A 14-year-old student in the Jordanian capital Amman has developed a practical solution to one of the world’s most urgent challenges: access to safe drinking water.

Chris Nijmeh, a Grade 8 student at Amman Academy, has designed a Gravity-Fed Purification Tower, a two-metre-tall system capable of producing clean water without the need for electricity.

His idea tackles a harsh reality: millions of people worldwide still lack access to safe water due to weak infrastructure, pollution, poverty, and drought – conditions that are all too familiar across parts of the Middle East and beyond.

Chris’s solution is both elegant and practical. Using gravity rather than power, contaminated water flows through a multi-layer filtration system consisting of sand and gravel to remove debris, activated carbon to absorb chemicals, and an advanced graphene membrane to eliminate harmful bacteria. The result is safe, drinkable water, delivered simply, affordably, and reliably.

Despite its simplicity, the system is highly effective. A single tower can produce up to 500 litres of clean water per day, enough to serve between 50 and 100 people, with the potential to significantly reduce waterborne diseases in underserved communities.

Inspired by research from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Chris designed the tower to be low-cost, easy to install, and scalable, making it a viable solution for communities where electricity and infrastructure cannot be relied upon.

His innovation has earned him a place on the prestigious Nord Anglia-MIT Student Trip this November, where he will join 68 students from more than 50 schools worldwide to collaborate with leading experts in science, engineering, and innovation.

Having been part of the Amman Academy community since the age of three, Chris now hopes to pursue a future in the medical field, driven by a desire to solve real-world challenges that impact human health.

At its core, his project delivers a powerful message: Clean water should not depend on electricity, wealth, or geography.