WateRoam is the organization responsible for a portable water filtration system that has earned recognition from the United Nations for supplying clean drinking water to over 30,000 individuals in remote villages and disaster-stricken areas throughout Southeast Asia.
The WateRoam plan aims to assist 30 million people in the region within the next five years, contributing to aiding the 663 million people worldwide who lack access to uncontaminated water.
David Pong, a co-founder of WateRoam, was 23 years old and travelling in Australia when a bout of exhaustion led him to reevaluate his life’s direction. He developed allergies while journeying from Sydney to Melbourne in 2013. Balancing two jobs and a start-up while pursuing his business degree studies had left him seeking a change.
Upon returning to Singapore, he decided to take a leap of faith; he quit his jobs in estate planning and financial advising, abandoned his food start-up, and sought a project that would allow him to contribute to society.
Back in Singapore, he teamed up with fellow founders Vincent Loka and Lim Chong Tee, both students of environmental engineering. Together, they designed a portable filtration system that ultimately outperformed 17 other projects in the HydroPreneur competition.
HydroPreneur is an initiative launched by the Singapore government to enhance global access to clean drinking water and find solutions to international water shortages.
The trio decided to put their product to the test, pooling their savings — approximately 10,000 Singapore dollars (about $7,600) — and visiting two small towns near Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and Bintan, Indonesia.
However, during their journey, the team encountered a significant problem: the “portable” prototype, weighing 40 kilograms, was far too bulky, resulting in one team member requiring slipped disk surgery after carrying the pack.
They went back to the drawing board, testing 10 iterations before finally developing the final product in 2015: a 3.5-kilogram pump that can be connected to a central water source to supply clean water to a village of 100 people for up to two years.
“There are other water filtration companies out there, but ours is the fastest and the lightest,” Pong stated. “Many other solutions are designed for industrial use. Ours is designed for smaller locations and disaster relief.”
The pump is priced at $399, which translates to a cost of around $2 per person per year for communities.
This lightweight design has distinguished WateRoam from other water filtration solutions and has earned it the approval of local communities, NGOs, and corporate sponsors, according to WateRoam.
In 2016, the company received a 100,000 Singapore dollars (about $75,900) social entrepreneurship grant from DBS, Southeast Asia’s largest bank. WateRoam’s efforts were acknowledged by the United Nations when co-founder Vincent Loka was named a Young Leader for Sustainable Development Goals.
That same year, WateRoam became profitable, and each of the three founders and their four staff members have been able to draw a salary as revenues have increased.
“Back then we were really bootstrapping, but with the added resources, we have been able to accomplish so much more,” Lim stated.
“I truly believe it’s our duty as privileged individuals to assist those without,” Pong stated. “Even when we’re young, it’s crucial to devote the prime of our career to helping others.”
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