Founder, ClearWater Initiative
Personal Reflections on My Friend, Ben Sklaver, Two Years On...From CEO David Abraham
Two years ago, I stood on the tarmac of a desolate windswept Tweed Airport in New Haven, just behind Ben Sklaver’s parents, fiancée, brother and sister as a private plane pulled alongside of us, slowly revealing its horrid truth: a lone silver casket draped in an American flag.
I watched the military procession – a slow process of salutes and patriotic symbolism - which brought home the permanency of a deep loss. In the ensuing days, my friend Ben became a national hero at age 32.
For me he was much more. I admired him for his integrity, his respect for others and his decency that sprung from deep within. He was younger than me, but still would act as an older brother. He had a wisdom and also a vision of how he could make the world a better place, but never grandiose visions of curing the world of all its ills – just the part he touched. He searched for creative yet simple solutions to solve complex and seemingly intractable problems in remote parts of the globe. Inaction was anathema to Ben. While others talked, he acted.
It was his belief that one person could bring change, and his courage to try that led him to found ClearWater Initiative and bring clean water to regions affected by man-made or natural disasters. Since that time, ClearWater has grown to a staff of six full-time employees in Uganda and a presence in Japan and the U.S.
We are building an organization that delivers long-term water solutions in rural villages, bringing hope of a happier, healthier life to thousands. Through our slow and methodical development approach, ClearWater has gathered many fans in country, including the head of USAID in Uganda who was so impressed that he now sits on our board. This has all been done solely through unpaid volunteer work by so many here in the US and elsewhere. ClearWater has, therefore, become a piece of us all. And a piece of you, as our supporter.
Ben’s death strips the world of a loving father, husband and friend, but I ask you not to let it take away his vision of hope. And I hope you will continue to support us, whether by donating financially or providing your time, and help forward Ben’s legacy.
October 2, 2010 -- Ben Sklaver was killed one year ago today while serving in the US Army in Afghanistan. At the time of his death, he was a civil affairs officer working to build infrastructure, such as water wells and schools, in a region desperately lacking those basic needs.
Although the finality of his death is far more real now than it was last year, the pain of his loss is no less dull. Ben – a son, a fiancé, a brother, a loyal friend, a humanitarian – dedicated himself to improving living conditions in places in the developing world affected by floods, famine and war.
Ben was ever the optimist. He believed that if you just applied yourself, even in the most dire situations, you could bring about positive change – little by little – and in the process empower others.
A staff sergeant who served with Ben in Afghanistan, said it clearly, “He was the kind of guy that cared about everyone,” adding that “a suicide bomber took the one guy who truly cared and dedicated his life to the poor and someone who really believed that one day we’d find peace with each other.”
Ben never had grandiose visions of curing the world of all its ills, just the part he touched. He searched for creative and yet simple solutions to solve complex and seemingly intractable problems in Chad, Afghanistan and Zambia. Inaction was anathema to Ben. While others talked, he acted.
It was his belief that one person can bring change and his courage to try that led him to found ClearWater Initiative.
Since Ben’s death, we have worked to fulfill his vision of compassion and hope for those whose lives are challenged by strife and uncertainty. Our goal has remained the same: to bring water and, ultimately, health and opportunity to those far less fortunate than we. We are proud of the organization we are building in his name with your help.
We are extremely grateful for the financial and emotional support that ClearWater continues to receive from so many concerned individuals. Ben remains an inspiration, from those in northern Uganda to others he met in college, in the military and elsewhere. And he continues to motivate us.
The family and friends of Benjamin A. Sklaver mourned his death and celebrated his inspirational life during funeral services held Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2009 at Congregation Mishkan Israel, in Hamden, Connecticut.
The son of Gary and Laura Sklaver, of Hamden, Army Captain Sklaver was killed Oct. 2, 2009 by a suicide bomber while on foot patrol in the Afghan village of Murcheh, located in Kandahar province in southwestern Afghanistan.
While Ben was just 32 years old, he had already made a tremendous mark in the world. A 1999 graduate of Tufts University, he went on to obtain a graduate degree in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School, also at Tufts. He took a particular interest in assisting refugees and the poor in Africa. During his studies at the Fletcher School, he volunteered for the Army Reserve and following completion of his degree, he served with the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta in that agency’s International Emergency and Refugee Health Branch.
While on active duty with the army in Africa, Ben spent considerable time in northern Uganda, where he was shocked to learn of the chronic health concerns affecting children, pregnant women, and others in the region’s small villages stemming from the lack of clean water. During his deployment in Uganda, he worked to improve access to safe water and upon his return to the U.S. he founded Clearwater Initiative to continue that work. Over the past two years, his efforts had helped provide clean water to several thousand Ugandans, prompting many in the region refer to him as “Moses Ben.”
Earlier this year, Ben had been hired by the New York Office of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to conduct disaster planning for the New York tri-state area. He had also announced his engagement to Beth Segaloff, of Mamaroneck, NY, and the couple was planning a June wedding. Ben was called back to active duty under a stop-loss order, shortly after starting his new position with FEMA. He had been in Afghanistan since July.
Ben was deeply committed to his Jewish faith and was influenced by his religion’s call to humanitarian work, says his father Gary. Ben’s family is devastated by his untimely death, but takes comfort in his remarkable accomplishments and sacrifice.
“I would like, in whatever small way possible, for this incident to raise awareness of the sacrifice that all of our soldiers and their families are making in order to protect all of us here at home,” said Gary Sklaver. “I would encourage everyone to do all they can to send packages and letters of support to our soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan and that we reach out to help comfort the families of these soldiers in our communities.”
Ben is survived by his parents, his brother Sam and sister Annie, both of New York City, and his fiancée Beth.