We begin by recruiting outstanding organizations, currently serving children, that are conducting operations without safe water. If only they had clean drinking water, their work could be exponentially more effective. If you can imagine a children’s hospital – designed for healing but operating without safe water – then you can picture why we choose the partner sites that we do.

When planning is complete, a joint team of ACR and on-site staff work together to install water purification systems, drinking water stations, and hand washing stations. We find that working together at this stage is essential to build both technical knowledge and community buy-in. It is our goal to provide a sustainable solution, so we plan for the long-range from the very beginning.

We build strong, proactive relationships with local leaders. Once we establish an agreement to work together, we work collaboratively through the planning process to assure that our water systems will be installed appropriately, optimizing site-specific conditions and constraints. We invest the time needed to get things right, both for the technology and the people.

Each time we install a new water system, we promise ten years of safe water (with our ongoing support and monitoring), followed by a second ten years under local control. It takes the first ten years to prepare well for the second ten. After twenty years, we expect to have built the knowledge and buy-in necessary to make clean water solutions endure.