About Us

It all started in 2003…

In 2003, Bruce Taylor (President Enviro-Stewards) designed a system based on a slow sand filter (biofilter) to purify drinking water at a canoe in camp on Lake Temagami, Ontario that did not have access to electricity.

At that time, he learned that an orphanage in South Sudan that he and some draftsman were planning to help construct did not have access to safe water (the nearest safe well was 3 miles away).  Therefore, Bruce introduced biofilter technology to South Sudan.  According to CAWST, the Kajo Keji and Juba biofilter projects that Enviro-Stewards helped originate provided 1,806 people with safe drinking water.  Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that attended a training session hosted by the Kajo Keji project proceeded to start their own projects that have helped over 36,655 people.

The concept of a slow sand filter has been around for hundreds of years.  It is very sustainable in the Global South as it can be constructed locally with locally available materials, has no moving parts, requires no chemicals to maintain, and lasts about 20-30 years.  It is affordable ($100) and is less expensive (financially and environmentally) than burning charcoal or wood to purify water.

Since 2003 Safe Water Social Ventures has continued to respond to local needs by walking alongside those on the ground with a desire to find a social venture approach to addressing many of the SDG goals.

Social venture business training & sales tools (resources), together with partnerships (to subsidize the price for customers of limited financial means) enable the projects to scale and grow.  And the training based approach builds capacity and resiliency (Ngongakinda).