Committed to his newfound passion, Damon co-founded H2O Africa. However, as his knowledge about the gravity of the situation grew, he realized his initial efforts wouldn’t be enough. In 2009 he crossed paths with Gary White Co-founder of WaterPartners International during a Clinton Global Initiative Convention. The two men decided to join forces and Co-founded Water.org.
GARY WHITE
“Without access to water, a huge segment of humanity does not have the opportunity to break the cycle of disease, lost productivity and poverty.” - Gary White, Water.org Co-Founder
During his travels to Guatemala the ‘80s, White witnessed firsthand the terrible consequences of the water crisis, depriving people of hope and the opportunity for a decent life. White says he witnessed Guatemalan children collecting infected water in run down neighborhoods and playing next to piles of trash. Deeply touched by the stories parents shared of having lost their children to water related diseases, White was led to match his engineering background with his passion for social justice. From that point on, he knew his work was going to be about “water”.
After finishing his education, he became a member of Catholic Relief Services to supervise the hygiene programs in South America. As he travelled around the continent, White noticed a trend: if the local community had a water pump and if they lacked the knowledge and organizational skills along with the funds to look after the water pump, water would cease to flow. In fact, half of the water systems failed over time.
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