Poor water quality continues to pose a major threat to human health around the globe. In fact, one in 10 people lack access to safe water, according to Water.org. Rabia Chaudhry is well aware of these statistics. She’s a water and utilities advisor for Millennium Challenge Corporation, a U.S. government agency that provides aid to developing countries. When she was a grad student at University of California, Berkeley researching the treatment of viruses in wastewater, she was given the opportunity to co-lead a team of scientists who were determined to empower communities to find solutions to their water problems. She jumped at the chance.

Rabia and a group of eight students with backgrounds in civil, mechanical and bioengineering traveled to Portobelo, Panama, as part of a sustainable design program. They had a specific goal in mind: to significantly improve public awareness of water quality and water treatment methods in the resource-poor rural community.

This intensive program was developed by an organization called Future Scientist – a nonprofit group that provides people with the unique opportunity to design life-saving projects and put them into action. Their approach? To teach design methods and hands-on science lessons to developing communities and show them how to identify and sustainably solve their own problems.

The group focused on teaching a simple method of water quality testing for local high school students and performing community outreach to raise awareness about local water quality. The five dedicated Portobelo students helped gather water samples and tested each for contamination. Rabia’s team and the students then moved out into the community, handing out water chlorination kits and explaining a simple method of water purification using household bleach.