In 2001, Bob Dell was going to Uganda. As a retired Canadian water engineer with 40 years of hard work and experience under his belt, Bob was heading off on a trip to see what the next chapter in his life would hold.
On that journey, he saw over and over again how a lack of clean drinking water had a devastating impact on people’s lives not only on their health but on their education, economy and families. Pairing his own professional experience with extensive research, Bob found SODIS - a model for solar disinfection championed by aquatic researchers at the Swiss lab, Eawag. Working together to refine the purification system, Bob and the Eawag team built a powerful, effective and simple model for teaching SODIS to thousands of people.
With initial testing in Uganda in 2004 yielding tremendous results, Bob connected with Fraser Edwards, the Africa Director at Compassion Canada - one of the world's leading children's charities, to see how they could work together to spread this technology to thousands more.
Together, they founded WaterSchool in 2007 and, while they have both now stepped back from stepped back from day-to-day operations, their mission and vision to improve the lives of Ugandan families lives on. Today, WaterSchool has reached over 900,000 men, women and children with SODIS and its sanitation and hygiene trainings. Our team continues to work diligently alongside our implementing partner, Africa Water Solutions, to provide people in Uganda with clean, safe water - for life.
To read more about the transition from partnering with WaterSchool Uganda to Africa Water Solutions as our implementing partner, please click here.
The WaterSchool Story Lives On
In 2016, Bob wrote a book chronicling the remarkable journey he and Fraser went on to build WaterSchool, a clean water charity, and address the global water crisis in a unique way. Waterborne: The Water School Story shares Bob and Fraser's dedicated efforts to bring clean drinking water to the children of Uganda by combing innovative SODIS technology with hygiene and sanitation education. Purchase your copy of Waterborne here.
"This is a wonderful book about the early days of WaterSchool. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in using science to help your fellow man, nearing retirement, involved at all (leadership or donor) with WaterSchool, or involved in humanitarian work in any capacity. This book illustrates how to help by enabling those you are helping to rise to their potential in a sustainable and uplifting way."
- Amazon.ca Review