HIGH POINT – As recovery efforts from Hurricane Matthew begin in different parts of the world, High Point University is teaming up with an alumnus to send 11 water purifying devices to people in need in Haiti.

Water the World, a solar powered/battery-operated pumping system that purifies water, was founded by Brandon Holder, a 2016 graduate and current MBA student. Holder developed the organization so that groups such as churches and civic organizations can donate funds to distribute the devices to locations without clean water for drinking and agriculture.

The university will purchase the devices from Holder, a Clayton native, to send to parts of Haiti that were hit the hardest.

“Together we will be able to impact so many peoples’ lives in a positive way,” Holder said about the gift. “We already have devices in Haiti, Uganda and Honduras. We also have one system at Camp Caraway in Asheboro and one at West End Ministries here in High Point. I’m excited that this product will continue to help others despite the devastating effects of Hurricane Matthew.”

Holder created the devices in 2015 after he joined one of the university’s alternative spring break trips to Haiti. There, he saw people in desperate need of clean water for both drinking and growing crops. That summer, he spent weeks creating a 30-gallon water pumping system that uses gravity to filter harmful bacteria.

“I see this as a calling,” Holder said. “When you meet people from the poorest country in the Western hemisphere and see how bad it is for them, you have a burning desire to help in some way.”

Gail Tuttle, senior vice president for Student Life at the university, said the donation reflects the caring spirit of the school’s campus.

“Our students have traveled to Haiti and other destinations across the country several times on their spring and fall breaks to improve the lives of others,” she says. “They also raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for philanthropic causes each year. The fact that we have students who are also developing business models that improve the lives of people all across the globe speaks volumes about their desire to give back.”

For Holder, it’s also an opportunity to increase the impact of his business.

“I see Water the World continuing to grow our list of partners in the future, which will allow us to have more outlets to send aid and work globally.”