In a world where two billion people lack clean water, WaterStep delivers solutions. WaterStep is a nonprofit organization based in Louisville, KY. The organization brought clean water to 6.7 million people in 2022 and 2023. Funds for these clean water projects came, in part, from an unexpected source—pre-owned, donated shoes. The team collects tractor-trailer loads of shoes and sells them to an exporter, garnering an estimated $1 per pair of shoes. The organization focuses on safe water solutions to empower communities to improve their health, become educated and build livelihoods. WaterStep celebrates many successful clean water projects and is gaining momentum for projects to come.

WaterStep’s Growth

Mark Hogg, WaterStep’s Founder and CEO, explained in an interview with The Borgen Project that he started the organization in 1995 to use water as a “tool for health.” Hogg traveled to West Africa in 1983 to work on a dam and according to him, the trip was “life-changing,” providing valuable insights about the consequences of waterborne illness. 

WaterStep has worked in 70 countries and its impact has doubled in the last two years. The COVID-19 pandemic contributed to the growth by spreading awareness about hygiene issues and increasing demand for clean water. Growth also occurred when WaterStep began shipping equipment rather than hand-delivering it to project locations. UPS delivered 630 pieces of equipment to East Africa for WaterStep in 2021 without any cost. 

WaterStep team members, Mark Hogg, Founder and CEO, Zacharie Tossou, International Program and Development Director and Kellie Moore, Director of Strategic Initiatives, attended the invitation-only U.N. 2023 Water Conference, an experience that affirmed their strategy. 

WaterStep Technologies

WaterStep provides several clean water technologies to communities in need. Lyssa Castor, WaterStep’s Director of Marketing and Development, explained the types of technology to The Borgen Project. WaterBalls are plastic balls with attached handles that, when filled with water and pushed, make water transport significantly easier and more efficient. Without WaterBalls, women and children commonly carry five-gallon containers of water on their heads for long distances. “The heavyweight compresses the spine and causes significant health problems,” Castor said. 

WaterStep also offers BleachMakers that create bleach for cleaning and sanitation. Many communities use BleachMakers to bottle and sell bleach, thereby generating income. Additionally, the nonprofit organization offers an M-100 Chlorine Generator, which is designed to purify water using a car battery and salt. Another innovation is the WaterStep Water on Wheels (WOW) Cart, a moveable water treatment system designed to clean water during natural disasters and emergencies. 

The WaterStep team chooses technologies that address the specific needs and challenges of each community. After committing to help a community, WaterStep engages community members to contribute to the project. The community has “skin in the game,” Castor explained, which allows them to work together with WaterStep to bring about long-term, sustainable solutions. 

Successful Clean Water Projects

WaterStep has executed numerous clean water projects, providing people affected by poverty and disasters access to clean water. Here are just three:

1. The Seneiya Special and Junior School, which educates nearly 200 special needs children in Samburu County, Kenya, faced challenges in accessing clean water and disinfectant. This resulted in negative effects on students’ health and attendance. Students in wheelchairs were unable to access toilets and the school lacked funding for enough diapers, causing ongoing sanitation difficulties.
   
   In 2023, WaterStep provided a BleachMaker, allowing the school to make bleach and improve sanitation and hygiene. The school has seen significant improvements in attendance and reduced disease. Additionally, students with mobility challenges can more fully participate in the community. 
   
   
2. Students at Mayfield Christian School, located on top of a mountain on Mfangano Island, faced challenges due to a lack of access to clean water. This island is located in Lake Victoria. Lake Victoria is highly contaminated and was the school’s singular water source. Consequently, children were unable to attend school until they reached about 8 years old, as they needed to be capable of carrying their daily water supply up the mountain to the school. The school’s director reached out to WaterStep via Facebook for help and in 2022, WaterStep sent five 2,000-gallon water tanks to collect rainwater and an M-100 Chlorine Generator to clean the water.
   
   A local plumber helped connect the rain catchment system and WaterStep team members trained representatives from the community on how to use the equipment. After installation, the school’s director reported increased attendance and healthier students. Students no longer transport water on their heads every day and younger children can attend school.
   
   
3. Numerous prisons in Kenya lack safe water, causing devastating sickness. With 100% donor funding, WaterStep has successfully delivered clean water to 70 prisons in Kenya since 2021. Among the facilities is a children’s prison, housing individuals aged 7 to 17. Hogg said that clean water “transforms the place.”
   
   He has heard from a person on the ground in Kenya that the prisons are now the best-smelling and safest places in the communities. Additionally, the positive impact extends beyond the prison walls, as people now transport water from the prison to nearby sites, further amplifying the benefits of the initiative.

Contributors to WaterStep

There are many ways people contribute to WaterStep’s clean water projects. WaterStep accepts monetary donations at WaterStep.org. People donate shoes at drop-off sites around Louisville, KY and through shoe drives in nearby states. Through “Give Back Boxes,” people donate shoes via mail. A Give Back Box is any large cardboard box filled with shoes and mailed to WaterStep for a flat rate of $20. 

In addition to donations, dedicated volunteers work at WaterStep collecting and sorting shoes and manufacturing equipment like the M100 Chlorine Generators, BleachMakers and WOW carts. These efforts help WaterStep continue to improve more lives around the world with clean water.

– Kelly Carroll
Photo: Flickr