keith felt that he resonated with charity: water’s approach to design and that the mutual understanding of intentional creativity made working alongside charity: water a great fit for him.
“I’ve always gotten the feeling charity: water takes their efforts and design very seriously, which is a practice I respect greatly. It’s an honor to be involved with a company that holds this standard of hard work and visual communication so high. I’ve always viewed charity: water as a progressive endeavor with incredible intentions to help others throughout the world. With that said – I’m all for backing anything that will help people and put good things out into the world. I’m excited and humbled to be a part of it.”
His favorite design: “I’m probably the most excited about the bird trio lockup. It’s one of those pieces that acted as a simplified, abstract piece that hopefully others will favor and use. It’s nice to let the viewer make their own connection with the piece and not have to rely on an artist statement or reason for it.”
Meet Colin & Alana
Colin Miller and Alana Louise are two designers from Austin, Texas who work together as Good Folks Co. While they both have separate day jobs, they come together at their studio to create work for clients, as well as personal projects and sellable goods like shirts, stickers, and patches.
When these two twenty-somethings aren’t spending their time enjoying some good Texas food or hanging out with Colin’s hedgehog, Hank, they both like to collaborate on artwork and help each other out when they get stuck.
“We work together because ultimately, we don’t believe in submitting work we aren’t happy with.”
When the opportunity to partner with charity: water on this collaboration with Over arose, both Colin and Alana didn’t have to think about it twice.
“It’s really easy to sit back and not realize what is going on in the world. charity: water took on the hard task of not only raising awareness, but taking action as well. The message they stand behind is so much bigger than either of us, so it was a no-brainer to get involved with this project.”
We are so grateful for all of these incredible artists for choosing to partner with us on this project and for caring about the charity: water mission enough to take time out of their busy schedules to help us raise awareness about the water crisis in a new, fun, and creative way.
Now it’s your turn. Get out your phones. Download the app. And start creating! We can’t wait to see all the cool, new and inspiring artwork that you #madewithover.
This September, charity: water turns 10 and we’re celebrating by launching our biggest physical installation in charity: water history. We’ll be taking over The Winter Garden at Brookfield Place in NYC for three weeks this August to raise awareness for the 663 million people living without clean water around the world.
And we want you to be there with us.
We’ll be sharing our new Virtual Reality film, The Source, and inviting the public to put on a VR headset and meet Selam, a 13-year-old girl in Ethiopia. Guests will step into Selam’s world for 9 minutes and experience the moment her village gets clean water for the first time and their lives change forever.
Thanks to a generous anonymous donor and our friends at Morgan Stanley, every viewing of the film will unlock a $30 donation and give one person clean water. Our goal is to bring at least 10,000 people clean water by the end of the three weeks.
If you can’t join us in person, you can still experience The Source! Watch it online here.
Two years ago, humanitarian photographer Esther Havens met a young boy named Jean Bosco as a charity: water well was being drilled in his village. Since then, she’s photographed hundreds of people around the world for charity: water. She recently revisited that first village and met up with Jean Bosco again. Here is her story.
All I could hear was my heart thumping.
I walked a familiar dusty road with a camera in my right hand, a stack of photos in my left. I was on a mission to find Jean Bosco.
My world first collided with his two years ago when I traveled to Rwanda with an organization called Wishing Well Africa. We spent three days in his village, Murinja. Each morning, we followed people as they collected drinking water from small, murky ponds and watched them fill their Jerry Cans from the same place where animals sloshed and women washed their laundry. People here spent hours walking for water that made their kids sick. Their kids constantly complained of stomach aches.
I remember the first time I saw Jean Bosco; I took a photo of him immediately. He was a bashful boy but his face resembled maturity beyond his years. He showed me his home. He walked me along the path he used every day to collect pond water.
Like Jean Bosco, I never knew you could drill a hole into the ground and drinkable water would come spewing out.
I wondered if he’d ever know how many people would recognize his face. Without a clue, this one boy had helped bring clean water to villages all over the world by inspiring others to help.
But I saw this first-hand. The day we arrived in Murinja luckily corresponded with the day a charity: water well was drilled. Jean Bosco and I stood side by side and watched as the drilling rig bore into the earth, finding water 70 feet below. We rejoiced together when clean water gushed out of a new well that was a short walk from his home. We knew then that life for him and his neighbors would never be the same.
I left Murinja unsure if I’d ever see him again. But I couldn’t forget Jean Bosco. I shared his story with charity: water, and they shared his story with the world. Before I knew it, he was famous. His face debuted at the charity: water Saks Fifth Avenue gala and showed up at other fundraising events and exhibitions in NYC. I got calls and emails from people so moved by his story that they sponsored wells, started their own fundraising campaigns or in one instance, named a pet after him (the African Grey Parrot at Sea World is lovingly named “Jean Bosco”).
