Stephen K. Robert, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, has applied his field expertise to philanthropic endeavors worldwide through the Source of Hope Foundation. Alongside his wife, Stephen Robert has assisted impoverished populations with essential resources, such as water and education. For example, Stephen Robert led water and education programs in Ethiopia, which primarily benefitted women.

Most African nations, including Ethiopia, often struggle with limited access to clean water, affecting their overall quality of life. In particular, residents in Ethiopia's Derashe and Konso provinces have grappled with this issue for long. Consequently, this limited access has impacted their daily lives, increasing their risk of water-borne illnesses. Women, too, have had to endure long walks to fetch water, posing risks of spinal distortion and depriving them of valuable time to spend on other meaningful activities.

Global humanitarian non-profit MercyCorps, supported by the Source of Hope Foundation, addressed the water problem by building a water treatment system that collects water from streams and directs it to villages using gravity-flow technology. Residents can now easily access clean water through faucets that the organization installed at the Village Center.

With readily available water, women in these provinces can also focus on starting small enterprises that leverage the newfound access to clean water. To assist, MercyCorps and the Source of Hope Foundation have built schools where women can acquire fundamental skills necessary for running their businesses.