From our beginning as a class project at Arizona State University, we have grown to provide safe water to thousands of people in 3 countries. Here is the story of how several engineering students decided they wanted to make a difference in the lives of others across the world and, over the course of several years, creating a solution to empower people across the world to solve global water issues.

The concept is born

2010 - 2014

Enamul Hoque, the founder of the Rahima Hoque Girls' College in rural Bangladesh, approached Arizona State University's EPICS program for support in providing clean drinking water to his school. Five students launched the team to design a technical solution to the school’s water issues.

On our very first trip to Bangladesh in 2012, we were able to better understand the real problem behind lack of access to safe drinking water. Technical solutions for purifying water are already available around the world. However, a lack of startup capital, technical knowledge, and local management structures prevents them from reaching those who need them most.

Our first project

2014 - 2015

We worked over the next few years devising a solution for sustainable clean water access in rural communities. We then returned to Bangladesh in December 2014 to finish our original project. In January 2015, we formed a community Water Committee and installed a filtration system in partnership with the Green Dot Corporation in Dhaka. Our team left inspired and humbled by the experience. We will never forget all of the beautiful souls we met that made the trip so special.

The system continues to serve over 900 students at the Rahima Hoque Girls' College and thousands more in the surrounding community of Baher Char. The College has since received government support, in part due to its commitment to provide safe drinking water to its students and community.

New horizons

2015 - 2016

We returned from Bangladesh excited and inspired to reach  people across the world. Co-founders Mark Huerta, Paul Strong, Swaroon Sridhar, and Vid Micevic incorporated 33 Buckets later that year.

We soon connected with two partners in Latin America: 
Schools for Sustainability in Dominican Republic, and The Green Program in Huillcapata, Peru. 33 Buckets opened its second and third clean water franchises in Peru and the Dominican Republic in June 2016. 

2017 - 2019

While working on our first project in Peru, we built strategic partnerships that are enabling us to further develop our programs and greatly expand our reach. In the summer of 2017, we assessed the water situations of 7 communities near the cities of Cusco, Trujillo, and Chimbote in Peru. Out of these 7, we launched two community water franchises near Cusco in June 2018. We also implemented a project in Trujillo in November 2018. These three projects brought clean water to 2,000 people in total. Learn more about our recent projects

We plan to grow exponentially over the next 5 years, starting in Peru and then moving out to countries across the world.

In 2017, we were featured by Arizona State University in a commercial that aired during Super Bowl LI in the state of Arizona. Mark Huerta, our Chairman and Director of Programs, speaks on his experiences co-founding 33 Buckets:

Moving Forward

2020 - 2021

In 2020, the pandemic of COVID-19 placed a threat on vulnerable communities around the world. We maintained and expanded our impact in the Cusco region of Peru. Despite travel restrictions, we facilitated the construction of six public hand-washing stations, distribution of 1,150 sanitation kits, and implementation of eight educational seminars in the Cusco region of Peru. We created access to running water, sanitation resources, essential knowledge for 1,137 families.

We also formed a new partnership with the Ccorca District of Cusco. Our local partner, Sustainable Development Studies in Peru (SDS), connected us with Mayor Wilbur Lucio to explore launching clean water initiatives in Ccorca. In December, we launched two community-wide treatment projects in Totora & Cusibamba, home to 370 families in total!