Who we are
About US
Habteab A. Bantora is the founder and project manager of Vital Water Purifier and a D-prize fellow. He is an experienced research assistant from Hawassa University – Institute for Policy and Development Research. As a founder of a promising social enterprise, he acts as the face of the organization and runs operations as an executive. His roles include initiating meetings with partners and government stakeholders, and helping his team with planning and executing proposed plans. He commits full-time to the venture. He communicates on behalf of the social enterprise to leverage partnerships and bring new resources to the enterprise. Habteab has received recognition and awards for his diligent attributes from the Prime Minister of Ethiopia. He is also the winner of the D-prize in 2023.
Nahom T. Kebede is an experienced Health Communication Specialist at the Sidama regional health office. Nahom is an external business partner. He makes sure our social enterprise benefits from our partnership with the regional health offices and makes sure we access their channel for promotion and distribution. We have many distribution partners in the federal health ministry who help us leverage our partnerships for the efficient operation of our social ventures.
The Big "Why?"
Why do we do what we do?
“Growing up, I noticed how communities in my native hometown struggled with the lack of basic
water including my grandparents. Many children die of water-borne diseases in Ethiopia and not
a lot has been done to prevent that. This affected me to have a heart to start a social enterprise
that will provide solutions to this problem. If we could dedicate our career to making sure no one in our
community dies from preventable diseases and gets basic improved drinking water, that would
be the most productive life we imagine. We’re a team of very committed professionals and we
strongly believe human lives matter. We can efficiently utilize resources to create a successful
social enterprise to help reduce mortality in our target community.”
-A statement from the Founder
