During his Diploma Programme 2 at the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa, Ambuj Ranjan learnt how the people of Junju, a settlement in Kilifi, Kenya, were drinking untreated water. This compelled him to find a solution to support the people in Junju with clean and safe drinking water. “It was only when I visited the village personally that I understood how challenging the living conditions were,” Ambuj said. “I had to do something, even if it was something small-scale.” Using cost-effective and easily available materials like gravel, stone chips, sand and activated charcoal, Ambuj created a water-filtration system that purifies contaminated water to be drinkable. The filter was then tested and declared fit for consumption by an independent laboratory. “The filtration system is a very new thing to the people of Junju,” Ambuj said. “They’re used to drinking poor quality water that is murky, and when they saw water that was actually transparent, their expression was something that can’t be put into words.” Ambuj is tracking the progress of his project with the support of two residents from Junju, who have reported that the systems are being used regularly with proper care and the community has been trained on how to properly harvest rainwater. While he is constantly receiving positive feedback about the filtration system, Ambuj said that tackling the issue of water sanitation is only the first step in addressing other problems concerning education, health and overall quality of life.