by Fern Shaw | Jun 4, 2018 | Africa Trust, aquaid, Charity, Water Coolers
Begun in 2010, the Africa Trust is an AquAid founded charity that works on the principles of wealth creation and sustainable solutions to poverty.
Since our rather humble beginnings in 1998 as a home water cooler supplier, until now, as one of the UK’s leading water cooler suppliers, helping people in need has always been an integral aspect of the AquAid ethos.
Now, in our 20th year of operations, we look back at the annual milestones that evidence the successes of our commitment to charity.
2017 IN REVIEW:
The total number of beneficiaries at the start of 2017 was 2,192,435 and 209,908 new beneficiaries were added by the end of the year. A total of 683 new pumps were installed in 2017 compared to 607 in 2016. Most of these pumps were installed in Zimbabwe with five pumps built in Tanzania and one built in Kenya.
The Africa Trust’s Elephant Pump programme is having a major positive impact on the lives of over a million Zimbabweans who collect clean drinking water and water for productive use every day. Aside from 683 new pumps installed last year, the Africa Trust continues to implement sustainable wealth creation projects. Examples are an income generating farm project which now provides a sustained and growing income stream that helps towards the cost of emergency relief. A dairy project and the bananas for fees projects continue to grow with 510 new beneficiaries added.
The Africa Trust also implements wealth creation and sustainable relief projects in:
Kenya: A business skills training programme continues to grow. One such new business started under the programme (a maize mill) now employs over a dozen HIV+ widows who would otherwise have been in desperate poverty following their husbands’ deaths due to AIDS.
Liberia: Positive feedback received about the pumps and toilets installed in previous years. A school was helped to become self-sufficient by starting a project to raise ducks and chickens.
Mozambique: The ‘Baby’ Elephant Pumps installed for use by smaller family communities are doing well.
Tanzania: Elephant Pumps; Elephant Toilets; Business Skills Training.
Uganda: Business skills training; job creation; retirement planning (thus helping break the cycle of poverty).
Contact us at AquAid to find out how becoming an AquAid customer equates to ensuring sustainable solutions to poverty and the provision of safe drinking water to those who need it most.
by Belinda Ollewagen | Jun 4, 2018 | Hot Water Taps, instant tap, Water Coolers
We all know that dehydration is bad for us and that it’s important to keep ourselves well hydrated throughout the day to ensure we perform optimally, which (in addition to it being law) is another reason why companies provide easy access to water in the form of water coolers, water boilers and hot water taps. But many of us still don’t drink enough water and even slight dehydration is harmful. Our bodies naturally alert us when it needs replenishment, but thirst mechanism aside, what are the other cues we often misread?
Some of the first signs of dehydration are similar to hunger pangs, which mistakenly makes us reach for something to eat. The confusion apparently stems from our hypothalamus, that part of the brain that regulates appetite and thirst – which, when we’re dehydrated, gets its wires crossed. It’s always best if you’re feeling slightly hungry to try drinking water first, if hunger pangs persist then move on to a snack, but always try replenishing the body’s water supply before doing anything else.
A more obvious sign is a dry mouth, potentially followed by a headache – the latter is not something we would normally associate with dehydration, but unwittingly it is often the cause. According to University News ‘dehydration headaches may happen because a lack of fluids causes shrinkage in brain volume. This results in the brain pulling away from the skull, which triggers pain receptors in the meninges (the membrane that surrounds the brain).’ So, before you reach for pain killers, walk over to the hot water taps in your office kitchen and make a cup of tea or drink a glass of water. An important point to remember however is that while drinking coffee and tea will aid hydration, it is only effective around the four cups per day mark – if consumption exceeds that, it actually becomes a diuretic which is counterproductive to hydration.
Other more serious signs can include fatigue, heart palpitations, cramping, loss of concentration and loss of mental capabilities. It is particularly the change in focus and shift in mental acuity that affects productivity. A study assessing the effects of mild dehydration on cognitive performance found that ‘mild dehydration in men induced adverse changes in vigilance and working memory, and increased tension/anxiety and fatigue.’ Worryingly, many of us begin our day already mildly dehydrated which is then exacerbated by a lack of water intake as we move through our day.
It is imperative, both from a health and productivity point of view, that we maintain sufficient hydration levels, and we achieve this by forming healthy habits – keeping a bottle of water on our desks and sipping on it throughout the day; and taking regular water and tea breaks. Mild dehydration is insidious and if we are to function optimally, we need to learn to read the signs correctly.
by Fern Shaw | Jun 4, 2018 | aquaid, Water, Water Coolers
I’ve been reading through my notes for the blogs for this week and it all became a little overwhelming. So I let my brain head out West and the rest of me went to top up on the java.
Then my brain knocked politely, ‘Coo-ee, I’m back’ it warbled.
‘What?’ the coffee-enjoying-rest of me replied. ‘You come up with anything useful out West?’
A lengthy discussion ensued ….
Anyhow, as it turns out, the brain told me it got to thinking about all the other lesser (according to it) but just as vital (according to all of them) organs that we humanoids are blessed with and guess what? ALL OF THEM need sufficient water to keep the g-g-greased lightning performance.
