Clean Water for Thirsty People

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Clean Water for Thirsty People

Clean Water for Thirsty People

Ecuador’s Earthquake Inflicted Extensive Destruction…
Damage to Homes,
Devastation to Communities.
Working with Refugee Agencies,
Tears2Water Provides Water Filters to Refugee Camps and Orphanages
Clean Water to Villages,
Clean Water throughout the Countryside,
Clean Water to Refugees,
Clean Water to Families and Children.

A Message from Gary

There have been several significant developments here at tears2water.org that we are very excited to tell you about!  Tears2Water originally started in Ecuador as a disaster relief organization in the wake of a devastating earthquake in 2016.  During that year, we documented the provision of clean water for over 5,000 Ecuadorians using Sawyer water filters.   We have supplied many filters over the ensuing years to survivors of natural disasters in many countries. Most filters are donated directly to disaster victims struggling for survival.  We are now expanding the scope of our work to include those who chronically suffer from bad water as well as continuing to serve survivors in the wake of disasters. We now have very promising pilot programs operational in both Ecuador and Guatemala.

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Partnerships in Ecuador

A new project is underway in Ecuador that is supplying filtered water to indigenous school children in the remote areas in the upper Andes Mountains!   We have formed a partnership with Dr. Mario Silva, an esteemed physician in Guaranda.  Dr. Silva learned that 45% of the children in his province suffer from malnutrition due to parasites in the drinking water.   He hoped to install filters in the rural schools in his area to help correct the problem. We sent down 20 Sawyer filter kits in 2022 for Dr. Silva to launch a clean water pilot program.  He went to work, forming partnerships with teachers, and installing filters in multiple remote indigenous schools around Guaranda.

Tears2Water founder, Gary Vance, visited Ecuador in 2023 and met with Dr. Silva to assess the viability of the work.  They visited numerous remote schools where he had implemented the filters.  There, they met the teacher/partners, and saw firsthand the effectiveness of the program, and determined that the work has great potential for growth and sustainability.   Tears2Water donated 150 more of the requested filters to Dr. Silva, who has been personally vetting and training other doctors, teachers, and fellow Rotarians in the deployment and maintenance of the Sawyer water filters.


Using the schools as strategic hubs brings solid accountability and stability to the program and enhances the logistical burden of sustaining the work. This template also maximizes the potential of each filter to provide daily clean water for dozens of families within a community rather than just a single family.


Our work in Ecuador has expanded from the rural Andes Mountain communities to the Amazon province of Napo. Another Ecuador partner, Mario Arias, teamed with the Mayor of the capital city of Tena, and provincial governmental leaders to sponsor a day of training for 25 rural teachers in outlying indigenous schools. The teachers from 25 schools were all trained in one day on how to install and maintain the filters. We donated the filters to 25 schools. and the governmental entities will be doing follow-up visits and gathering data on the health status of the children.  They are all very excited and hopeful for furthering this project to another hundred schools in Napo Province.  We are hoping this will become a template for future projects in other Ecuador provinces.


Partnerships in Guatemala

In 2022 we partnered with some missionary friends at Kingdom Connections International (kingdomconnectionsinternational.com) and provided filters for their mission in Guatemala. They have established sustainable work there and have added Sawyer filters to their monthly food distribution program. This is an ever-expanding project that is also showing great viability. 


The projects in both Guatemala and Ecuador are growing and need hundreds of more filters. We look forward to meeting the challenge of doing our part by donating the filters, but we can only accomplish this with the help of friends!  The Sawyer filter kits are costing us about $25 each.  One kit can provide clean water for up to 100 people's daily needs for years to come. 


Your donation of any amount will go directly toward providing clean water for school kids, rural indigenous families, and victims of disasters who desperately need it! 


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Your donation to Tears2Water.org will quench the thirst of needy people throughout the world.

Where We've Been...

What started as a specific project to bring clean water to Ecuador earthquake victims in April, 2016 continues to grow.  Since inception, Tears2Water has been donating filters at no cost, to numerous groups and individuals traveling to other countries on mission trips and various kinds of relief efforts. These countries include Haiti, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, Bahamas, Guatemala, Colombia, Peru, India, the Philippines and Bali, and within the continental U.S., the Navajo Nation.

More About Who We Are

More About Us

Tears2Water LLC is a 501(c)(3) Non-profit charitable organization.

All USA contributions are tax deductible. EIN: 81-3394887

Published On - 1/12/24