Our History
You may have seen children on TV or social media carrying water on their heads, fetching it from distant, dirty streams. This is not just an image; it was the reality our founder and CEO experienced as a child, walking several miles each day to collect water from dirty streams.
Meet our Founder
Samuel was born into a life of comfort. His family could afford everything a child needs to thrive—food, shelter, clean drinking water, education, and more. But this ideal life changed dramatically when his parents lost their wealth. At ten years old, Samuel moved with his family to a village where they lacked even the most basic necessities, including clean water. The transition was brutal. Samuel, who had never known the hardships of rural life, suddenly found himself drinking dirty water, falling ill frequently, and missing out on school because of his constant sickness and the lack of funds for school fees. He had to travel up to 4 kilometers daily to fetch water from a dirty stream, leaving him no time to be a child. Surviving these extreme conditions, Samuel's experiences deeply influenced his life's path. Today, he is a Transdisciplinary PhD researcher at the University of Technology, Sydney, with a master's degree in Mathematical and Statistical Modelling and a Bachelor of Science honors degree in Mathematics and Industrial Mathematics.
Samuel Adeoti | CEO and Founder of Fairaction
Hope in Every Drop: Our Vision for Sustainable Water Access
In 2016, driven by his personal journey and a passion for change, Samuel founded Fairaction.
His mission: to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6.1 – universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all. Fairaction’s approach is unique, addressing the root causes of water infrastructure failure to ensure sustainable solutions.
Samuel witnessed firsthand how many water projects in his community failed within a year, leaving them worse off. He realized that traditional approaches—like installing a borehole without a plan for sustainability—were not true solutions. “A result not designed to be sustainable is not a solution,” Samuel asserts.
Failed and Abandoned: More than 46% of water projects in Nigeria have failed. This alarming trend is not unique to Nigeria but is prevalent across many developing countries, highlighting it as a critical barrier to achieving universal access to clean water.
Fairaction prioritizes sustainability in every project. Each water initiative is given a Sustainability Rating, assessing the ongoing support needed to keep it functional and beneficial for the community. This ensures that resources are allocated for the maintenance and repair of water infrastructure, preventing failures and ensuring long-term access to clean water. Our history shapes our strategic approach, driving our investment in research and development for sustainable solutions and guiding our plans for the future. We believe that true impact comes from sustainable solutions.
Watch Samuel Adeoti as a keynote speaker during The SXSW Sydney 2023, where he speaks about the Perils of Unsustainable Solutions, and learn more about how Fairaction is building a solid foundation to tackle the global water challenge sustainably.
Join Us in Making a Lasting Impact
Help bring sustainable access to safe drinking water to communities in need.
Join us on a mission of sustainable access to clean drinking water.
Together, we can empower over 700 million people who lack this vital resource, bringing hope and lasting change to communities suffering from extreme water poverty.