Jean Bosco’s story offered a sobering look at life for millions of kids in the developing world. But to many, he became a symbol of hope and inspiration. Villages like his don’t have to keep drinking brown pond water. All they need is a little help.
In April 2010, charity: water asked me to return to Rwanda. Anticipation mounted as I took off for Murinja Village with water program director Becky Straw and multimedia producer Mo Scarpelli on a crisp Saturday morning. We passed the murky pond where the community once collected water and children fell in step behind us near the freshwater well. I pulled out a couple of photos from years before and asked if anyone recognized Jean Bosco. They giggled at the sight of their friend -– yes! He was nearby! They could show me.
I heard the familiar seesaw-like sound from the well; kids were pumping away, filling their Jerry cans, and I even recognized a few. I asked if they remembered their well’s drilling or if remembered me. “Last time, my hair was white, like Santa Claus,” I explained. A few laughed and said something in Kinyarwandan. “They say you are the same,” our translator told us. “But your hair was like an old man before, so you are younger now.”
“Jean Bosco!” A chorus of excitement rang out as a slight, graceful boy stepped up a small hill where I stood.
I was taken aback -– Jean Bosco looked the same! He was a little taller but his face was indistinguishable. Becky and Mo recognized him from the six-foot tall photo that hung in the charity: water office, a world away.
I handed him printed photos of himself. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly. He hesitated. Then a smile broke out on his face. He reached over — and hugged me. I was flattered and surprised. He remembered me! And he knew why the charity: water well was important to his community.
“We used to get sick,” he told us as his younger brother held tight to his side. “We don’t get sick now.”
“Our stomach pains are gone,” other children chimed in. I scanned the small crowd forming around us and recognized a young woman.
“Clarisse!” She smiled back up at me, bent slightly forward with a new baby on her back. She told us she watched the drilling two years ago while pregnant with her first child. “I knew the water would be safe for my baby,” she told us. “I was relieved.”
We asked her if the new well affected her in other ways.
“Before, I could not get clean,” she told us. “Now, I am shining. I am clean!”
Just two years of clean water transformed this village -– and I got to see it with my own eyes. As I stood with Jean Bosco again near his well before saying goodbye, I wondered if he’d ever know how many people would recognize his face. Without a clue, this one boy had helped bring clean water to villages all over the world by inspiring others to help.
This is why I tell stories, this is why I get close to the people I photograph and this is why I share their heart. Jean Bosco doesn’t yet fully understand the impact of his story. But I’ll keep telling it forever.
When I stared working at charity: water three years ago, the adjective I would’ve used to describe gaming would not have been “philanthropic.”
The U-Pick Video Game Marathon is a perfect example of how wrong I was.
These guys and girls have now run THREE campaigns for charity: water and raised more than $8,000 for clean water projects. Not only that, but they’ve done it by having fun.
The U-Pick team gives people the option to choose games for them to play by making a donation to clean water. Then they play the most popular video games for 48 hours … straight! And they broadcast the entire thing (which you can watch live from June 12th at 8PM EST through June 14th at 8PM here: http://www.upickvg.com/watch-now).
The dedication this crew has to bringing clean water to people in developing countries leaves me speechless (which isn’t easy). I cannot wait to watch them beat their $5,000 goal this month!
Ryan first learned about charity: water after following Instagrammers that were sharing our organization’s mission along with their charity: water campaigns (I love how community grows both organically and digitally — here’s to you, Internet!). He was inspired by our message and our model and boldly decided to take his first step in combating the water crisis by using his 21st birthday to fundraise for clean water.
His campaign concept? A personified Jerry Can.
Ryan is currently advertising his 21st birthday campaign on Instagram (@ryanjaydee) and wants to bring this symbol of the Jerry Can to life. In his words, “If you don’t already know, the Jerry Can is the symbol of charity: water because it represents the people in developing countries that have to carry containers to store their drinking water. When filled up it weighs about 40 pounds. It’s a part of these millions of people’s lives because they have to carry it for long distances to get water for their families. charity: water describes it as a “hope to change” and I completely agree with that. That’s why I want to personify this Jerry can and make people aware of the this problem!“
Ryan, happy 21st birthday! We celebrate you, and we thank you for the impact you’re making in this world.
Even the charity: water staff who’ve never met Sarah Peck know her name. She’s famous in our office. Not for the number of campaigns that she’s run or even the amount of money she’s raised… but forone very crazy promise she made years ago.
It was 2012. 28-year-old Sarah had just heard charity: water’s founder, Scott, speak at Chris Guillebeau’s World Domination Summit, and she was fired up. She wanted to do something to help bring clean water to people in need, and there wasn’t time to wait.
Within 48 hours, Sarah had created her fundraising campaign. She set a $29,000 goal (for her 29th birthday) and announced her terms:
“If enough people donate a crazy amount of money, I promise to swim from Alcatraz to San Francisco in the murky, cold waters — in nothing but my birthday suit.”
