Egyptian social startup on a mission to get clean water flowing in Africa

Egyptian social startup on a mission to get clean water flowing in Africa

CAIRO: Access to clean, safe drinking water is one of the greatest challenges facing people in many parts of the world. By 2015 the UN's Millennium Development Goals had succeeded in reducing by half the number of people without such access, but many still suffer as a result of poor sanitation services and lack of treated drinking water, especially in rural communities. According to a 2019 report from the World Health Organization and the UN Children's Fund, about 2.2 billion people worldwide do not have safely managed drinking water, 4.2 billion go without safe sanitation services and 3 billion lack basic hand-washing facilities. In Egypt, one of the nations facing a potential crisis, it is predicted that the share of water per person will decrease by 2025. Water Will, a social startup founded in Cairo in 2019, aims to address these challenges. "We wanted not just to help people in rural communities but also empower them to help themselves,“ said co-founder and CEO Mohannad Hesham, 29. "Through the new startup, they can turn from beneficiaries to customers and purchase the filters that would solve their water problems without waiting for help from anyone.“ Through its Buy Me Filter initiative, Water