For centuries, access to clean water has determined the survival and flourishing of civilizations. Today, amid climate change, crumbling infrastructure, and systemic neglect, many Indigenous and inner-city communities remain on the front lines of water insecurity. But what if the solution was literally in the air?
Enter Moses West, a retired U.S. Army Ranger turned humanitarian inventor, who has dedicated his life to answering this question. Through his Atmospheric Water Generators (AWGs)—machines that condense water directly from the atmosphere—West is proving that water sovereignty is not only possible but scalable. His work, from Flint to Puerto Rico, from Accompong, Jamaica to Jackson, Mississippi, represents a living example of what Livity calls ancestral resilience meeting modern innovation.
Moses West: From Army Ranger to Water Revolutionary
Born into challenge, Moses West built resilience as an elite soldier in the 75th Ranger Regiment and 101st Airborne. After his military career, he turned to engineering and humanitarianism, founding the Moses West Foundation and AWG Contracting, LLC to deliver water independence where infrastructure fails.
His Atmospheric Water Generators (AWGs) operate at multiple scales—from the AWG-800, which produces ~211 gallons daily, to larger AWG-5000 models producing thousands of gallons. What makes them revolutionary is not just the science, but the purpose: they are community-first, humanitarian tools designed to bypass the politics and failures of centralized water systems.
Accompong Maroons: Water Sovereignty in Jamaica’s Highlands
The Accompong Maroon Nation in Jamaica—descendants of Africans who resisted colonial powers—embodies centuries of self-determination. Yet even they have faced modern challenges of water scarcity.
Through renewed talks with Chief Richard Currie (@chiefrichardcurrie) and Ambassador Anu El (@anu.tafari.zion.el33), the Moses West Foundation delivered a solar-powered AWG-800 to Accompong. At first, it was viewed as a short-term intervention. But soon, it became clear that this was a scalable long-term solution, transforming not just access to clean water but the entire outlook of the Maroon community.
This partnership marks a turning point: the AWG provides lasting water security, opens the door to economic growth, and strengthens a self-determined future for the Maroon people. As Ambassador Anu El noted, it is not simply technology—it is a continuation of the Maroons’ ancestral fight for sovereignty.
Jackson, Mississippi: A Crisis of Neglect, A Seed of Renewal
In Jackson, Mississippi, water insecurity has become a symbol of environmental injustice in America. Years of underinvestment, contamination, and systemic neglect left residents—predominantly Black—without reliable access to safe drinking water.
In response, the Moses West Foundation, alongside #TeamWater (a coalition including MrBeast and Mark Rober), installed a solar-powered AWG-800 at The Quarters Assisted Living Facility. For Jackson residents, it was more than water: it was dignity restored.
This deployment showed the potential of AWGs to provide resilient, decentralized water infrastructure in inner cities where government solutions are slow, inadequate, or absent . It reframes the conversation: rather than waiting for failing systems to be fixed, communities can adopt tools of sovereignty now.
Inner Cities & Indigenous Lands: A Shared Struggle
The struggles of Accompong and Jackson are not separate—they are connected by a history of neglect and systemic exclusion. Whether through colonial dispossession in the Caribbean or environmental racism in American cities, water has often been weaponized to maintain control.
AWGs offer a pathway out of this cycle:
For Indigenous nations: They restore sovereignty by decentralizing one of the most vital resources. For inner-city neighborhoods: They cut through environmental racism by creating self-sufficient solutions. For future generations: They serve as blueprints for sustainability, resilience, and justice.
This is what Livity calls the alchemy of healing and sovereignty—taking ancestral values of community, sustainability, and balance with nature, and merging them with technology to liberate rather than exploit.
How This Aligns with Livity
At Livity, we believe in three guiding principles that align with West’s work:
Empowerment through Sovereignty – Communities thrive when they control their own essential resources. Sustainability in Practice – AWGs powered by solar energy reflect Livity’s vision of living in balance with the earth. Justice for the Marginalized – Prioritizing Indigenous and inner-city communities brings equity where systemic neglect has reigned.
The partnership between the Moses West Foundation, the Maroons, and communities like Jackson is a living example of how ancestral resilience and modern innovation together can build a self-determined future.
Conclusion: Water as Liberation
Moses West’s journey—from the battlefields of the U.S. Army to the mountains of Accompong and the streets of Jackson—is more than the story of an inventor. It is the story of liberation through water.
For Indigenous Maroon nations, it represents sovereignty. For inner cities, it is resilience. For all of us, it is a reminder that the tools to heal, restore, and empower are already here. We only need the vision—and the will—to put them into practice.
This is not just about water. It is about dignity, freedom, and the future of our people.
References
Moses West Foundation. About & Our Story. https://moseswestfoundation.org/our-story
AWG Contracting. Atmospheric Water Generators – Specs & Uses. https://awgcontractingus.com
Moses West Foundation. Accompong Maroon AWG Deployment. https://moseswestfoundation.org
YouTube – Moses West Foundation. Jackson, Mississippi: Clean Water at The Quarters. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8xwpr6fUTE
Benton Spirit News. Celebrating Black History Month: Moses West’s Invention That Makes Water Out of Air. https://bentonspiritnews.com
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