Dreamers That Ignite Change: How to Become a True Visionary

The Nonprofit Exchange: Leadership Tools & Strategies

Dreamers That Ignite Change: How to Become a True Visionary

John Renouard is the founder and executive director of the nonprofit WHOlives. While visiting Africa in 2010, John was taken aback that the lives of nearly all little girls and most women revolved around the daily burden of collecting contaminated water for their survival. After several months of contemplation, a solution finally came to him in the middle of the night. A transformative idea that has changed the lives of over 12 million people. John worked with a group of university engineering students to bring to life his dream of a human-powered water drill that could access clean water hundreds of feet below the surface. The Village Drill has since created more than 13,000 wells in 37+ countries, empowering more than 12 million people with clean water, better health, and renewed opportunities.

More recently, John became aware of the inhumane practice of FGM (Female Genital Mutilation) and the selling of Child Brides where girls as young as 8 years old are brutally cut in preparation to be sold to men for labor and self-gratification. In just the past 6 months John's innovative efforts have been near miraculous. WHOlives has done more in 6 months than the combined efforts of 10 NGOs over the past 10 years. During the past cutting season, WHOlives efforts rescued over 2000 vulnerable girls and led to the arrests of over 60 perpetrators and is on track to not only reduce this crime against women but actually eliminate the practice altogether.

The American Red Cross presented him with an International Hero Award in 2015.

Connect with John at WHOlives.org

John's words about this interview, "Ordinary people have incredibly intuitive solutions to many of the world’s “unsolvable” issues. I want the audience to walk away feeling empowered with the knowledge that it should be YOU who looks at an unsolvable issue and then comes up with an audaciously simple solution that breaks barriers.

A good example is Muhammad Yunus, a simple banker who saw a social issue of women beggars and wondered what could be done to help. To everyone’s surprise, the simple answer he came up with was a $27 loan.

I want to use two of my personal experiences in solving unsolvable issues. One is the Village Drill, my invention to help solve the world’s deadly water problems, which to date has created clean water for over 12 million people.

The second solution is a new idea on how to approach ending the unspeakable act of FGM (Female Genital Mutilation) and the selling of “child brides.” My simple idea successfully led to the rescue of over 2,000 girls and the arrest of over 50 individuals, and we’re now on track to end this practice in Kenya.

The goal is to motivate, inspire and teach the steps on how any individual, even without training or experience, can really break barriers and make a difference on the “impossible” issues we face today, no matter if they exist in our own neighborhoods, our cities or even on the other side of the world.

I want to dispel the idea that these problems are better solved by committees, governments or think tanks.

I emphasize that SIMPLE does not mean EASY. It will take grit and determination. You will have “experts” scoff at you, and academics will shun you – that is, of course, until you have proven them all wrong."

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