Clarice Odhiambo: Clean Water Maven

 • Water, Sanitation, and Sustainable Agriculture: Builds wells of treated, protected water in the communities so residents—usually women and girls—do not have to travel miles and hours to reach often dirty water sources.

Overseeing this and other clean water projects for Coke has been eye-opening, says Odhiambo, a wife, mother, and chemical engineer who has studied in both the U.S. and Nairobi. “There are so many things that we take for granted in life, especially when it is something that you never have to think about, like having clean, safe water to drink because it is always coming out of the faucet,” she explains. “That you can do something so simple with so little, and yet have a life-saving impact on someone, is astonishing and is a lesson that I will always treasure.”

Odhiambo, a graduate of the University of Nairobi with a master’s degree from the University of Rhode Island, has had a varied career. Before joining Coke in 1997 as a senior engineer, she worked with East Africa Industries Ltd., a subsidiary of Unilever and was a research scientist for Betz Paperchem Inc., in Florida. She holds two patents from formulas she invented during her tenure there.

“It was my dream to come back to Africa and continue the same innovation, only this time around, impacting and making a difference to my fellow Africans,” Odhiambo says. “This continues to be my personal goal, to use my engineering and knowledge to design appropriate solutions for the rural women and children of Africa.”

Odhiambo frequently visits the water projects, most of which are in rural parts of the countries. “Because of the poor infrastructure,” she explains, “it may take extra days to travel by road just to get to the sites.”

Once she gets there, though, the communities go all out—singing and dancing to show their appreciation. This makes the travel and grueling hours worth it, Odhiambo adds. “When you see the joy and smiles on the people’s faces, then you know that you want to soldier on.”

What is she working on now? The Kenya projects received $9.5 million from The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in November 2006 to expand from the current forty-five to 1,500 schools, as well as all hospitals and clinics in Kenya’s Nyanza province. In addition, sixty more wells will be built in communities. In 2006, Odhiambo facilitated the launch of clean water projects in several other African countries, including Ghana. In January 2007, Odhiambo proposed a business plan to alleviate chronic hunger in Kenya’s Siaya district through the