Charitable Giving Spotlight: Friendly Water for the World
Friendly Water for the World is a favorite organization of our clients. Based in Olympia, Washington, their mission is to create health and access to clean water through sharing knowledge, training, and using technologies that are easily repeatable and adaptable.
The inspiration for Friendly Water started with a vacation. While on a trip to Mexico in 2010, Del Livingston stumbled upon a group of people building a BioSand Water Filter. Not one to enjoy laying on the beach for hours, the project piqued Del’s interest and he ended up spending the rest of his vacation learning how to build this transformative device.
The BioSand Water Filter is a 36-inch tall, 12-inch square cylinder filled with filtration sand and gravel. It is a simple structure that has been around for over 200 years. Much like the earth does as water seeps through various layers until it arrives at an aquifer in pristine condition, a BioSand Filter does in just three feet! This simple device has such a big impact. Filtering up to 25 gallons per day, 1 filter can serve the daily needs of a family of 5. Not only does it improve health by removing 99.9% of impurities and pathogens, it also helps keep girls stay in school as it can eliminate what is usually their one of their designated chores, to walk an average over 3.5 miles a day, just to get water.
Since its inception, Friendly Water for the World has worked on projects in more than 15 countries across three continents. They partner with communities and create projects to help people become more resilient and independent. Their impact is expanding as they have shared new technologies over the last few years. Today, in addition to helping communities by setting up water filtration systems, they now provide assistance with water storage systems, brick making for shelter creation, micro flush toilets, soap making, high efficiency stoves, and permagardens.
As the mission and projects of Friendly Water for the World have grown, the organization has evolved. Today, they have a fulltime staff of four people in Olympia, with Curt Andino serving as Executive Director. To find our more or contribute, go to https://friendlywater.org
