For students at the University of Jos in central Nigeria, water had long been a daily concern. Showers ran dry, taps sputtered, and finding clean drinking water often meant long walks and long lines. For Kwatri Mnana, a student with a visual impairment living in the hostel, the challenge was even greater.

So when water began flowing steadily again—clean, safe, and reliable—she could hardly believe it. “For the first time in months, we don’t have to worry about whether the water is safe. We can drink it, cook with it, and trust it,” she said with relief.
The change was no accident. It was driven by Geotek, a youth-led innovation project emerging from the IFRC Limitless Youth Innovation Academy, where young people design, test, and improve solutions to the issues they live with every day.

A Simple Idea With Big Results

The Geotek team proposed a clear and practical idea: install small smart devices that monitor water quality and flow in real time. Supported by the Limitless programme, they deployed more than 50 devices across schools and rural communities. The data feeds directly into a mobile app, giving students and local leaders the ability to track supply and quickly respond when something goes wrong.

Almost immediately, students noticed the impact. “This is the first time we have no water issues in our hostel. The technology truly works,” said Jonathan Ogbofa, a student union leader.

Driving the project is innovator Joshua Ichor, whose own experience of contracting typhoid fever as a child inspired him to find safer, more reliable water solutions for his community. The team’s solar-powered device—the Geo-WaterGuard—monitors both quality and flow at boreholes, wells, and other local water points.

How Monitoring Keeps Water Safe

The devices work continuously, measuring water conditions and the performance of infrastructure. Readings are sent in real time to a mobile app and cloud dashboard that community stakeholders can easily use. When the system detects signs of contamination or mechanical issues, it automatically sends alerts. This enables immediate local action—pausing use, flushing lines, repairing components, or switching to alternative sources—so communities avoid unsafe water and reduce downtime.

By turning invisible risks into visible signals, Geotek helps communities act within hours instead of waiting weeks for problems to surface. With around 50 units now deployed, communities and campuses report steadier availability, safer consumption, and faster interventions based on real-time data.

One Story Among Thousands

Geotek is one example of how young innovators are driving change through the IFRC Limitless Youth Innovation Academy. Since its launch in 2021, Limitless has become a global movement of youth-led problem solvers addressing challenges from climate and food security to health and inclusion.
More than 10,000 young people from over 150 countries have been trained using simple, accessible tools like WhatsApp and WeChat. Together, they have launched more than 2,200 projects, reaching hundreds of thousands directly and millions more indirectly.

Rather than selecting a single “winner,” Limitless invests in many ideas at once—providing training, mentorship, seed funding, and access to a broad innovation ecosystem. As one participant put it, “Limitless taught me how to plan and carry out a project with my team. It gave me the confidence to lead.”

Inclusive Local Innovation

A defining strength of the Geotek initiative is its commitment to inclusion. More than 2,000 girls and young people with disabilities have been trained to use and manage the devices, turning safe water access into a shared responsibility rather than a service delivered to them.
In Jos alone, the project has helped restore access to more than 100,000 litres of clean water each day, directly benefiting over 5,000 people.

Looking Ahead

Recognition for Geotek has been swift, and the team is now in discussions to scale the model across Sub-Saharan Africa. For Joshua and his peers, the value of their work goes far beyond the technology. It represents dignity, trust, and possibility. “We used to worry every day about where to get safe water,” one team member said. “Now, we are part of the solution.”

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