HPU student’s water tank invention makes lasting impact on developing nations

By Ryan, February 25, 2016

By Alexis Ancel // News Editor

During volunteer work in Haiti, High Point University senior Brandon Holder saw first hand the extent to which the lack of clean drinking water affected people on a daily basis. For the past eight months, Holder has been working to combat this problem by creating a mission-based business called Water the World. With the invention of his 35-gallon mobile water filtration tank, Holder has been able to provide clean water to people in developing countries and make a large impact on their everyday lives.
So far, Holder and his team have provided clean water to the areas of Cange, Jacmel and Prestel in Haiti and have plans to introduce more systems into other parts of Haiti including Armenia and the Congo in the near future.
“Our goal is to saturate Haiti with our products and move on to other places in the Caribbean,” Holder said. “Once that is complete, we hope to move in to Central and South America and parts of Africa.”
The tank is equipped with a filtration unit that filters bacteria, cysts, microbes and protozoa out of water by 99.9997 percent when in use. Once the tank is filled, it can be wheeled anywhere to pump clean drinking water out at up to six gallons per minute. This mobility is what makes this more widespread access to clean water possible.
The impacts of this water tank extend far past access to clean drinking water. In the areas where clean water is not easily accessible, a large amount of time and energy goes into traveling on foot to retrieve water. In addition, an insufficient water supply also means that crops may not grow and the people could starve. With Holder’s tank, water is more readily available and these people are given opportunities they might not have had otherwise.
“Now that men, women and children don’t have to spend all day carrying water back and forth, they can get jobs and go to school,” Holder said. “This lets income into impoverished families and lets kids get the proper education they need to get a job after school.”
While Holder is largely responsible for cultivating this idea and putting it into action, many others have contributed and played key roles in making this business a success.
“My parents have helped me tremendously by helping me with anything I need,” Holder said. “My mom keeps me organized and my dad helps me build our systems.”
Additionally, members of HPU and the surrounding community such as Kathryn Elliott, director of the Center for Entrepreneurship at HPU and Janet Smith, associate pastor at First Baptist Church in Asheboro, have also been instrumental in the process of creating this business. Both Elliott and Smith have helped spread Holder’s name and business by arranging meetings with potential investors and clients.
“Brandon’s insights go beyond just clean drinking water,” Elliott said. “He has a vision to provide clean water for agricultural irrigation in order to protect food supplies. This just further shows ingenuity that will increase his likelihood of success. I am proud that Brandon is utilizing so many of the resources here at HPU to strengthen his business.”
So far, Holder has sold three water tanks at $300 each to organizations such as First Baptist Church and Caraway Conference Center and Camp. As a business administration major, Holder uses the business aspect of this project to make his mission possible.
“We have to make money to be able to be sustainable, so we have to operate like any other business,” Holder said. “Being missions driven just means people know we love God and love people.”