by Fern Shaw | Feb 1, 2012 | Uncategorized
The major problem with Africa is not the lack of water; it is the lack of infrastructure to supply water to domestic and residential areas. Africa has many large lakes, and big rivers that can supply quality drinking water, but due to political, economical, financial and environmental changes the water is not reaching the areas where it is needed the most.
Estimations speculate that over 1 billion people in Africa do not have sufficient access to clean and safe drinking water. Children in Tanzania, Ethiopia and many other drought stricken countries have to walk on average two hours each day to collect drinking water, and the majority of the time the water source is shared with livestock and is not safe for human consumption. The results are hours of time wasted in collecting dirty water that leads to the biggest cause of death in Africa. The United Nations estimated that the wasted time collection water in Africa each year is equivalent to an entire years worth of labour in France’s workforce. Diarrhoea and infections lead to more deaths each year in Africa, more deaths than any war ever could ever achieve. In the worst countries, it is estimated that 3 out of 4 children have severe diarrhoea or life threatening infections and diseases.
On the other side of the globe, first world countries like the UK, USA and their respected continents have water to waste. Children in the United Kingdom use more water each day to flush their toilets than African children have to use for an entire day. Clean, safe and fresh drinking water is available on tap in your home, and no thought is spared for where it comes from, and how difficult life would be without it. Water companies install water coolers and filters in your home, gym and office, but do they assist any water projects in drought stricken areas?
Consider these facts when selecting a water supplier. Companies like AquAid have donated more than £6,000,000 to aid water projects in the Third World. They donate a large percentage of their products sales to aiding the less fortunate in Africa. The economic factors are astounding if you consider that for every £1 that is invested in drinking water projects in Africa; there is a £3- £20 return on economic growth. Just by selecting a water cooler company like AquAid, and using their products, you will actually be assisting in alleviating drought, increasing productivity and creating economic growth and stability in Africa.
by Fern Shaw | Dec 19, 2011 | Uncategorized
Is your water cooler environmentally friendly? Can you save lives by simply drinking water?
When a child is born, roughly 80% of their body weight is water, whereas the average adult has 70% of his body mass made up from water. Our fantastic planet’s surface is roughly 75% water, but the water available to humans for consumption is less than 0.03% of that.
These statistics should be reason enough for the value of water, and the way the world handles this resource to cause us to protect this resource better. The reality is far more shocking. The worst abusers of our available water resources are humans in first world countries. The average American will use and waster around 500L of water every day, where the average African has less than 5L a day to use for cooking, cleaning and bathing.
More people in Africa die from water born diseases than from any other reason, or even wars. The simple act of washing your hands can reduce the chance of getting diarrhea by around 35%.
As little as one pound a day can assist a single child in Africa to have access to water for an entire year. That is the reason why at AquAid we support The African Trust, and our commitment to aiding the continent in reducing and alleviating poverty. Over the last few years, we have provided over 6 million pounds, from the sale of our products to assisting this project. We donate a portion of every water cooler and other products that we sell to The African Trust, and for every person that follows our Twitter and Facebook groups, we will give an additional Pound to the fund.
No matter what your water cooler needs might be we are able to install and supply a unit that will suit your individual and specific needs. Our AquAid water coolers are perfect for home and office use, and they will give you clean and healthy water on demand.
by Fern Shaw | Oct 27, 2011 | Uncategorized
The Africa Trust was founded by AquAid to achieve sustainable solutions to poverty. Every time you order a water cooler or water from AquAid a percentage of the revenue is donated to The Africa Trust.
Partnership with Dorcas Aid International in Mozambique
A request was received from Dorcas Aid Mozambique for assistance with their rural clean water supply projects near Beira. They are well aware of the success of the Elephant Pump programme in Zimbabwe and Malawi and have asked whether The Africa Trust could work with them to introduce a similar programme in Mozambique. Agreement has now been reached in principle, and details of the partnership are being worked out prior to surveys and preparatory work which will start next month.
The installation of quite a number of Elephant Pumps in Mozambique will be paid for through the contributions from users of AquAid water coolers. Funding from Dorcas Aid, will allow for their staff to be trained so that they are able to start installing Elephant Pumps themselves in areas where this technology is suitable. This will mean that the funding they now commit each year for rural water supply will reach many more people and that the cost of maintaining the programme will be massively reduced. The first pumps will be installed early next year as there is first need for baseline surveys and well digging work which may be delayed by rain. There are also plans for collaboration in other projects such as the introduction of business skills training courses and income generation projects for orphanages, schools and clinics.
