Tears2Water
Clean Water for Thirsty People
Clean Water for Thirsty People
Clean Water for Thirsty People
The Event That Started It All
At 6:58 pm, on April 16th of 2016, a monstrous earthquake, measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale, devastated the northern coastal province of Manabi, Ecuador. Around 660 people died, another 28,000 injured, and countless people were displaced from their homes and lost their livelihoods. Words and pictures are insufficient to convey the magnitude of damage to infrastructure, homes, and businesses. The established system of clean water distribution was disrupted. Therefore, river water, contaminated with microorganisms, became the primary source for daily water needs.
Gary Vance, a retiree in Tennessee, had booked a vacation trip to Manabi just a few days before the earthquake. Upon learning of the disaster, he considered canceling the trip due to concerns about hardships. Then, he saw reports that clean water was the most critical need of the affected people. He did a little research on disaster relief water filters and found a filter kit manufactured by Sawyer. Their product is small, inexpensive, highly effective, and easily deployed.
The vacation plans suddenly shifted into a mission to get some water filters to Ecuador. Friends and family donated enough money to buy 30 of the filter kits just before his departure. That trip was both successful and eye-opening as the magnitude of the need was evident. It led to a total of six trips in a year, where he formed partnerships with NGOs and individuals who he trained in the deployment of the filters.
All told, over a thousand filters were imported and implemented and over five thousand people were documented as receiving the free gift of clean water during that year. He formed Tears2Water LLC as a way to continue helping those on our planet who desperately need clean water.
The vacation plans suddenly shifted into a mission to get some water filters to Ecuador. Friends and family donated enough money to buy 30 of the filter kits just before his departure. That trip was both successful and eye-opening as the magnitude of the need was evident. It led to a total of six trips in a year, where he formed partnerships with NGOs and individuals who he trained in the deployment of the filters.
All told, over a thousand filters were imported and implemented and over five thousand people were documented as receiving the free gift of clean water during that year. He formed Tears2Water LLC as a way to continue helping those on our planet who desperately need clean water.
A Hands-On Approach
Tears2Water.org is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization (enabling tax deductible donations in the USA) dedicated to getting safe, clean drinking water to people who desperately need it by installing technologically advanced water filters in orphanages, villages, tent cities, and government-run refugee camps and throughout disaster-stricken areas. Tears2Water has been doing this for people all over the world since 2016.