BioSand Filters

This year, all of the money we raise is going to purchase BioSand filters for Ndola, Zambia. We are partnering with Seeds of Hope, an organization that has teams in Africa, installing the filters and providing sanitation and hygiene training. 

What is a BioSand filter? 

These filters purify drinking water right in a family’s home, removing up to 98% of the pathogens in water. SOHIP (Seeds of Hope International Partnerships) is manufacturing and installing BioSand filters from our resource center in Zambia. Through partnerships with other organizations, we are targeting areas in deep need for the benefits that these filters bring. We are partnering with CAWST - Centre for Affordable Water and Sanitation Technology, and Blood:Water Mission on this project. For just a few dollars, families can have the ability to clean their drinking water year after year. This is an amazing technology to be able to bring to impoverished communities.

For more detailed information on BioSand filters, including their components, construction and dimensions, visit A Layman's Guide to Clean Water.

Our partner and supporter CAWST has entered into a significant contract with the Canada International Development Agency (CIDA) to allow SOHIP to become a Center of Expertise for Africa in water, sanitation, and hygiene training and promotion. This will give us the ability to expand our training of other organizations in household water treatment methods. As we train organizations who then train others, the production and installation of bio-sand filters increases exponentially, bringing clean water into many more homes! Already this contract has enabled our Zambian staff to travel to Sierra Leone, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe to conduct bio-sand filter training.


Water testing laboratory: The contract also includes funding to establish a small water testing laboratory, equipping us with further knowledge to help prevent the spread of disease. At SHIP’s water quality testing laboratory in Ndola, we are now able to do systematic testing to confirm the effectiveness of things we are doing, increasing the life-saving effect of our projects. This laboratory is also available for use by other organizations, increasing overall efficiency in efforts being made by many groups to make clean water accessible in Zambia.