The global water crisis kills 28,000 children every week and 3,000 children a day. Over 1.5 million people worldwide die each year because of a lack of safe drinking water. Water-related illnesses resulting from contaminated drinking water are the leading cause of sickness and death worldwide.

The non-profit organization Filter of Hope was created in order to combat the global water crisis. To do this, Filter of Hope developed a special water filter for families who live in poverty around the world.

Two years ago, Alabama students took their first trip with Filter of Hope. 

“From this one trip, eight campuses became involved and then 18 campuses with 400 students the year after that,” said Don Johnson, director of sales and partnerships for Filter of Hope who also teaches the Social Entrepreneurship class on campus. “It’s amazing that this started from a little class in Alabama.”

The filters remove bacteria, protozoa and microorganisms from contaminated water sources to make the water completely safe to drink. They’re EPA tested to ensure that the filtered water passes the U.S. Drinking Water Standard and last up to 10 years and clean 150 gallons of water a day. One filter is $40 and can provide clean water for a family of 10-15 people. Electricity and batteries are not needed for the filters to work, and they can easily be connected to a bucket or transported.

The Filter of Hope organization has a special connection with The University of Alabama thanks to Johnson. The Social Entrepreneurship class requires students to become involved in a cause, and, around five semesters ago, students in Johnson’s class asked for a more hands-on experience. Since then, he’s been introducing them to Filter of Hope. This year he has challenged each student to raise $40, which is the price of a single water filter.

Johnson and his students have also been targeting Greek life for donations through presentations and a crawfish bowl at fraternities. They planned an upcoming fundraiser at Pyro Pizza where 20 percent of the profits will go to Filter of Hope.

Codie Harris, a senior majoring in English, is a student in the social entrepreneurship class and and said she is thankful for the connections she has made with the community and the world through the class. 

“Since Professor Johnson is involved in the organization, it makes it easy to work with and raise awareness for the global water crisis,” Harris said. “We don’t even think about not having clean water, especially with the refilling stations around campus, but even places nearby, such as Flint, Michigan, have trouble finding clean, safe drinking water.”

The Filter of Hope organization does more than provide filters to families in poverty. The organization sponsors trips to Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua for anyone who would like to volunteer and is 16 years or older. These volunteers perform a range of activities from ministry experiences to job training programs and construction projects.

The organization also actively seeks out new interns who want to help eliminate the global water crisis. Interns have the role of raising awareness for the organization, while securing funds to supply water filters to 100 families. Once interns have the funds for these water filters, they have the opportunity to travel with the Filter of Hope staff to distribute them.