Water is the purest sustenance of life. No one denies the significance of this nectar. In our privileged world, one that flows over with the music of staccato lawn sprinklers and the crescendo of flushing commodes, few question its bountifulness.
Why should we? I, for one, never thirst for very long. The water I drink doesn’t kill me.
Not so for everyone.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that 1.3 million people die from waterborne diseases each year. An overwhelming majority of those afflicted are children less than five years old. Nearly all of these deaths occur in developing nations.
“There is a revolution in these microorganisms,” said Guilford graduate Reynaldo Diaz. “In fighting these diseases, you will cause a significant change; you will fight directly an injustice that is happening globally.”
Diaz and Kaira Wagoner, whom Guilford graduated in 2006, are taking ambitious steps to overcome this holocaust of thirst. They are the engineers of the ClaySure Water Project, an effort to provide the means to potable water for the people of Mozambique in the form of ceramic filters.
“We’ll establish a ‘micro-enterprise,’ or small factory in Maputo (capital city of Mozambique) where the filters will be built and sold,” Wagoner said.
The ceramic filters remove more than 99.9 percent of harmful bacteria. Each can provide safe drinking water to six people for three years.
The revolutionary aspect of this technology is economic. Natural clay, sawdust and an antibiotic silver coating are the raw production materials. Because the materials are locally abundant — except for the imported silver — ClaySure can sell the filters inexpensively.
“The cheapest filters available in Mozambique cost around $40” Wagoner explained, “We’ll be able to sell ours for between eight and 20.”
UNICEF reports that 55 children under five perish in Mozambique daily, most from diseases that ClaySure will help prevent. Two-thirds of the population lacks access to potable water — many developing nations suffer similar conditions.
Wagoner, with  a degree in biology and health science, became interested in water issues during a semester in Kenya.
“There I studied environmental policy and irrigation systems. I witnessed severe drought conditions and watched locals drink from the same water sources that their cattle used and defecated in,” Wagoner recalled.
Diaz’s interest also sprang from his studies at Guilford. A graduate in chemistry, his senior thesis focused on the efficacy of the same ceramic filters. Angela Moore, assistant professor of geology, served on Diaz’s thesis committee. She pointed out the opportunity for further research on the filter technology.
“I’m an engineer, so I love practical things,” Moore said. “We know the filters work, but from a scientific standpoint that’s not enough. We have to ask whether we can improve upon the design. The project provides an ideal outlet for that kind of work.”
In addition to the knowledge gained in the classroom, their community service experiences at Guilford motivated Diaz and Wagoner to take on this project.
James Shields, director of Community Learning, emphasized the relationship between academics and service. “Put very simply,” Shields noted, “there are three interconnected questions: ‘What? So what? Now what?'”
Diaz was a Bonner scholar for four years at Guilford. In spring 2006, he led the work trip to Nicaragua, his home. The students learned to synthesize the theory and practice underpinning service while visiting work sites, including a filter factory similar to the one ClaySure will establish.
“Folks who do service are introduced to the real world, said Shields. “They are faced with racism, classism and sexism on a real level. They can take those analyses and concepts that they have learned in class and apply and compare them to what they experience and observe,”.
    Now, wrapping up its fundraising phase, the dream of ClaySure is coming to fruition. Wagoner and Diaz have utilized funds from international groups like the Rotary Club, community organizations like First Christian Church of Charlotte, donations of family and friends, and student groups like the GCCA and Greenleaf.
There will be a benefit featuring local bands, a moon-bounce and other activities at 1608 Elwood Avenue, off of Aycock Street, on Sept. 9 at 1 p.m. ClaySure t-shirts, for sale in the Greenleaf, will get you in free. Learn more about ClaySure at their Web site (www.claysure.org).
For these alums, the hardest work is forthcoming. But they are as persevering as they are visionary, driven by the ClaySure slogan: “Water is a Privilege.” It is a tragic truth.