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The Water Project

In July of 2023 we celebrated the completion of a multi-year project that brought clean water to every household in the Marshall Islands.


The Marshall Islands will be the second developing country in history to reach this achievement as described by UN Sustainability Goal #6. In 2020 Liberia was the first country to reach this goal, made possible by a 5 year distribution of Sawyer filters.

A Remote, Resilient Nation

Boasting vibrant, turquoise waters, the Marshall Islands are a chain of atolls between Hawaii and the Philippines. The nation has been painted as ground-zero for climate change and, with only about 6,000 visitors a year, the second least-visited country on the globe. Safe, drinkable water is the key to ensuring Marshallese culture lives on.

Woman demonstrating how to filter water from Sawyer bucket filters.

Marshall Islands

Tangible Life Change

Sawyer partners with over 140 organizations in 80 countries to bring clean drinking water solutions to households around the world. Since 2008, we have worked with our partners to perfect locally-led programs training individuals on our filtration systems. Using GIS technology, these trainers will also capture the filter recipients' health and wellness information in a series of follow-ups after initial filter distribution.

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5
Years to complete
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42,000
Lives
impacted
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90%+
Diarrhea reduction
5
Years to complete
42,000
Lives
impacted
90%+
Diarrhea reduction
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$10.50
Avg Savings per month
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1.13
Extra days of work/month
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$52.90
Money back to familes

Sawyer water filters are able to reduce diarrhea by over 90%.

Measurements include:

  • Diarrhea reduction
  • Work and school days recaptured associated with waterborne sickness
  • Purchased water savings and medical savings associated with waterborne sickness
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water filters

Close to Home

Sawyer helps to disperse filters, insect repellent, and sunscreen to impacted communities. When disasters strike, Sawyer filters are often on site within the first 48 hours. This was true for Hurricanes Milton and Helene, which ravaged the Southern Appalachians in 2024. Entire counties were on a boil water notice with no end in sight. 

Being the perfect solution to bacteria-ridden and sediment-filled water, Sawyer donated over 24,000 filters to the region affected by the hurricanes. From empowering individuals to gearing up groups including churches, air drops, and SAR teams, we’re proud of the impact we were able to make together.

stories from the stormwatch video
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Sawyer x Kora in Okrane

Kora in Okrane - meaning “women who rise at dawn” - was founded 17 years ago entirely by volunteers. Since then, KIO has tackled a wide range of community needs from installing smokeless stoves in homes to hosting children’s reading events. 

The project to bring clean water to every single person in the Marshall Islands began 6 years ago by prioritizing the most vulnerable of their community on the outer islands as the first filter recipients. KIO volunteers worked with traditional women leaders to ensure that everyone on the islands understood how to use and maintain the filters, and in July of 2023 the project to secure clean water for every household in the Marshall Islands was officially completed.

Getting Clean Water Access To An Entire Country!

The Marshall Islands may be small in terms of land mass, but cover a massive area of the Pacific Ocean about halfway between Hawaii and Australia. Travel to these islands is difficult. To say these islands are remote is an understatement.

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Sawyer x Kora in Okrane

Kora in Okrane - meaning “women who rise at dawn” - was founded 17 years ago entirely by volunteers. Since then, KIO has tackled a wide range of community needs from installing smokeless stoves in homes to hosting children’s reading events. 

The project to bring clean water to every single person in the Marshall Islands began 6 years ago by prioritizing the most vulnerable of their community on the outer islands as the first filter recipients. KIO volunteers worked with traditional women leaders to ensure that everyone on the islands understood how to use and maintain the filters, and in July of 2023 the project to secure clean water for every household in the Marshall Islands was officially completed.

Meet KIO
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PICARIDIN INSECT REPELLENT

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Bottle of Sawyer Picaridin Insect Repellent Spray

Sawyer x Kora in Okrane

Kora in Okrane - meaning “women who rise at dawn” - was founded 17 years ago entirely by volunteers. Since then, KIO has tackled a wide range of community needs from installing smokeless stoves in homes to hosting children’s reading events. 

The project to bring clean water to every single person in the Marshall Islands began 6 years ago by prioritizing the most vulnerable of their community on the outer islands as the first filter recipients. KIO volunteers worked with traditional women leaders to ensure that everyone on the islands understood how to use and maintain the filters, and in July of 2023 the project to secure clean water for every household in the Marshall Islands was officially completed.

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The "Miracle Bucket"

The Sawyer Bucket System is the go-to filtration system for remote communities needing access to clean drinking water. All of Sawyers’ clean water work projects feature its high-performance 0.1-micron absolute hollow fiber membrane filter which removes 99.99999% of all bacteria, such as salmonella, cholera, and E. coli, 99.9999% of all protozoa, such as giardia and cryptosporidium, and 100% of microplastics.

