Making a Difference, One Drop at a Time

The Pure Water Foundation, Inc. - John & Mary Jo Hays

During our upcoming trip to Kenya, we will be taking two water chlorination systems for use at the KipKarin clinic and village. The systems were developed by Iowa’s own John Hays. Mr. Hays is the water superintendent of Washington, Iowa, and has taken on the personal mission of supplying water systems to developing countries. The need for clean water remains the number one need as nearly 40% of our world’s population lacks basic sanitation, while one billion of our world’s citizenry lacks access to clean drinking water. That is a staggering 20% of our world’s population! Uganda has the largest population without safe drinking water—followed closely by Kenya.

The Hays’ have founded their own nonprofit, the Pure Water for All Foundation with the aptly stated mission statement, “Making a difference, ONE drop at a time”. Through their efforts they have supplied villages in Africa, India, Asia, Russia, Europe, Nicaragua, Haiti, Mexico, Columbia, and Venezuela with water filtration systems.

Their chlorination system uses a salt solution that runs through a solar charged chlorine generator several times. The result is chlorine that can treat several hundred gallons of contaminated water.

This picture, courtesy of John Hays, shows a baby cemetery in Tanzania, Africa. When Randy and Carol Luth met with Mr. Hays, he shared with them that he thought this odd looking field was some sort of tribal garden. Unfortunately, he quickly learned this was not a garden but a cemetery where the villagers buried their babies-- many victims of diseases caused by dirty water. Before introducing his water chlorination system to the village, there were over 120 cases of typhoid per month. Today the village is down to just two cases of typhoid per month thanks to clean water! No more baby cemeteries!

Spanda, Inc is pleased to provide the chlorination system as well as the training to use the chlorinator to our Kenyan friends. We are all very excited to work with Rotary International to drill a well which will provide a fresh water supply to the entire KipKarin village. The initial survey has been completed. We all greatly appreciate our Rotary partners and the Hays’ for helping us to bring clean water to our Kenyan neighbors. It truly does take only a single idea and a single drop of clean water to move the world!