Tanzania Pipeline
Survey work has now commenced for a water pipeline near Arusha in Tanzania which will bring clean water to thousands of villagers. The Chief Executive of The Africa Trust will visit the site next month, to approve the surveyed route so that digging of the trench by the local community can commence. Contributions from AquAid water coolers will pay only for the pipes and other fittings, as the labour will be provided by the local community. It is vital that the pipeline is laid on a gradual downward gradient to avoid air locks or the need for a diesel pump. The topography of the area means that the trench will therefore need to be dug several metres deep in sections which will all be done by the community who expect to benefit from the project. The Africa Trust will also assist the community in setting up a development fund using contributions from families who will be saving a significant amount due to their reduced monthly expenditure on water. A maintenance fund will also be established, so that the benefits can be sustained for generations to come.
Focus on Uganda
The Africa Trust’s business skills training programme in Uganda is doing well and has been expanded. In addition to the team leader (Livingstone Mukasa) three more people are now being funded to teach business skills in poor communities. They are: Phillip Mwanja, Betty Owomugisha and Sarah Nantongo. The Africa Trust was able to assist with a loan of six thousand pounds for Najja Modern Primary School to expand and move to a new campus. Here is a photo of assembly at the new campus.
A survey has just been completed to review the efficiency of the business skills training (funded by AquAid and PrintLife) which was done in April and May this year. A total of 252 people were trained and a sample of 51 people was interviewed. From the survey, it was discovered that: 13 people were able to start businesses after attending the training, 26 people now run their businesses better after attending the training, 9 people feel able to start up business but are still limited by the lack of initial capital and 3 people are still planning and mobilizing resources to start business. 40 more people are now being employed (as a result of the businesses created after the training) in addition to the 74 people who were previously employed before the training (see the details in the table below).
| VENUE |
SAMPLE |
ATTENDED |
EMPLOYED BEFORE |
EMPLOYED AFTER |
| KIREKA |
7 |
9 |
3 |
5 |
| KATALEMWA |
5 |
8 |
– |
– |
| KOMAMBOGA |
8 |
45 |
25 |
29 |
| BAKKA |
5 |
128 |
– |
6 |
| OFFICE |
3 |
20 |
28 |
42 |
| KIRINYA |
23 |
42 |
18 |
32 |
| TOTAL |
51 |
252 |
74 |
11 |
Please click on the link below to read up on some of the sucess stories that show how this training can be transformational.Some of the challenges faced by those who were trained include: lack of access to capital and exorbitant rates of interest on loans, high inflation and personnel problems. On the whole, it can be seen that those who attended the training have demonstrated: an improved ability to save, the courage to start a new business, improved record keeping and financial discipline (especially with regards to separation of personal needs from business finance) and better planning.
Please click on the link below to read up on some of the sucess stories that show how this training can be transformational.
by Fern Shaw | Sep 21, 2011 | Uncategorized
The Africa Trust was founded by AquAid to achieve sustainable solutions to poverty. Every time you order a water cooler or water from AquAid a percentage of the revenue is donated to The Africa Trust.
Elephant Pumps provide Clean Water for Drinking and Water for Agriculture
This month, work has continued on the Elephant Pump programme in Zimbabwe with new pumps being built and additional work being done to increase the impact of the existing pumps. Over 5,000 pumps are managed by The Africa Trust, which provide clean and productive water in communities across the country. Business skills training for people who already use Elephant Pumps has helped them to use excess water to establish new agricultural projects such as growing baby marrows, sweet-corn, beetroots, carrots, wheat and livestock projects such as dairy cattle, chickens and pigs. A brick making project has also been established which uses large volumes of water from one Elephant Pump.
A process of carbon accreditation has been commenced which is expected to take around 12-18 months. If successful, this will allow The Africa Trust to sell carbon credits every year relating to the existing pumps and any new pumps that are built to provide a fund for pump maintenance. The basis for this is that these pumps do not use fuel to lift water and the self-filtering design of the wells means that there is no need for water to be boiled thereby reducing the burning of firewood. A precedent exists since IDE (International Development Enterprises) secured carbon accreditation for their pumps in India and Bangladesh. A further funding stream is being explored for advertising on pumps, preferably for products that relate to health and agriculture. We are looking for a large company that sells products in Zimbabwe and would be interested in advertising on rural pumps for PR and marketing reasons. These funds will help in the training and support of pump minders for all the existing pumps.
