When Joshua Ichor was just 10 years old, he was hospitalized with typhoid fever, a life-threatening infection typically spread through contaminated food or water.

While in the hospital for nearly one year, Joshua made the decision to dedicate his future career to ensuring all Africans have access to clean water and better health—the seed that would later grow into his innovative business, Geotek Water Solutions.

“From the moment I became sick, it was a turning point for me,” shared Joshua in an interview with the Swarovski Foundation in the "Creatives for Our Future" film produced by BBC StoryWorks Commercial Productions. “I wanted to see an Africa whereby water that is clean and safe is flowing in all corners. Because with good water comes happiness.”

What is typhoid fever?

Typhoid fever is an infection caused by Salmonella typhi, commonly found in contaminated food or water. Once ingested, the bacterium multiplies and spreads into the bloodstream and intestinal tract, causing symptoms like high fever, headache, fatigue, nausea, abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhea or a rash. Severe cases can lead to serious complications, including death.

According to the World Health Organization, there were nine million cases of typhoid fever in 2019, resulting in nearly 110,000 deaths—with children at the highest risk.

Joshua’s experience with typhoid fever

“In 2010 I became ill from typhoid fever due to drinking dirty and contaminated water in my village in Benue, where I lived with my parents,” explained Joshua.

Unfortunately, Joshua’s condition wasn’t apparent until it had progressed to a severe state, and he needed to be hospitalized for nearly one year.

“Staying in the hospital for almost a year ignited a level of questioning within my mind,” said Joshua. “From then on, my mission was to find out why—the cause, the reason behind it, how it affects other people. I began speaking to my teachers and those around me, and that’s how I landed in the field of water.”

Learning about the world’s water crisis

By age 15, Joshua was working and volunteering with organizations focused on water and the environment, rapidly gaining knowledge in the field while continuing his education and helping his parents on their farm.

After graduation, he launched Geotek Water Solutions, a social enterprise dedicated to water exploration, monitoring, and management for communities in sub-Saharan Africa. Specifically, Joshua and his team develop solutions and technologies for monitoring community water infrastructures like boreholes.

What is a borehole

Boreholes are deep, narrow holes drilled into the ground to locate the presence of water or oil. They can provide a reliable water source for communities impacted by poverty and offer a safer alternative to other water solutions.

Typically, boreholes are drilled deep enough to reach natural water aquifers, which are less likely to become contaminated due to their depth. A motor pumping system is then installed to extract water easily.

In areas without electricity, hand pumps are used instead. Hand pumps can’t reach deep water sources as easily and risk providing communities with water contaminated with bacteria, viruses, and parasites from sewage and animal waste, nitrates and nitrites from fertilizers, and heavy metals.

Geotek Water Solutions works to improve access to water

*Joshua testing his product at a hand-pump borehole*

Joshua’s company is revolutionizing clean, safe water access through its product, Geo-WaterGuard. The solar-powered Geo-WaterGuard negates some of the risks associated with hand-pump boreholes by using innovative technology to monitor the water’s quality in real time.

“Through the monitor, we collect a range of data,” explains Joshua. “We interpret it and are able to detect discrepancies in water infrastructure, as well as the water quality and the quantity being supplied.

“We now share this data with government organizations, as well as non-governmental organizations responsible for the management of these water infrastructures and the water in these communities. This enables [them] to drive decisions about management, maintenance, as well as the water conditions.”

Joshua’s team of 15 currently serves more than 100 water pumps with the Geo-WaterGuard monitor across Nigeria, paving the way for clean water across the country and beyond.

Joshua’s experience with the Because Accelerator

Joshua joined the Because Accelerator, a virtual business accelerator program, in the spring of 2021. Throughout his cohort, he learned valuable skills in entrepreneurship, marketing, product development and more.

“My favorite part of the Because Accelerator is the quality of mentorship resources we have and still have. Andrew opened up my mind to the world of product design, Sarah and others are ever available to support us, and my mentor Tom flew all the way from Michigan to [meet me] in New York the first time I traveled to the United States,” shared Joshua. “These resources are priceless to me, and I cherish these provisions.”

*Joshua meets the team at Because International*

In June 2024, Joshua visited the Because International headquarters in Nampa, Idaho, where he met with the team and spoke at an event in nearby Sun Valley focused on his incredible work. After he stole the hearts of everyone in attendance, an audience member put Joshua in touch with the founder of one of the world’s leading international nonprofits focused on clean water—a highlight of the trip!

Joshua hopes to someday own his own drilling rig, increasing access to clean water and testing of the Geo-WaterGuard in communities impacted by poverty.

Learn more about Joshua or the Because Accelerator, a free online training and mentorship program for entrepreneurs, on our website.

Joshua Ichor (Geotek Water Solutions)