It is a Swahili word that not only describes our water filters, but the people who use them, and our desire for the world. Incubated for 3 years, and finally born in 2015 out of a desire to remedy one of the greatest challenges facing the poor in rural Kenya, Uzima Water Filters has since transformed into a global organization, with a variety of filtration solutions to meet the needs of people around the world.
Founders Bill and Chat Coble live and work in Kenya, helping to not only bring clean water, but to meet the educational, medical, and financial needs of some of Kenya’s most vulnerable communities. In their efforts to find an economical, effective, long-lasting solution for clean water, they ended up developing a new water filter designed for, and tested in, the real world situations the Cobles witness every day.
It didn’t take long for word to spread, and soon, Bill was getting emails and calls from other groups working in Kenya, throughout Africa, and around the world. In order to handle this influx and to better serve our clients, two companies were formed – Uzima Clean Water Mission, to handle our work with NGOs, government entities, non-profit organizations, and donors; and Uzima Filters, to handle our retail operations.
Both companies are now headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with dedicated staff, warehousing, and logistics partners helping to bring Uzima Water Filters to those in need. As we continue to grow, we also continue to innovate, adding new products and new features to our existing lines. We are driven by the idea that nobody deserves to drink dirty water, and we won’t stop until clean water is a reality for everyone.