Brett Rosenblum – Bringing clean water to those who need it most
Brett Rosenblum (Widener and Radford ’15) dedicated much of his life to service-oriented organizations that help people in need. From his service in the Peace Corps to his current role at Water by Women, Brett’s focus has been helping others.
As Chief Development Officer at Water By Women, Brett directs the organization’s efforts to raise funds and deliver water filters into the hands of women across the globe and train them to use and maintain it. Despite modern water delivery solutions, nearly 1,000 children are still dying every day from dirty water. The organization also supports domestic needs when communities are stricken by disasters like hurricanes and flooding that can compromise water systems.
A path to service
In college Brett had a life changing event that motivated him to serve others. He said, “When I was at Widener studying abroad, I learned that I had cancer.” He was moved and inspired when his Pilam brothers rallied around him. “They really had my back. The chapter supported me and the cause by raising money for cancer research and wearing ‘Live Strong’ bracelets with my initials on them.”
He said the experience changed his perspective, “After my cancer diagnosis, I really wanted to work outside to be in nature, not confined by walls. I loved experiential, hands-on education.” He made good on this when he committed two and a half years of service in the Peace Corps where he was stationed in the Kingdom of Swaziland (now Eswatini) in southwest Africa. And helping the people of an impoverished nation without a lot of infrastructure really opened his eyes.
After his service in the Peace Corps, Brett bounced around for a few years working in logistics, finance, and on political campaigns, but he was always drawn back to philanthropy.
Water By Women – Back to his roots in philanthropy
Brett learned about a simple, effective water filtering solution when he was advised to buy a water filter to protect him from waterborne pathogens before he went to Africa. Ten years later, he took a job with Water By Women to expand the distribution of water filters to people worldwide who don’t have safe water sources. Water by Women is a charitable organization funded through the generosity of donors.
Brett said, “I’m thrilled to be in a position to help others. Water By Women empowers local women to be the authoritative solution in their rural communities with a sustainable, data driven model to the clean water crisis that has proven successful in 48 countries and counting. To date, we have trained more than 200,000 women to eradicate the risk of waterborne diseases.”
He explained why the charity focuses on women saying, “Women are the central figures in the home life for rural society. They run the household. We place reliable water filters in the hands of women across the globe and train them to use and maintain it. A single well-maintained filter can supply a lifetime of clean water for their families and neighbors.” He said, “Now we’re looking to connect our ‘water women’, the real heroes, with our donors to provide first hand accounts of how the program has improved their lives and communities.”
Brett will be traveling to Honduras this year to touch base with a community that has been benefitting from the program for ten years.
The influence of Pilam
Brett was inspired by his experiences as a Pilam brother, saying. “I landed this job based in part on the philanthropy efforts that I honed in college at Widener (PA Kappa Eta) and Radford (VA Theta Xi) respectively. The leadership lessons, brotherhood, and emphasis on humanitarian work that I had as an undergraduate at both chapters guides me to this day.”
Support clean water
If you would like to know more and support the efforts of Water by Women, please visit their website. According to Water By Women, “A single $80.00 donation not only provides clean drinking water for four families for life, but it improves health, promotes social justice and ensures equality. This act of generosity creates a world where all people have the opportunity to thrive, regardless of their circumstances.”