I have always been fascinated by water because of its vast characteristics and roles in the world. Water, in its simplest form, is two hydrogen molecules bonded by hydrogen bonds to an oxygen molecule. Those three simple things are what sustains life as we know it. Humans can only survive three days without water. Then you…
The first impression of meeting someone is so impactful. There are many ways that a person can come across, starting with their facial expressions and body language. Then, how they speak and act toward you and others. One of those memorable first impressions I have ever experienced was that of Padre Keiter, a community leader in…
I went on a trip to the Dominican Republic at the beginning of the summer as part of my internship. Overall, it was a fantastic experience, and I loved learning more about the heart and mission of Healing Waters International. As a bonus of the trip, we went out on a pier our last day in…
Healing Waters International strives to provide long-term, sustainable water purification systems to help communities in the developing world have water that lasts a lifetime. Since sustainable water systems are our focus, we typically do not function as a disaster relief organization, but we are certainly burdened to come alongside communities who have been affected by…
Let’s be honest: the world is a messy, crazy place full of unknowns, disappointment, and ultimately, extreme brokenness. Turning off the news, looking away from that discouraging headline, and turning a blind eye to other people’s brokenness are all ways we cope. We also seek distractions: Netflixing the day away, scrolling endlessly through Instagram, and…
“Which of these bottles of water is dirty?” asks Jose, the health & hygiene teacher in the rural community of San Pablo in Guatemala, while he holds up three different water bottles. One is visibly dirty, brown water that looks like the water from the river. The children immediately eliminate that bottle saying “of course…
What does it mean to “treat” water? On the surface it seems simple: “Treated water” is that which has been made safe to drink through some form of processing. This is presumably desirable for human health and global development. Taking a closer look however, the term is quite ambiguous: Does treating water imply putting something into it,…
The large banner hanging over the street was a familiar: “Merry Christmas.” But I was surprised, because I was in a small town in the Dominican Republic – in October! I saw a similar banner a couple weeks later in early November in Nairobi, Kenya. “Merry Christmas” is a greeting and a sentiment being shared…
Last week, I had the privilege of traveling to Haiti with a group from 1040.com (If you haven’t checked them out, you should. They’re an excellent example of how a business can contribute to ending the Global Water Crisis.) We were able to visit water projects in the densely populated neighborhoods of Port-Au-Prince as well as…