OUR STORY

It all began with one simple truth: Water is life.

WATERisLIFE was founded by Ken Surritte, a former educator and devoted humanitarian from the United States. His journey started in 2007, after a trip to Africa where he witnessed firsthand the devastating impact of unsafe drinking water—especially on children. One life-changing moment was seeing a young girl drink from a muddy puddle, knowing it was her only option.

Ken returned home with a clear conviction: something had to be done. He launched WATERisLIFE to engage individuals, schools, and businesses in the global fight.

WATERisLIFE was founded by Ken Surritte, a former educator and devoted humanitarian from the United States. His journey began in 2007, after a trip to Africa where he witnessed firsthand the devastating effects of unsafe drinking water—especially on children. One life-changing moment was seeing a young girl drink from a muddy puddle, realizing it was her only option.

Ken returned home with a clear conviction: something had to be done. He launched WATERisLIFE to engage individuals, schools, and businesses in the global fight for safe, clean drinking water.

That decision grew into a global mission.

“If you want to make a difference, you have to make the choice to do something.”

Ken Surritte

In 2020, the leadership torch was passed to Coté Terré and Renato Muñoz, two lifelong friends from Chile united by a shared sense of purpose. Their focus: sustainable, innovative solutions—including portable water filters, long-term infrastructure, and community education in hygiene and sanitation.

Coté and Renato first met in university—two young Chileans with big questions about the world and a determination to make it better. Decades later, that same drive brought them back together, this time to lead WATERisLIFE with a bold new vision: to focus not only on clean water, but on the people behind it.

Since taking the helm, Coté and Renato have expanded WATERisLIFE’s impact across Africa and Latin America, developing projects rooted in dignity, simplicity, trust, and community. They don’t lead from afar—they live the mission. From Nairobi to the Amazon, from urban slums to remote villages, they walk alongside communities, never above them.

“The first time we opened the tap in a new project, the kids started screaming and laughing, running through the water like it was gold. I had goosebumps. My eyes filled with tears—not of sadness, but of joy. In that moment, everything we had struggled through made perfect sense. It was all worth it.”

Coté Terre

“That joy is impossible to fake. Watching children dance under the spray of clean water for the first time—it reminds you why we do this. Not for charity, not for recognition, but for moments that are full of life.”

Renato Muñoz

This is more than a water project.

This is a movement of people changing lives—beginning with their own.

This isn’t just a story about water. It’s a story about people. And it’s still being written.

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