Rob Anthony, with his background in mechanical engineering and pastoral leadership, leads Healing Waters International, a faith-based organization at the forefront of pioneering engineered solutions for community-wide safe water systems in remote and water-constrained areas worldwide.
After a successful exit from a startup he built out of college, Rob’s desire to be vocationally involved in Christian service led him to pursue a seminary degree followed by many years of pastoral work including international missions. After witnessing the hardship of people suffering from lack of access to clean water, Rob felt compelled to apply his engineering and entrepreneurial background with the goal of ending the global water crisis. Since 2012 Rob has focused his full attention on this humanitarian crisis, working in partnership with local communities, churches, and partners like World Vision, the International Red Cross, and Compassion International among others.
Rob became Healing Waters’ CEO in 2015 and has led the organization’s strategic shift from a water-bottling kiosk model to engineering and building large-scale safe water infrastructure projects serving communities as large as 5,000 people.
Rob’s expertise as a mechanical engineer enabled him to tackle complex problems and think critically. Instead of feeling overwhelmed by the global water crisis, he embraced a hopeful outlook, believing that the issue is solvable with determination and well-structured solutions to effect substantial change.
Rob’s personal faith and pastoral background fuels within him a strong sense of compassion and the desire to help others. Recognizing the importance of faith in the communities where Healing Waters operates, Rob emphasizes the significance of listening and learning from the people in these areas. This approach enables Healing Waters to engage with communities in an empowering and sustainable manner. “We focus on listening in the communities where we work, so there is a lot of mutual love, respect, and receptivity.”
Under Rob’s leadership, Healing Waters has assembled a highly skilled team capable of bringing first-world solutions to low-resource off-grid communities. Rob believes that investing in these communities the way you would your own, impacts not just water-related health but also raises the aspirations of what the community believes they are capable of achieving and willing to strive toward.
The team comprises individuals with technical expertise as well as experienced personnel familiar with the realities of the countries where the organization operates. Their goal is to develop creative and tailored solutions for communities facing the toughest water challenges, aiming to make a positive impact on seemingly unsolvable issues. Healing Waters is a pioneer in establishing clean water solutions whose work will forever change the lives of hundreds of thousands of men, women, and children, who now have consistent access to clean water.