Clean water is a precious resource in rural Tanzania. Tap water has bacteria and rural drinking water is contaminated by many sources.

Safe Water Ceramic Filters in Arusha creates devices that remove 99.99% of microbial content from source water without requiring electricity or plumbing.

Water filters are an enabling technology for Maasai people living in villages throughout Tanzania. The passive filter is made from a mix of sawdust, clay and colloidal silver. During firing of the filter, sawdust in the clay mixture turns to charcoal which restores a natural taste to the water; and the colloidal silver is an antibacterial material that destroys bacteria DNA.

The filters look like large round-bottom cones that fit into a 5-gallon plastic container. Dirty water is poured into the cone and clean water slowly seeps into the plastic container. It's a slow process but there are no moving parts to wear out and no power source is required - just add water.