Waiākea Hawaiian volcanic water and Pump Aid partner on rural Africa water crisis

American cities have been stung by a lack of safe drinking water in recent times, giving us a taste of what some “third-world” countries have been experiencing for decades. Horror stories from Flint, Michigan and beginning to pour out of Ohio expose tainted or often downright deadly water sources, mostly serving less attended to communities. Reaching beyond our borders, American water company Waiākea has joined with Pump Aid to ease the problem in rural Africa.

Waiākea and Pump Aid Address the “World Water Crisis.”

In 2012, 783 million people lacked access to clean water- that is almost three times the population of the United States alone. It is because of this that every 20 seconds, a child dies from a water-related illness.

Entrepreneur and humanitarian Ryan Emmons, to create positive change for not only the environment but also for people in need throughout the world, founded Waiākea. Realizing not everyone can have access to clean, essential, drinking water; their goal is to change that.

Emmons attended the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California, graduating early with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Branding and Entrepreneurship. At USC, Emmons was a Rath Scholar and developed the concept for Waiakea Hawaiian Volcanic Water over three years of intensive feasibility research in the top ranked Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies.

Emmons graduated early from USC to launch Waiakea and its unique triple bottom line platform into what it is today—one of the fastest growing and most awarded beverage companies in the United States. Emmons was selected as a Bridge Entrepreneur by SVN (Social Venture Network) in early 2014 for Waiakea’s initiatives and groundbreaking social platform. He remains committed to Waiakea’s vision to provide healthy, delicious, Hawaiian Volcanic Water sustainably, while contributing to and promoting clean water access to people in need in Africa and throughout the world.

The Program

For every liter of Waiakea that’s sold, Waiakea donates 650 liters of clean water to disadvantaged communities in rural Africa through Pump Aid. Currently, Waiakea’s efforts have led to more than 500 million liters of donated water.

Pump Aid is a clean water charity dedicated to direct-to-community implementation of appropriate clean water supply and sanitation related services. More than 1.35 million people now have access to safe water and basic sanitation in some of the most vulnerable areas of Africa as a direct result of Pump Aid’s work in Malawi. They have established more than 3,200 award-winning Elephant Pumps throughout the country, serving 400,000+ people every day and have started extensive work in Zimbabwe. An Elephant Pump is a water pump designed originally by Pump Aid based on a 3,000-year-old Chinese Design.

The impact Pump Aid has made with the help of Waiakea is measurable: more children in school, fewer people with preventable water-borne illnesses and malnutrition, more time for women to devote to other needs. The goal is to expand throughout sub-Saharan Africa over the next few years.

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About the Author

Dr. Jerry Doby Editor-in-Chief of The Hype Magazine, Media and SEO Consultant, Journalist, Ph.D. and retired combat vet. 2023 recipient of The President's Lifetime Achievement Award. Partner at THM Media Group. Member of the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture, the United States Press Agency and ForbesBLK.