Abstract
Community Water Solutions (CWS) is a not-for-profit social enterprise that partners with rural communities in developing countries to establish sustainable water treatment businesses. Today, 1 in 6 people globally lack access to safe drinking water. Four million people, 90% of which are children, die annually from preventable water-related diseases. CWS focuses on northern Ghana where 20% of children are suffering from diarrheal disease, and child mortality is 150 deaths / 1000 births (GSS). The sustainability of the CWS model differentiates us from other safe water projects. Our approach, developed from MIT research, combines low-cost household water treatment and safe storage technologies with a hands-on approach to engaging communities as owners, operators and customers of centralized water treatment businesses. This model ensures comprehensive community access, affordability, broad adoption and sustained use. To date, we have worked with three villages, providing 2,500 individuals (including 600 children) with clean, reliable drinking water access in their homes. We aim to reach 8 more villages this year and 55 more by 2013. Ongoing operation of CWS water treatment businesses is supported by revenue from the sale of drinking water, while initial capital is provided by CWS fundraising and Fellowship program. CWS aims to break even in 2013, and is currently raising $90,000 to build the organization to a scale where revenues support sustainable growth. CWS' four person founding team includes two business students and two former MIT graduate engineers with specializations in household water treatment. We also have advisors from MIT, UNICEF, PATH, and CDC.
