Our Story

A group of volunteers assembling the water filter kits around some tables.

A Sustainable Solution to an Urgent Problem

What makes Village Water Filters different
is our core belief in community. Here in
Grand Rapids, Michigan, our work is powered not by assembly lines but by your hands. This grassroots approach infuses every filter with a sense of shared humanity and purpose. It’s a tangible connection between our volunteers and the rest of the world.

By assembling our filters by hand, we eliminate production costs, allowing us to provide our life-saving technology at the lowest possible price. This model makes clean water accessible for families, clinics, and schools that need it most, bridging the gap between a life of hardship and a future of hope.

A group of volunteers assembling the water filter kits around some tables.
A group of volunteers assembling the water filter kits around some tables.

A Founder's Dream

After years of working on clean water projects across the globe, founder Bob Ashley saw a troubling pattern: existing filters worked well, but they were too costly for the families that needed them most.

Determined to change that, he spent two years designing and testing what would become the VF100—a lightweight, portable water filter made from the same high-quality membranes used in top-tier systems, but at a fraction of the cost.

A Founder’s Dream

A water filter attached to a bucket.

After years of working on clean water projects across the globe, founder Bob Ashley saw a troubling pattern: existing filters worked well, but they were too costly for the families that needed them most.

Determined to change that, he spent two years designing and testing what would become the VF100—a lightweight, portable water filter made from the same high-quality membranes used in top-tier systems, but at a fraction of the cost.

A middle-aged man smiles as he hands a book to a young boy beside him.

Empowering Partners

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Ninky is a passionate businesswoman who provides safe water solutions in her community. She was moved to act after seeing a young girl in rural KwaZulu-Natal "competing with cattle for water from the same source". Today, she runs her own business distributing VWF filters, building a business that empowers her community and changes lives. Today, she runs her own business distributing VWF filters, building a business that empowers her community. Her work has been recognized globally, winning the prestigious Women in Africa 54 (WIA 54) Award out of 4,000 applicants.

A woman holds an award surrounded by a small group of people, all smiling.

When humanitarian worker Danny responded to Supertyphoon Haiyan, which tragically killed over 6,000 people , he found that donated bottled water was "costly, not sustainable, and a logistical nightmare". He now carries VWF filters to every disaster relief operation. In one village devastated by a typhoon, he discovered the community's only water source was "just a stream," leading to rampant, life-threatening illness. A year after he distributed our filters, the village mayor reported that cases of cholera and diarrhea had "virtually disappeared".

A speaker stands talking to a large group of people.

The non-profit Goodjustice distributed 1,687 VWF filters to families in Honduras and tracked the health and financial impact. The results were staggering. After just eight weeks, reports of diarrhea fell from 8.8% to 1%. The financial burden on families was also lifted: average monthly healthcare costs dropped from $314.50 HNL to $27.10 HNL , and money spent on bottled water fell to nearly zero. This study provides clear, measurable proof of the life-changing impact of a simple, effective filter.

A man stands behind rows of buckets of filtered water, inspecting them.