Marta Mejía

Colombian social entrepreneur providing affordable water filtration systems to underprivileged communities

Marta Mejía (b. 1978) is a Colombian innovator and founder of Ecofiltro, a social enterprise that has provided life-saving water filtration systems to over 1.2 million people in 12 countries. Her invention - a locally produced clay pot filter costing just $15 - removes 99.9% of contaminants, making clean water accessible in regions where 37% of rural Colombians lack safe drinking water.

Starting in 2007 with a small workshop in Medellín, Mejía developed a business model combining microfinance loans with community training programs. Her organization trains local women as entrepreneurs, creating over 300 jobs in marginalized areas. The filters' production uses 80% recycled materials and creates no industrial waste, embodying circular economy principles.

Ecofiltro's impact has been recognized through awards like the 2018 Ashden Award for Sustainable Energy and inclusion in the 2020 Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship. The UNICEF partnership expanded access to 200,000 Venezuelan refugees in Colombia. Mejía's methodology has been replicated in Haiti and Guatemala, proving scalable solutions for water poverty.

Her TEDx talk The Pot That's Saving Lives has over 1.5 million views. Articles about her work appear in National Geographic and Oxfam reports.