Create GOOD

Create Good Places a Director in the Field

Earlier this year, Create Good Foundation and Ecofiltro united as partners for clean water in Guatemala. After much thought and many conversations, we decided that rather than hiring a director in Guatemala to build our water and jobs program in partnership with Ecofiltro, I would relocate to the field. In January, my wife, our three daughters, and I will be moving to Antigua. This move will allow me to be much closer to our projects and therefore much more effective, while at the same time—thanks to technology—continue to play a role in the business development of Create Good based in Seattle.

As I said, the Create Good Foundation has solidified a partnership with Ecofiltro—we now manage their charitable efforts, including community relations, subsidizing community filters, and building a field team to train residents and collect data. Ecofiltro, in turn, directs their supporters to us for donations, allowing Ecofiltro to focus on manufacturing and urban sales while we focus on supporting rural communities in Guatemala.

Clean Water Enterprise

Eighty percent of the water in Guatemala is contaminated and must be treated. Our goal is to overcome this statistic through household water filtration. We can make clean drinking water a reality for Guatemalans and we can do it in a sustainable way. We do not give filters away, but rather charge a monthly fee for the filter. The monthly fee pays for the filter and guarantees that a family will get the replacement filter each year. Currently, on average, Guatemalan families are spending between 50–150 quetzals ($6–20) per month for firewood in order to boil drinking water. We are only charging 30 quetzals ($4) per month for the filter.

In addition, jobs are being created in the field. We are in the process of identifying individuals who can become a Clean Water Promoter, responsible for 250 to 500 households. Their job is to train the community, set up a delivery date for the filters, and follow up with the communities throughout the year with additional training. They will also be responsible for collecting the monthly fee which funds the annual replacement filter for each recipient. This is maintainable. This will provide clean water for a lifetime, not just the life of one filter. I have the pleasure of working with amazing people (BPD, Ecofiltro, Bridge Builders, and Pura Vida Create Good) in Guatemala and Seattle and I am confident that this program will be successful and sustainable.

Moving a Family Abroad

My family and I anticipate the move, looking forward to beautiful weather, understanding Guatemalan culture, and learning Spanish together. My girls are excited to make new friends, try new foods, and find out what pets are usually kept in that area of the world! We just secured housing, thanks to Chris Eaton, one of our partners in Guatemala. I will continue to update you on the work of Create Good and how your purchases and donations are truly transforming families in rural Latin America.

Thank you for your continued support.

Kindly,

Sam