WILMINGTON — Michael Little, a Wilmington musician and philanthropist, designed a system that purifies water in 19 developing nations.

“(Water) is life and death, that’s what people don’t get,” said Little. “There’s a reason some tribes don’t name their children until they’re 5 years old — they don’t make it.”

With the help of Lynne O’Quinn, executive director of the nonprofit His Outreach Worldwide, Little was inspired to create a new way to help children around the world get clean drinking water.

He called the company Living Water Systems. The system is made in an Asheboro factory. Little said its filtration system eliminates viruses, bacteria and parasites found in water. Through several mission trips, he and several organizations have donated Living Water Systems to tribes in countries including Ghana, Uganda, Togo, Myanmar, Honduras and Rwanda.

A one-gallon bag is used to gather water from the source, then it’s transferred into a larger reservoir that can hold up to eight gallons of water. The water then runs through the filter, a hollow fiber membrane that delivers 0.1- and 0.2-micron filtration.

“Not only do we provide a great product, we’ve been tested in Nepal to the deserts of Africa. Our stuff works and it holds up,” Little said.

For the first time Living Water System is available to members of the public to purchase for their personal use. The whole system costs $101.37 to make and sells to the public for $139.

Little said the difference of about $37 goes back to Living Water Systems to fund more units getting in hands of tribes across the world.

“As soon as we’re on the ground, within five minutes we can start changing lives,” Little said. “And it has to be safe for pregnant women, lactating mothers and developing children.”

Once the lead guitar player for singers BJ Thomas and Freddy Fender, Little also studied opera at the N.C. School of the Arts. He’s taking his musical background and his passion for clean drinking water to Thalian Hall to perform a Sinatra review with the Glenn Miller Orchestra.

“We’re going to take the money that we get from that and donate it to the charity to buy systems,” Little said. “I want them to help me raise money for my children around the globe.”

Little is seeking sponsors for the event. The date is still being negotiated. For more information on the Living Water System, visit www.livingwatersystems.com.