"Hike with Mike, …to the summit!"
Clean Water Climb began in 2011 with a simple idea: use a mountain to fix a problem. Founder Mike Navolio has now led sixteen Kilimanjaro expeditions — plus Everest Base Camp, Aconcagua, Mt. Mulanje, and ten Colorado 14ers in ten days — each one raising funds to repair broken water wells in rural Malawi, bringing clean water and Living Water to the villages that need it most.
Mike leads every trip himself, takes no fees, and is fully self-funded. Funds go to Child Legacy International (a partner since the beginning, where Mike serves as a director), whose Malawian repair teams restore wells year-round from their solar-powered campus.
"The elevated purpose of the trip escalates the elevation experience."— Jason Sheppard, Clean Water Climb team member
Watch the story
Fifteen years of climbs and well celebrations, on film.
Surrender to the Call — the Clean Water Climb story (6 min)
Mike & Martin's Story (5 min)
Step by Step (3½ min)
Sept 2025 — The Prairie: Big Five in a single day
Sept 2025 — The Peak: seven hours in the dark to the summit
Sept 2025 — The Purpose: the well celebration in Malawi
Our partners
- Child Legacy International (EIN 74-2630213) — the well repair ministry: 5,300+ pumps restored across Malawi since 2008, every repair free to the community.
- Zara Tours — our Kilimanjaro outfitter, with the guides who sing the team up the mountain.
Meet Mike over dinner
The best way to understand Clean Water Climb is to hear it from the man who has led it up sixteen mountains.
RSVP for an info dinner