The increase of livestock projects in one district of Zimbabwe over the last few months led to The Africa Trust agreeing to help fund construction of a high quality butchery to provide a reliable market for rural farmers and a route to the larger markets of local cities which they are unable to access directly. This butchery has already secured contracts to provide meat to various businesses and retail outlets in Mutare, so there is now a need for further investment in the production base. Similarly, with the increase in dairy cattle funded by The Africa Trust, work has commenced to develop a local dairy with the capacity to pasteurize milk and produce yoghurt and soft cheese. There are plans for a mobile ice-cream maker to be funded as an additional business, which would provide ice-creams for retail and at large events.
A new clean water initiative is now being planned in Tanzania where a pipeline is to be extended to provide thousands of villagers with clean water for drinking and domestic use. The gravity fed pipeline was established by the chief executive of The Africa Trust with funding from friends in The States, in an area where the water table is too deep for the use of Elephant Pumps. He surveyed a route from a source of clean water at the top of a hill and conservatively arranged for a dozen standpipes with taps to provide clean water in a nearby village. It is now clear that the water supply is adequate for an extension of this pipeline to double the number of people who can benefit. The pipeline replaces an expensive arrangement where villagers were paying around six US dollars per month per family to buy water by the bucket. The new arrangement will reduce the amount they pay to one dollar a month, which pays for maintenance of the pipeline and taps. We are also planning to ask for a two dollar a month contribution to a development fund for the village, which will provide loans and grants for small businesses.
Where there is clean water, decent sanitation is also needed and work continues with the aim of eradicating open defecation in the communities where The Africa Trust is operating. The Elephant Toilet is being used as with adaptations to the design according to what works best and is accepted in that community. The concept that urine can safely be used to make enriched compost is being widely accepted. A number of approaches to hand-washing have been used, including a soap plant and ashes from the family cooking fire which also have a sterilizing effect. Elephant Toilets are also eligible for carbon accreditation due to the reduced cement use and the programme for a fruit tree to be planted whenever a pit fills up. There are challenges in the widespread introduction of Elephant Toilets in Zimbabwe, just as there were when the Elephant Pump programme was launched. The main obstacle is that NGOs and government authorities have settled on a much more expensive design for rural pit latrines which uses eight bags of cement instead on one bag. We are trying to show that the same money can go much further if a cheaper and more sustainable design of toilet is used. The need is even greater in Malawi, where open defecation is the norm in many remote rural villages.
Paying for School fees with Bananas
The first harvest of bananas for this project is due to take place soon and despite various challenges along the way, this project is expected to deliver according to expectations paying for 500 students to remain in school. An unusually cold snap did result in some losses in the plantations that are less sheltered and issues around the quality of fencing also resulted in some losses and in a need for additional investment. These experiences have helped to inform plans for a scale up of this programme in the second season and have also led The Africa Trust to rent a piece of land to establish an independent plantation in order to generate income to help fund projects in the local communities. This plantation is expected to become profitable by the second harvest. The level of investment needed in terms of irrigation infrastructure is now known, so it is easier to make accurate predictions related to revenue.
Uganda
Livingstone Mukasa has continued to make excellent progress for The Africa Trust in Uganda with the business skills training programme. A number of case-studies from Uganda and Zimbabwe will be loaded onto the website in the coming months to show how this training can be transformational. Fourteen training courses were held inUgandaover the last quarter alone with a total of 600 people trained. Successful businesses which have resulted from this training include: a laundry business, brick-making, milk selling, egg-plant growing and a bridal business. A mushroom growing project has been started with some success, but the attempted solar project did not prove viable. Additional funding ($9,000) was secured by Livingstone to commence a Village Savings and Loans Association scheme ahead of planned investment by The Africa Trust which is expected to help build the total number of VSLA groups. A similar scheme is currently being considered for Zimbabwe which would allow villagers access to small loans at a better rate of interest than is currently available.
AquAid and the Africa Trust
The Africa Trust was established by AquAid Water Coolers. AquAid are one of the UK’s leading water cooler suppliers and pride themselves in their relationships with both The Africa Trust and Christian Aid. With every water cooler product ordered from AquAid a percentage of the revenue is donated to The Africa Trust and is used to provide sustainable solutions to poverty. In August 2011 £61,909.55 was donated to the Trust making that a total donation to date of £588637.10.
