Ceramic Pots Make Potable Water Possible

Tracy Hawkins didn't know much about filtering water when she went to Tanzania on a volunteer vacation several years ago to help with an educational pottery program. But after learning of a process for filtering water with ceramic pots and finding someone doing similar work in the Dominican Republic, she became one of the founding partners of FilterPure, a charitable business that has sold thousands of sustainable water filters to people in developing countries.

The technology is simple. A special mixture of clay is fired in a way that leaves tiny pores in the pot, which filter contaminants and kill bacteria. The pots can cleanse 1 to 3 liters per hour and last up to 5 years for a family of up to 10 people--all for $30, or about 2 cents per family per day, Hawkins said.

After the jump: TakePart interviews Tracy Hawkins.

Today, FilterPure has factories in the Dominican Republic and Tanzania, with plans to expand into Haiti. TakePart reached Hawkins at her Atlanta home just after a trip to the Tanzanian plant.

Q: What inspired you to get involved?

A: I was working with a group of people who really wanted to do something for their fellow countrymen, and the youth in particular. I grew very fond of them, and when I brought the filter to them they were just adamant that this was something that the country needed, and they wanted to do this and leave this as a legacy. And, of course, that is very inspiring.

Q: If you could give an overview of the problem of clean water in Tanzania, how would you present it?

A: Well, 80 percent of the country is rural and also is considered poor. There's two problems: One is access to clean water, and then the quality of the water. Most people do not have access to clean water. They can boil their water, but this is expensive. And there are not many other treatments available. Tanzania is vast, and distribution of water treatment in the country can be challenging.

Q: How are the impacts of that borne out?

A: First of all, the water-borne diseases can make people very sick. Children are dying, especially children under the age of five or people with weakened immune systems. Women, primarily, and children are responsible for water, so they can spend half a day collecting the water and the other half of the day processing the water to make it clean, and even with boiling the water people will tell you that they still have stomach pain.

Q: What are the biggest obstacles that prevent people from getting clean water?

A: Well, first of all, the government and businesses are more focused on infrastructure. Of course, infrastructure takes a very long time and is very expensive to put in place. We're looking 50 years 100 years out for that. So what do we do in the meantime? We try to create access through putting in wells or giving the people something to use at the point of use. However, I would say people need to be educated first that the water is making them sick, and then they need to understand that they do have options to be able to treat their water.

Q: How do we overcome the challenges?

A: Well, availability of the [filter] product and helping them to understand that this is a priority for them. There's a turn recently in the tide of getting "aid" as just "aid" - it's not empowering the people, it's keeping them poor. What we have to do is help them to learn how to empower themselves.

Q: Who are the major players in trying to get the water to these people?

A: It's really a combination of ... groups. I mean, you have large organizations, medium, even to larger-sized non-profits or NGOs, international NGOs who have water programs where they're interfacing maybe even with smaller NGOs who are going out and working in the communities to teach about water and hygiene, sanitation. And also you have the various ministries who are very active in that arena as well.

Q: What's one fact that people might not know about the issue of clean water in Tanzania?

A: I think for me what really struck me that was a big "a-ha" moment was that the people really do not know that they are sick. That they think that their children dying, that having stomach pain all the time, living with sores, is a way of live. That is their reality. That's their ‘normal.' And I just found that shocking, because, of course, we're here living in an environment where, if we were living like that, we would think we were dying. We'd be at the doctor every moment, but for these people it's just normal.

Q: Have you changed any of your home habits with water? Are you advocating anything people might do at home to highlight what's going on there?

A: Well, of course water is a critical resource and we should all be aware of how much we're using and that the water that we're already using is clean - even though many people do not feel that way - that the water that the municipality where I live is providing clean water. ... But really, I think for me, every time you turn on your water and you get clean water, and you get to take a hot shower, and you can wash your hands - you know, we should all be so grateful.

Think about the person who has no access to water and if they do get access to water, may not be able to drink clean water, they're drinking muddy water. Dirty water. And that's what they have to give to their children. And they should think about how they can help bring clean water to others in the world.

Q: As someone who is fairly new but getting involved in the NGO community, is there anything in that system that has surprised you?

A: I think that the model that we have been using regarding humanitarian aid has I think lately been showing its, I guess its underbelly, if you will, in the sense that aid, in and of itself, giving handout s is not really helping the people. I think that there is a change coming that will modify that model more toward empowerment than to aid.

Q: What is something someone can do today with 5 minutes or 5 bucks to help or raise awareness?

A: Well, it's always excellent to work within the schools, teaching children about water and all aspects of water. ... There are many ways to get involved. From looking at organizations that provide microloans to making a donation to your favorite water foundation, all the way to funding a factory in a new country to make filters ... or to write your congressman to say you want to see more programs to help people get clean water in developing countries.

Q: Along those lines, if someone wanted to do even more, what else might they do? Donate the FilterPure Filter? Can you buy one for a family?

A: Absolutely. You can log on to FilterPureFilters.org and you can make a donation through our Web site. That money will be used to directly send a filter to a family that is in need. And another way people can help is FilterPure is building infrastructure so that we can put more factories in more locations so that people of other countries can also have clean water. So, if they're interested in helping us build the capacity to do that, that would be great.