University of Michigan students make safe drinking water available to
prevent illness caused by contaminated water in underserved communities
In a unique partnership, led by University of Michigan Professor Noel Tichy’s Global Business
Partnership at the Ross School of Business, students and faculty at the Medical School, and the
School of Nursing have teamed up with P&G, Grupo Salinas, and the United States Military
Academy, West Point on the PUR Pilot Project Mexico. This collaborative endeavor is part of an
action learning agenda through Professor Tichy’s Global Corporate Citizenship Initiative forging
global partnerships with corporations (GE, 3M, P&G, Boeing, Grupo Salinas) and University of
Michigan students and faculty to engage in environmental and human capital projects around the
world. The action learning agenda both contributes to the enhanced well-being of those we work
with and produces a body of practical knowledge to help others around the world reflected in
books, articles and application tools. This project aims to bring clean water to families at the
base of the pyramid in Mexico as a prototype for a much bigger effort for many countries in
South America.
“This partnership breaks all the stereotypes, “ Dr. Andy Haig of the University of Michigan Medical
School shares, “Soldiers who are trained to fight caring about the health of foreign children,
enthusiastic bright medical students getting into the details of sustainable marketing practices,
and determined business people donating with their hearts, time and checkbooks. The project
changed the attitudes of all the participants and built leadership skills in ways that we could
never experience in the class room. It could only happen at Michigan, where our campus thrives
on breaking down barriers.”
The partnership implements an innovation developed by P&G called PUR, a water purifying
powder that quickly turns ten liters of dirty, deadly water into clean drinkable water. Utilizing
technology similar to municipal water system in developed countries, PUR leaves water crystal
clear and free of 99.9% of bacteria, microorganisms, viruses, protozoa and other pollutants.
P&G has donated more than $35 million (USD) towards the distribution of clean drinking water,
supplying more than three billion liters of clean drinking water to those communities most in
need – over 300 million packets of PUR since 2004. To further the work a Children’s Safe
Drinking Water Program has been established, with
the goal to save one life every hour by 2020.
The Global Corporate Citizenship Initiative at the
University of Michigan has been working for the
past several years with Grupo Salinas (a group of
Mexican companies) on a variety of global
citizenship projects involving Michigan MBA
students. The PUR Pilot Project Mexico began in
June of 2011 with the intent to provide clean water
throughout Mexico. Contamination of drinking
water in Mexico is a problem that demands attention.
Mexico has an infant mortality rate of 17 deaths for
every 1000 births. This is much lower than the death
rate in 2003 of 23 deaths for every 1000 births. This
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decrease reflects the improved access to clean water in rural populations from 83% in 2003 to
87% in 2010. While the improvements of the past decade are modest; there is still a considerable
percentage of Mexicans living in rural settings who do not have access to clean water.
The action learning project sent a cross-functional team of students from the University of
Michigan’s medical and nursing schools, as well as West Point cadets, to Mexico to work with
Grupo Salinas. An affiliate of Grupo Salinas, Grupo Elektra, operates a chain of 1000 Elektra
stores throughout Mexico, Central and South America, with a clientele predominantly at the base
of the pyramid which lacks safe drinking water for their families. The students analyzed the
impact of using these Elektra
stores as a distribution channel
for PUR. Additionally, Banco
Azteca has set up 9 million credit
accounts, as the microcredit
branch of Grupo Elektra, one of
the Grupo Salinas companies.
This provided contact to many
segments of the Mexican
population, including rural
communities that could benefit
most from PUR. Banco Azteca
employs microcredit agents,
called Credit and Collection
Chiefs (JCCs), who travel by
motorcycle to communities to
insure timely loan payments.
The student team found that the
JCC’s could play an important
From Left to Right: Kate Sankey (M3), Adam Baruch (M1), William Fisher (WP),
Philip Kocher (WP), Professor Noel Tichy, Kalan Synder (WP), Sarah Brown (M1), role in marketing PUR to the
Chayla Robles (Nursing)
communities they serve. JCC’s
can distribute informational brochures to the customers on their motorcycle routes, referring
them to Elektra stores for demonstrations on correct use and purchase of PUR. The JCC’s could
also partner with local health agencies, to use their community relationships to conduct “Clean
Drinking Water Days” that demonstrate and promote the use of PUR. The project also began a
partnership with the Government of Mexico to maximize efforts through jointly defined
objectives, program design and implementation, and the sharing of resources, risks and results.
The student team learned that PUR is cost effective. The majority of communities in Mexico
currently use ‘garrafones’, which are 20 liter bottles of treated water that are delivered to homes.
Garrafone water is not regulated by a governmental agency and quality is variable. The majority
of purchased bottled water (garrafones) is priced at 5 times the cost of PUR. A 20 liter garrafon
costs 10 pesos, while 2 packets of PUR to purify 20 liters of water costs 2 pesos. The team
recommended aligning with the Government of Mexico to enable profits from sales of PUR to be
used to provide PUR at or below cost to both governmental and non-governmental organizations
for humanitarian aid. Garrafone consumers who are economically disadvantaged will benefit
from a switch to PUR as a cost effective alternative.
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Professor Noel Tichy, shares “I found this experience especially meaningful because I believe
that young people today have a deeper and more thoughtful understanding of global development
and its ties to our connected world. Through the power of their ground efforts, we gained a
profound appreciation of the difficulties developing countries face and the interests the
University of Michigan has in alleviating them.”
The team started their June visit by spending a day joining a Grupo Salinas sponsored
Limpiemos Nuestro Mexico cleanup campaign. About 3,312,000 people organized in 82,500
brigades participated and together collected 17,000 tons of garbage in four hours. This effort
received the support and participation of 40,000 schools, the Environmental Ministry
(SEMARNAT), the Public Education Ministry (SEP), and Grupo Bimbo. Professor Tichy and
Richardo Salinas launched Limpiemos Nuestro Mexico three years ago and are thrilled with its
remarkable impact. The youth of Mexico have shown tremendous enthusiasm and learned
important lessons on the significance of a clean global environment.
“When you see our students providing effective program delivery in a way that improves the
lives to so many people - you get a genuine sense for the significance of this work, “states Dr.
Joseph Kolars, Senior Associate Dean for Education and Global Initiatives, Medical School.
More than ever before, young people recognize the importance of sustainable, long-term
development and getting directly involved in issues like education, climate change, and global
health. Our students understand that a world in which diseases are eradicated, the planet is
protected, markets are free and people are equal is a world that makes us all safer, enhances
prosperity and reflects positive social values.
Today, opportunities exist for young people to commit their talents towards addressing the
profound inequalities in health status and health care – both in the United States and throughout
the world. Paths of Excellence at the University of Michigan Medical School is working to
enable medical students to develop expertise in global health and health disparities. This
provides students with the valuable skills to serve those in greatest need, and to work in
collaboration with other professions - nursing, military, teachers, investment bankers, or
engineers – to contribute skills that can help drive meaningful change around the world. Visit our
website to learn more, stay connected and tell us about the global development issues that
concern you.
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