As it currently stands Google processes on average over 40,000 search queries every second, which translates to over 3.5 billion searches per day and 1.2 trillion searches per year worldwide.

That's a whole bunch of finger-clicking potential!

What if, each online search that you made presented an opportunity to help someone in need? Well, that's precisely what charity search engine Elliot For Water  is setting out to do. Their goal is to provide clean drinking water to 1 million people in need by 2025. Ambitious as this sounds, their founder Andrea Demichelis believes it’s achievable by hosting less than 0.1% of the daily searches that Google currently conducts. "When we reach 3 million searches per day - which is 0.07% of what Google does, you can help thousands and thousands of people a month.”

"When we reach 3 million searches per day - which is 0.07% of what Google does, you can help thousands and thousands of people a month.”

The Elliot For Water platform operates like any other search engine - go to www.elliotforwater.com, type away and hit search. Too easy! The difference here is that your clicks are used to raise funds via sponsored links that are then channelled through partnerships with NGO's to provide clean drinking water for communities in need like those in Guinea-Bissau where Elliot For Water is currently focussing its attention.

Originally from Italy, Andrea conceived the idea for Elliot For Water while studying at business school in Paris. “The school was not just teaching the traditional idea of business and making money. It was focussed on showing you that you have the possibility to do something bigger as well. At some point I switched my focus to creating something of my own, and then I just simply started connecting all the dots, because on TV there was a documentary about water at this moment, and I remembered learning in the sustainability courses at school that 60-70% of deaths in developing countries are because of water-related problems. So I ended up thinking “Why don’t we create a Google for water?”.

"60-70% of deaths in developing countries are because of water-related problems."

Elliot’s model channels 60% of the profits from sponsored links towards sustainable clean drinking water initiatives. It has been a long road for Demichelis, who has passionately committed to the project full time. With the search engine - which works with Bing search results - gaining traction, the team are getting ready to kick off their first water projects in Guinea-Bissau.

Currently categorised as one of the 20 poorest countries in the world, many communities in Guinea-Bissau don't have access to clean drinking water, with some communities reliant on water collected from shallow wells, ponds or rivers where the water is highly contaminated and therefore unsafe to drink.

Founder Andrea revealed recently that “in the following months, we will be able to realise our first two clean water projects in Guinea-Bissau in collaboration with WellFound. We will work in one of the remotest areas of Guinea-Bissau, where people have almost no access to safe drinking water.” The funds raised by Elliot For Water will be utilised to send two season's worth of seeds and create two wells. From there, the team at WellFound will work with the community locally over the next two to three years so that the project can become sustainable. “With Elliot For Water, I want to create something that can last over time, not something just to say that I give the money to a charity and then go away. I want to create something that in 10 years, 20 years, people can still benefit from.”

“By using the search engine model, you allow people to help every day without spending any money.”

With small steps, it’s possible to create generate a great momentum. If you’re looking for a search engine that does more with your search, make Elliot For Water your default browser now.

Images via: Elliot For Water