The all new, innovative Empowerment Bottle is now live on IndieGoGo! Feel safe and secure in any situation with the only water bottle that also functions as a self defense tool!
I am going to tell you a bit more about myself and my product.We are indo Fijians migrated to USA from Fiji Island in 1999 with my family of two children (who are now adults) and a lovely wife under green card lottery system. Indo-Fijians are Fijians whose ancestors came from India and various parts of South Asia and South-East Asia.They are mostly descended from indentured laborers, girmitiyas or girmit, brought to the islands by Fiji’s British colonial rulers between 1879 and 1916 to work on Fiji’s sugar cane plantations.
Our life changed when the first coup happened in Fiji in 1987 and that put Fiji back by 30 years and lots of hardship made us take the opportunity to migrate to USA. When we were preparing to migrate to USA, we thought we would be going to the capitol of USA Washington DC, we did not know that there was another state, Washing state but knew our final destination was Seattle. At the end of our 12 hour flight we landed on the land of opportunity and our life was back to the starting point again but this time everything was new, high rise buildings that we never saw before, multiple freeway lanes and we stood there alone. We found peace in ourselves knowing that more than 300 million people call this home and sure we could find our place as well. During our 14 years of living in USA we have had our fair share of the ups and down in our life. I have been laid off 4 times and my wife once in the name of restructuring, downsizing, moving the corporate office and recession but we never lost living, taking care of our monthly financial commitments and believed from day one that all this is temporary and better days are yet to come. We see that vision in our Empowerment Bottle product and will work towards our goal tirelessly to achieve it.
Every day, millions of people feel insecure walking in their own neighborhoods or going about their business. I am a King County Metro bus driver. One night, while I was driving my regular route, a female passenger disembarked and asked if I could wait there with the bus until she got to her car. It was only eight in the evening. Later, I saw a female university student run from my bus to her apartment. I drove slowly to be sure I could see her get home safely, but it didn’t seem like enough.
It really got me thinking. What is the world coming to if women can’t even feel safe enough to walk from a bus to their car?
We bus drivers deal with various safety concerns on our routes. All transit operators have at some point been thrust into a fearful situation where we have to protect our self and our passengers, but what about our passengers when they’re no longer on the bus? I wondered what I could do to provide people in transit with a protective tool that would make them feel safe, something they can carry with them easily—maybe something they already carry with them!
A water bottle instantly came to mind. People carry water bottles all the time—during exercise, hiking, going places alone, on their way home from work or to work, in their bag, or even by their side while sleeping.
Water bottles also help reduce the amount of waste people produce, making them better for our environment. So, I decided to design a fully functional water bottle with built-in tools for self-defense.
Ultimately, I want to give the gift of security and self-confidence to people who fear potential attackers. I discussed the idea with family members, friends, and coworkers, and, after receiving positive responses, I decided to bring my idea to Indiegogo.
Experience Empowerment’s Design.The Empowerment Bottle is made of single-wall food-grade 304 stainless steel, and can hold 16 ounces of water. But the true purpose of its design is hidden inside: aside from being a fully functional water bottle that will keep your drinking water cool throughout the day, it has a spring-loaded 2 ounce pepper spray canister and a piercing warning whistle built into it. On the handle, there is a metal piece attached, which can be used to strike your attacker if you are unable to use the pepper spray or whistle. And for night time visibility attached is a reflective tape.
Please take a moment and share our campaign with friends and family to help us reach our goal. Thank you!
