Canada’s water crisis is one issue I am eager to tackle, mainly because I believe that, in a country such as Canada, all citizens should have access to a reliable, clean drinking water source. Supporting the operators within communities that are dealing with this crisis on a day-to-day basis is a priority while also ensuring they are compensated fairly for their work. Working towards developing a platform where water operators may connect and advocate for these very operators to be fairly compensated is a project of the utmost importance to our team at Water Movement and myself. Without these operators, this issue has no chance of being solved, and thousands of people across Canada will continue to be negatively impacted; if I can do anything to assist these heroes, I am willing to spend my time doing so.

By collaborating with coworkers and being involved in pitch competitions to spread the word of Water Movement’s mission, we were able to help facilitate a partnership between Water Movement and Modern West Advisory. Along with this partnership, Modern West’s One Million Tonne Club provided additional financial support to help tie emission reductions to contributions to local charities. Through my work with the EWB and being part of the inaugural class of the Canada-Africa Innovation Fellowship (CAIF), I was able to connect and collaborate with like-minded individuals across Canada and Uganda.

Through this opportunity, my fellow co-founders—Olivia Peace, Promita Das, and Ndyamuhaki Derrick—and I were able to found Salvum Aqua, an initiative that strives to help provide additional resources for accessing clean household water in rural communities in Uganda. Without the help of Engineers Without Borders, connecting with my fellow co-founders would not have been possible—this would have been especially true without the support of the EWB UCalgary chapter.

Partnership and collaboration mean an increased capacity and creativity to accomplish the daunting challenges of our time due to having multiple, diverse perspectives focused on accomplishing a shared goal.