Pavani Kalluri, M.D., a medical epidemiologist with CDC’s Safe Water System Program, has worked on the front lines in some the world’s most impoverished places. In war-torn Afghanistan, in the slums of Bangladesh and in tsunami-ravaged Indonesia, she has witnessed families in dire need of one of life’s most basic necessities – safe drinking water.

Lack of access to safe water affects more than 1 billion people in the developing world. Annually, 2 to 3 million children under age 5 die of diarrheal diseases, often acquired through exposure to contaminated water. With Kalluri’s guidance, and the help of local partners, women in developing countries are learning that simply by treating their drinking water with diluted chlorine bleach; storing it safely in a narrow-mouthed, lidded vessel; and washing their hands with soap and water, they can ensure a supply of safe, clean water in their homes.

Thanks in part to Kalluri’s efforts and support from the CDC Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Safe Water System – a water treatment system developed by CDC and the World Health Organization – is impacting up to 50,000 individuals in Afghanistan and approximately 10,000 people in Bangladesh. Pregnant women who visit more than 30 Afghanistan clinics are receiving free hygiene kits and learning how to provide safe water for their families. In an urban slum in Dhaka, Bangladesh, community-based entrepreneurs are educating their neighbors about hygiene practices while they’re selling chlorine solution, soap and safe water storage containers.

“When we first went to Afghanistan after the bombings, people were just returning to their villages. There weren’t even any roofs on the buildings. But women knew there was something wrong with the water, and they wanted to take action,” says Kalluri. “The beauty of the Safe Water System is that it’s so accessible and affordable that we can easily put it into peoples’ hands. They then have the power to take it forward to protect their own children. That’s incredibly empowering.”

Adds Kalluri, “Modest funding for the Safe Water Program can have large-scale implications for entire families and impoverished communities. Once people recognize the link between contaminated water and diarrhreal disease, they want to do whatever they can to protect their families.”

Why she’s a hero:

“Pavani works with a small group at CDC that is incredibly dedicated and well-trained. She, like others on her team, shows a spirit of extraordinary collaboration. So many people in the world lack access to safe drinking water, and costly infrastructure projects are never going to be built fast enough to protect them. The solution we market is produced locally and can provide clean drinking water for a family of six for about a penny a day. Pavani and her group have relentlessly traveled with us to country after country to implement the Safe Water System, working side by side with us in the field. Our partnership is having a tremendous health impact in the developing world.” -SALLY COWAL, VICE PRESIDENT, POPULATION SERVICES INTERNATIONAL; REGIONAL DIRECTOR, LATIN AMERICA, THE CARIBBEAN AND U.S. PROGRAMS; DIRECTOR, MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH

How the Safe Water Program changes lives:

“Last year, my young daughter became very ill with diarrhea and vomiting, and I had no idea what to do. Now my children are rarely sick. I’ve told them to wash their hands. I’m using Clorin in all of their water, and washing their vegetables with it. We no longer use dirty buckets for carrying water - only covered containers. The information I learned is very important for our health.” - NIEGAR, ONE OF THOUSANDS OF WOMEN IN AFGHANISTAN LEARNING HOW TO STORE AND TREAT HER DRINKING WATER SAFELY