Childhood inspiration: The Story Behind Aqua Aid's Mission

“The best way to predict the future is to create it.” —Alan Kay

Every year, I would go to visit my family in the Philippines. Every year, while in the Philippines, I would spend half a week in bed, suffering from a stomach virus. Each time we would consult a doctor, the answer would be the same. It was either the shower water, drinking water from a random restaurant, or brushing my teeth with the tap water. To my surprise, using bottled water to brush your teeth was a regular habit employed by my cousins, aunts, and uncles. This absolutely blew my mind. Back in the States, people use their kitchen sink as their go-to water source. My cousins warned me that doing the same in the Philippines would be a sure way to land me in another week of clutching my stomach in bed. Every year, for Christmas, we travel to Leyté, an island in the Visayas, to distribute food and toys to those in need. I will never forget the shock I felt as we drove through this entirely new world. My family stays in the capital city, Manila, which is a developed, bustling city. The contrast between Leyte and Manila is immense, with Leyte being one of many poverty-stricken areas across the Philippines. As I unscrewed the cap of the bottled water I used to brush my teeth, my mind shot to the images seared into my head from my recent visit. If I, a kid from a well-off family living in the capital city, had to take all these precautions when using water, what would it be like for the people living in places like Leyté?

Tacloban, located on the northeastern side of Leyte

 Aqua-Aid was birthed as a response to this realization. Thinking about this problem was one thing, and doing something about it was another. If everyone in the world tried to make a small effort to help those who find themselves in less fortunate circumstances, then our earth would surely be transformed into a one of health and prosperity. Our orginization not only aims to play our part in providing a helping hand for those in need, but to also create a ripple of taking action, not just standing idly by while a problem persists.