Meet the Bucket Filter
Caption:

Sawyer x Kora in Okrane

Kora in Okrane - meaning “women who rise at dawn” - was founded 17 years ago entirely by volunteers. Since then, KIO has tackled a wide range of community needs from installing smokeless stoves in homes to hosting children’s reading events. 

The project to bring clean water to every single person in the Marshall Islands began 6 years ago by prioritizing the most vulnerable of their community on the outer islands as the first filter recipients. KIO volunteers worked with traditional women leaders to ensure that everyone on the islands understood how to use and maintain the filters, and in July of 2023 the project to secure clean water for every household in the Marshall Islands was officially completed.

Learn More
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Caption: A woman demonstrating how to assemble a Sawyer bucket water filtration system.
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The Process 

  1. Assess- The process begins with a door-to-door census for each community and pathogen testing of the local water sources. This ensures that the Sawyer water filter is an appropriate solution for the area.
  2. Distribute- Once the true scope of clean water scarcity and the effectiveness of the Sawyer filter to treat it, a systematic distribution begins. ‍
  3. Follow up - The Bucket Ministry team visits every household at least three times to follow up. During these visits the team member ensures the daily maintenance is being performed correctly to achieve its long-term effectiveness.
meet josephine
Caption: “In the beginning, drinking this water often made us sick. I am grateful to The Bucket Ministry for providing us with a bucket filter that purifies our water, now we no longer get sick or suffer from diarrhea. Now we filter clean water and we are healthy.”

The "Miracle Bucket"

The Sawyer Bucket System is the go-to filtration system for remote communities needing access to clean drinking water. All of Sawyers’ clean water work projects feature its high-performance 0.1-micron absolute hollow fiber membrane filter which removes 99.99999% of all bacteria, such as salmonella, cholera, and E. coli, 99.9999% of all protozoa, such as giardia and cryptosporidium, and 100% of microplastics.

Meet the Bucket Filter
Photo of a beached boat distributing bucket water filters to people on the beach.

The "Miracle Bucket"

The Sawyer Bucket System is the go-to filtration system for remote communities needing access to clean drinking water. All of Sawyers’ clean water work projects feature its high-performance 0.1-micron absolute hollow fiber membrane filter which removes 99.99999% of all bacteria, such as salmonella, cholera, and E. coli, 99.9999% of all protozoa, such as giardia and cryptosporidium, and 100% of microplastics.

Shop Products
Clean water for all
→
Three women holding coconuts standing in ocean water near the beach.

PICARIDIN INSECT REPELLENT

Clean water for all →
Bottle of Sawyer Picaridin Insect Repellent Spray
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Sawyer's Women-Led Charity Partners that Shine

Sawyer's Women-Led Charity Partners that Shine

Learn more about incredible organizations like KIO empowering women all over the globe, one filter at a time.

Read the blogSEE ALL SQUAD STORIES

Sawyer x Kora in Okrane

Kora in Okrane - meaning “women who rise at dawn” - was founded 17 years ago entirely by volunteers. Since then, KIO has tackled a wide range of community needs from installing smokeless stoves in homes to hosting children’s reading events. 

The project to bring clean water to every single person in the Marshall Islands began 6 years ago by prioritizing the most vulnerable of their community on the outer islands as the first filter recipients. KIO volunteers worked with traditional women leaders to ensure that everyone on the islands understood how to use and maintain the filters, and in July of 2023 the project to secure clean water for every household in the Marshall Islands was officially completed.

Learn More

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Help Videos

The QR code printed on our filters brings users to our website's help page, where they can select one of the ten available languages. When in-person demonstrations and training are impossible, users are able to learn everything they need to know about their filter at the point of use. 

The QR codes can also be scanned into GIS survey software for monitoring and evaluation of the filters. This replaces the bar codes that were previously used.

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Caption: A row of Sawyer international bucket water filtration systems lined up on cement.
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Partners

Since 2008, Sawyer has teamed up with over 140 non-profits in more than 80 countries to provide personal filtration systems to communities lacking access to clean drinking water. Since the first install, Sawyer and our partners have impacted over 28 million lives.

90% of @sawyerproducts profits go to our mission of providing clean water. Our dream is to grow the business and give it away. We have big dreams to do things that people said would be impossible to do.

Learn More About the Sawyer Foundation

The "Miracle Bucket"

The Sawyer Bucket System is the go-to filtration system for remote communities needing access to clean drinking water. All of Sawyers' clean water work projects feature its high-performance 0.1-micron absolute hollow fiber membrane filter which removes 99.99999% of all bacteria, such as salmonella, cholera, and E. coli, 99.9999% of all protozoa, such as giardia and cryptosporidium, and 100% of microplastics.

Meet the bucket filter
Group of people transferring Sawyer international water buckets from a boat

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