Yep. You read that correctly. Sarah Peck volunteered to swim 1.5 miles in freezing cold water, wearing only a swim cap, to raise money for clean water.
“Water is incredibly important to me because it’s what makes me feel at home. I have the luxury of splashing around in giant bodies of water and I realized that some people don’t have enough to stay clean, I want to change that.”
The first $7,000 came quickly. But soon things started to slow down. Even though $29 donations were coming in from all over the place, it still felt like the needle wasn’t moving. That’s when Sarah’s competitive side really came out.
“I made it my personal mission for several weeks to ask as many people as I could — and to ask everyone I came in contact with, whether or not I knew them! I ended up taking taxis and using the ride time to share the story, and drivers would donate my fare or a cup of coffee to the cause, and I’d translate that into donations.”
With the help of 460 donations, Sarah didn’t just reach her $29,000 goal, she surpassed it. Her final tally: $32,398. Which meant that it was time to push aside fears of sharks, tides and giant ships and fulfill her promise.
She studied tide charts, hired a boat captain, notified the Coast Guard. And on a cold day at the end of September 2012, she became a charity: water legend.
It’s fair to call it crazy. Everyone at charity: water calls it crazy. Sarah herself called it crazy.
But crazy is what makes it memorable. Crazy is what inspired hundreds of donors. And, in this case,crazy is what brought clean water to more than 650 people in Ethiopia.
“At the end of the day, my discomfort came from being cold for about an hour, and breaking through some of my social insecurities to ask people for money — that’s nothing compared to not having access to water.”
In addition to the people who took part in her campaign, and the taxi drivers and baristas she befriended, Sarah has inspired every one of us. Our slogan, “the craziest thing we can do is nothing,” was written with her in mind. And her campaign is one we will share forever.
Thank you, Sarah, for giving your voice, your time and your humility to our cause. Here’s to the crazy ones, indeed.
“The world is not transactional. Love and light are expansive. Giving isn’t part of a zero-sum game. When you give, you don’t lose — you get something else in return, and the world keeps moving.”
Some days we’re better at being adults than others. Today is not one of those days. Halloween justhappens to be something we’ve always taken pretty seriously at charity: water.
Highlights from our office this year include: a very lovable Garth and Kat, a very terrifying set of twins from the Shining, a human taco, some mac n cheese, Amelia Earhart, a ship captain, an ape, a viking, a Frank head and some very scrappy ninja turtles. Enjoy.
Also– did you see our Snapchat (@charitywater) this morning?!
That’s the number of people who have gained access to clean and safe water thanks to our brand partners. We are incredibly grateful for this community of like-minded brands and their ability to raise awareness for the water crisis in powerful and creative ways.
To celebrate their work and inspire new collaborations, we hosted our third annual Brand Partnership X Summit at Canoe Studios in NYC! This year, we were joined by over 65 brands for a day of insightful conversations. We focused on innovation and what it means for our work at charity: water, in partnerships, and in the world around us. From groundbreaking sensor technology and the launch of The Pool to jewelry crafted from meteorites and sprinkle-filled rainbow cakes, we left feeling inspired to keep creating and pushing the boundaries.
Check out the highlights from this year’s event:
We are so grateful to everyone who joined us. The Summit would not have been possible without our speakers who generously gave their time to help us see how purposeful innovation can drive change. A very special thank you to:
Professor, author, and entrepreneur Scott Galloway, for showing us the importance of having a meaningful career and helping us understand our life strategies, not just business strategies.
Kristin De Simone and Sylvia Hartley, Partners at Thrive Market, for sharing the story of how Thrive Market decided to partner with charity: water and for reimagining what giving means for their brand and customers.
Simon Sinek, optimist and bestselling author, for teaching us what it means to feel fulfilled and reminding us that we need to build the future together.
Artist and designer Monique Péan, for sharing her story and inspiring us with her incredible craft and unwavering commitment to sustainability and support of local communities.
Paull Young, Partner at Facebook, for showing us what being a true partner really means and encouraging the importance of working in tandem to create change.
Amirah Kassem, baker and entrepreneur, for urging us to be our true selves and demonstrating how working hard and inspiring joy can go hand-in-hand!
Another special thank you to Canoe Studios for the beautiful space and delicious catering; Taylor Creative for the comfortable and stylish furnishings; Badger Mountain Vineyard and Sunday Beer Co for providing the wine and beer for cocktail hour; Thrive Market and Scott Galloway for helping us fill our swag bags; C2 Imaging for printing and installing the stunning branding elements; Dear Bayard for the beautiful greenery; The Spaniard for hosting our pre-event cocktail party; and all of the volunteers who worked tirelessly and joyfully to ensure the day went off without a hitch.
