Cover SheetAwaFinalPaper1picture_manual_2Microscope ImagesSlide Number 1Slide Number 2Appendix_End Narbeh Dereghishian Edgardo Garcia Ana Montenegro Calvin Ting Kevin Tjho Mission Statement As the availability of clean water is one of the biggest problems in the developing world, Team Awa aims to create a simple, yet effective water filter to purify existing water sources in Guatemala. We seek to improve the lives and heal th of Guatemalan villagers by filtering out harmful substances from their drinking water. We take into account people’s real needs, their culture, and the environment while achieving our goals of potable water. Cultural Aspects Pasajquim is a colorful village of San Juan La Laguna, Sololá, Guatemala. The population of the village is of approximately 2000 people, about 700 families. This beautiful place is situated in a high mountain where nature is the big protagonist. People in here are very charming and warm, despite the limited things they have, they offer to share whatever they can with you. Poverty is a big issue in this place; the majority of the families live in poverty or extreme poverty. The lack of work sources is one of the main reasons why people are poor. An average villager makes ~$4 USD/day. Many men and women have to leave their families and homes to go to another village or city to find a job that gives them enough money to support basic needs such as food and health. The houses in Pasajquim are very simple and humble. From the top of the village you can see how the metal sheets and clay roofs mix with the incredible amount of trees. This village is very calm and secure. People are very enthusiastic and collaborative. The average number of people per family in Pasajquim is 6. Fa milies are used to having as many kids as they can because birth control is not a priority. Even though there are schools in Pasajquim, there are many kids that don’t attend them, especially young girls. In general, kids in Guatemala are sent to work starting at a very young age. The boys go out to the fields and the girls stay at home helping their mother with daily chores such as cooking and cleaning. In between the many needs these people have, the water they use is a big problem in this village. The water in Pasajquim comes from two different natural sources. These sources are far from the village but gets to them by a piping system. The water travels through different sections of pipes. In the first section, the pipes are made of galvanized steel, and then the water goes through PVC pipes until it gets to the village water tan k. This tank is made out of concrete and it is located in the higher area of Pasajquim. After it gets to the tank, the water goes down the hills by gravity to the houses and gardens; there is no pumping system to increase water pressure. This water supplies every house and garden and it is only cleaned once or twice a year. This water never goes through any filtration process. The majority of people have this municipal water supply which supposedly costs 0.53 USD (4 GTQ). Nevertheless, they haven’t paid for this service since 2003, so they practi cally have free water. This water is used by the villagers for daily activities and for work purposes as well. They use it to drink, to wash their clothes, to cook, to brush their teeth, and to water the plants in their gardens. Each person drinks an average of 7 cups/day. The majority of people drink the water directly from the faucet, and only a small percentage boils the water to drink it. From the results of a survey, the majority feels the water from the faucet is clean. People in Pasajquim don’t associate diseases with the fact that they drink unpurified water. Nevertheless, the majority of people showed interest in having a filtration system in their houses. Impurities in the water like bacteria, amoebas, and protozoa cause symptoms like diarrhea, intestinal infections, and ultimately, death. It is obvious that non filtered water is a big issue in Pasajquim. Having a filter in their houses could help these people prevent contracting illnesses. It can also be a source of work for villagers if they learn how to build and commercialize these filters. Problem Definition Through our primary research, we found that each household in Pasajquim has access to running water, but there are currently no forms of filtration. The municipal water supply comes from a nearby natural spring that flows into a large communal water tank in Pasajquim; this water subsequently is split off into each individual house hold through a faucet located on their porches. We found that 98% of the villagers in Pasajquim drink this water, and a heavy majority of them do not boil the water to make it potable. As a result, this causes water‐borne diseases such as cholera and dysentery to affect many of the villagers, and this problem is one of the leading causes of death in Guatemala, especially in children. Our goal is to make a simple filtration device that could be distributed to every family and provide access to clean and refreshing water. In addition, our unique business model can help some villagers start successful small businesses in distributing, cleaning, and replacing filters in every household. Market Definition Our primary market is ultimately the rural families in Pasajquim, Guatemala that will be using our product and getting access to clean, potable water. As laid out in our business plan, we also aim to pass this technology onto some Guatemalan villagers that could start their own business in distributing, cleaning, and replacing these filters while charging an affordable, monthly subscription fee to everyone who utilizes these filters. From our research, we know that these villagers are interested in obtaining a filter to ensure that they are drinking clean water free of contaminants, and they are willing to pay 150 GTQ (~20 USD) per year. Also, there are people in Guatemala who are interested in going from house to house to maintain these filtration systems. In terms of competition the distributor might face, villagers would either prefer to boil their current, unfiltered water source or look at other water purification alternatives. As you will see in the costs section of our business model, the distributor will have no problem making our product affordable for Pasajquim villagers while being able to make a profit