Kidney and Liver Function
One of the liver’s primary functions is to metabolise stored fat into energy. The kidneys are responsible for filtering toxins, wastes, ingested water and salts out of the bloodstream. If you are dehydrated, the kidneys cannot function properly and the liver must work overtime to compensate. As a result, it metabolises less fat, your metabolism slows down to conserve water, which leads to weight gain and can contribute to belly fat.*
The Heart
Dehydration can cause insufficient oxygenation of the tissue of the cardiovascular system. The heart rate increases in response to the tissue oxygen deficit. Tachycardia, or a heart rate greater than 100 beats per minute, occurs. Severe dehydration can trigger irregular heart rhythms, especially in people with an underlying heart condition.*
Command Central i.e. The Brain
Brain cells require the right amount of water and minerals in each of the cells. If there is too much water, the cell’s membrane can break; if there is not enough, the cell will shrivel up. When there is brain dehydration, less water is available for brain cells to use. *
Importance of Water
Almost two-thirds of the human body is made up of water and water acts as a natural appetite suppressant. It also helps to regulate your metabolism. When you become dehydrated, your metabolism slows down, affecting how your body burns fat. Your body mistakes thirst for hunger, which leads to increased calorie consumption. This can lead to stubborn fat gathering around your stomach, which is difficult to lose.*
Bearing all of this in mind, also remember that water weight is not the same as ‘blob’ weight, so whereas you may think that because your body is retaining water it means you’re gaining weight, this is not the case. Your body is desperately trying to tell you, by retaining water, that it doesn’t have enough to function properly.
There’s no need for concern though, indeed you can celebrate and revel in the fact that throughout the UK, clean, fresh drinking water transported from source to your office, school or site is readily available from AquAid through our range of water coolers. Drink up!
* sourced from an article at Livestrong
by Fern Shaw | Jun 4, 2018 | Water, water cooler, Water Coolers
… Rain (blizzards, snow, and sub-zero temperatures) or shine (weak lemony coloured sun that wouldn’t tan a meringue) you begin to notice that your staff is a tad dispirited, if not outrightly unproductive. No spring in their step, no whistle in their walk.
So, at great cost, you institute an Independent Board of Enquiry to establish the cause of this general malaise that’s affecting everyone from Mrs Tibbins, usually the whizz bang accountant, through to Mr Oogle, usually the zoomiest bike messenger ever (but sadly not for the past few months.)
While all of this is in motion, the meeker than the proverbial mouse IT person, Tad, squeaks up.
‘We’ve no water in the water coolers’, says Tad, ‘so everybody’s most likely dehydrated’.
‘What?’ splutters HOD Mrs Furthingstoke, ‘what does that have to do with everyone not performing at their peak? Pure poppycock, I’m sure!’
‘Incorrect’, corrects Tad, ‘not drinking water regularly is one of the leading causes of many illnesses, especially fatigue’.
As it turns out, Tad was proven correct. The Board of Enquiry was dismissed, the water coolers were kept replenished, productivity soared and absenteeism dropped rapidly.
Take it from Tad, dehydration can happen sooner than one thinks. Some early warning signs are:
- Light-headedness, dizziness;
- Tiredness, irritability, headache;
- Dry mouth, throat and eyes;
- Sunken features (particularly the eyes), flushed skin and skin that is loose and lacks elasticity;
- Heat intolerance;
- There may be a burning sensation in the stomach, urine output will be reduced and may appear darker than usual.
So, in the interests of having a healthy, happy, productive work environment, take the simplest route – ensure that there is always fresh, clean drinking water from source available in the workplace.
How to ensure that your cool drinking water is kept replenished? Speak to us at AquAid Water Coolers. We have over 20 years’ experience in the provision of the right water cooler for your space, required capacity and all your drinking water requirements.
by Belinda Ollewagen | Mar 28, 2018 | aquaid, Hot Water Taps, instant tap, Water Coolers
Want to know how your business can save 119 hours and £1,638 in wasted productivity every year?
Read on …
How many cups of tea or coffee do we drink at work?
- There are 65,64 million people in the UK
- Each day 165 million cups of tea and 70 million cups of coffee are consumed – that’s an average of 4 cups per person per day
- Let’s assume the average person (Jane/Joe) drinks one cup at home and three cups at the office
- Let’s also assume that Jane/Joe is working in a micro-sized business of 9 employees and that when they make tea or coffee for themselves, they also do so for another 2 employees in the office
How much time do we waste waiting for a kettle to boil?
- It takes 3 minutes for a kettle to boil – that’s 3 minutes Jane/Joe wastes every day waiting for hot water for the three cups of tea or coffee they’re wanting to make, assuming Jane/Joe and the two colleagues take it in turn to make drinks
- If we work an average of 22 days per month – that’s 66 minutes wasted in the month and 792 minutes or just over 13 hours wasted per year
- If the average working day is 8 hours long, it means we waste more than 1.5 working days per year waiting for that kettle
- And that’s just for one Jane or Joe
Want to add a monetary value to that time wasted?
- The average wage in the UK is £13.94 per hour – that’s 23 pence per minute, without employers NI contributions of around 13 percent
- If Jane/Joe wastes 792 minutes per year waiting for water to boil it equates to £182 lost in productivity
- Again, just for one Jane or Joe
Want to know how much that actually impacts on you as a business owner?
- There are 5.7 million small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in the UK, which makes up 99% of all businesses
- SMEs can be broken down into micro business owners (the vast majority of SMEs) who employ 0-9 employees; small business owners who employ up to 49 employees; and medium business owners who employ up to 249 employees
- If you are a micro business owner:
That’s a £1,638 and 119 hours (or 15 working days) loss in productivity per annum waiting for a kettle to boil
- If you are a small business owner:
That’s a £8,918 and 647 hours (or 81 working days) loss in productivity per annum waiting for a kettle to boil
- If you are a medium business owner:
That’s a £45,318 and 3,287 hours (or 411 working days) loss in productivity per annum waiting for a kettle to boil
Hot water taps provide instantly ready boiling water, no wasted time waiting for a kettle to boil – can your business afford to be without one?
Sources:
Business Wire Research & Markets
Statista
House of Commons Library
