Maria Fernanda Cabal

Social entrepreneur providing life-saving water solutions to 2 million Latin Americans

Maria Fernanda Cabal is a Colombian engineer and founder of Ecofiltro, a social enterprise producing affordable water filtration systems. Growing up in rural Colombia, she saw how contaminated water caused chronic health issues in her community. After earning an engineering degree from the University of Antioquia, she launched Ecofiltro in 2008 with a mission to make clean water accessible to all.

Post-2020, the company experienced exponential growth, expanding from 100,000 to over 2 million beneficiaries across 12 Latin American countries. Their ceramic filters cost just $20 and last 5 years, removing 99.9% of pathogens. A 2022 UNICEF study found Ecofiltro's systems reduced diarrheal diseases by 70% in Colombian rural areas.

Innovation highlights include:

• Waste-to-filtration technology using local clay resources
• Micro-entrepreneur network employing 1,500+ women across the region
• Partnership with UNDP to provide filters in post-natural disaster zones

Maria's 2023 TEDx talk 'Water is a Human Right, Not a Luxury'' went viral with 2 million views. She recently received the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship and was featured in National Geographic's 'Innovators for a Sustainable Future' series.

Current initiatives include:

• Expansion to Haiti and the Dominican Republic
• Development of solar-powered purification systems
• Advocacy for water access inclusion in regional climate agreements

Her work directly contributed to Colombia achieving 95% clean water access in rural zones by 2025 according to WHO reports.