Frequently Asked Questions
We are a non-profit organization that runs on integrity and efficiency. We are deeply committed to keeping our overhead low so your gift has the maximum possible impact. Your donation goes directly toward purchasing the raw materials and components for our filter kits. Because all of our filters are assembled by volunteers, your generosity directly supports our mission: providing life-saving filters at the lowest possible cost to families and humanitarian partners around the world.
A filter build is a fun, hands-on, and high-impact volunteer event where you help assemble our life-saving filter kits. No experience is necessary! We welcome everyone and regularly host:
- Families
- School and youth groups
- Corporate teams
- Church groups
- Service clubs (like Rotary and Lions Club)
It's a fantastic way to connect with your community while making a tangible difference in the global water crisis.
We have designed our filter builds to be a welcoming, inclusive, and accessible experience for everyone.
- Easy Training: Every session begins with a brief 5-10 minute training and an introduction video. You'll see the simple assembly steps and, most importantly, the "why" behind your work and the lives you're changing.
- Accessible Tasks: The work is straightforward and can be done sitting or standing at a table. It involves putting small, lightweight filter components into kits. There is no heavy lifting required.
- Welcoming Environment: Our Grand Rapids facility is wheelchair accessible. We strive to create a sensory-friendly, low-stress environment where you can chat or go solo, connect, and serve.
Our entire model is built to serve those in greatest need. Our objective is to make safe water available to those living on less than two dollars a day. The only way to make our filters that affordable is to reduce the cost of production. By relying on volunteers to assemble every filter kit, we eliminate labor costs and can provide our filters at cost to our global partners. Your time is our most valuable resource.
Our filters are laboratory-tested and field-proven to be highly effective.
- Technology: The VF100 bucket filter uses a hollow fiber membrane filter.
- What it Removes: It removes 99.99% of all bacteria and protozoa , including those that cause devastating illnesses like cholera, E. coli, and diarrhea.
- Proven Impact: A 2023 study of our filters in Honduras found that after just eight weeks of use, reports of diarrhea in households fell from 8.8% to 1%.