From Risk to Renewal: Transforming Unsafe Water into Hope
Published on
Aug 12, 2025
In Nakivale Refugee Settlement, you can fill a jerrycan from the ground, the lake, or even a tank of rainwater saved from the last rainy season. But there’s a catch—none of it is safe to drink.
For families here, every sip of unclean water carries a risk: diarrhea, cholera, typhoid—diseases that can devastate a community already facing hardship. Clean water isn’t just about health; it’s about the chance to live, work, and dream without fear.
That’s the challenge the "Hope for Tomorrow" team has taken on.
This group of refugee innovators is part of Every Shelter’s first-ever Design School, where creativity, problem-solving, and ownership are placed directly into the hands of the people who live here.
The team’s mission is to design a solution that makes Nakivale’s water safe to drink.
They began with materials they could find locally—sand, stones, charcoal, and cotton—layering them to create a basic filtration system. Then they refined the process: sieving, breaking down particles, testing different combinations. Each iteration brought them closer, but the results were not enough.
When the early prototypes didn’t fully solve the problem, the team didn’t give up. They tried something new—corn cobs, a material that is abundant here and shows promise in absorbing impurities.
They also began exploring the use of chlorine tablets, a proven method for purification, but one that comes with its own set of challenges.
Why aren’t chlorine tablets used more widely here?
Are they too expensive? Hard to find?
Do families know how to use them safely?
These are the questions the team took into the community. They went door-to-door, speaking directly with neighbors to understand not just the technical side of clean water, but the human side—the habits, barriers, and realities that shape how water is treated in daily life.
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What makes this project remarkable isn't just the ingenuity of using corn cobs or the thoroughness of community research.
It's the fact that people who live with the water challenge daily are the ones solving it.
They understand the weight of walking long distances for water, the worry of watching children drink from questionable sources, and the frustration of having to choose between safety and convenience.
Their lived experience drives innovation that outsiders might miss.
This is what makes Every Shelter different: it’s not a top-down solution imposed from elsewhere. It is local problem-solvers listening to local voices, designing something that will work here, for this community.
A filter is not just a device—it’s a pathway to health, dignity, and opportunity. And they know the urgency. Because every day without a solution is another day families drink unsafe water.
This project is just one powerful example of what happens when refugee voices lead the way. At Every Shelter's Design School, we're not just teaching design; we're also fostering a culture of creativity. We're unlocking the potential of a new generation of problem solvers. Your support fuels that potential.
Help us launch the next cohort of refugee innovators, who are ready to tackle challenges such as access to clean water, the prevention of mosquito-borne illnesses, and more. Will you help make that possible?
Fuel the next refugee innovators
Let’s keep designing—one cohort, one innovation at a time.
Images captured by Leandra Graf
