Siemens Southern Africa – Unique and ground breaking Safe Water Kiosk officially opened at Maragua
Siemens Southern Africa – Unique and ground breaking Safe Water Kiosk officially opened at Maragua
The official inauguration of the Small Water Enterprise introduces a simple and yet
dynamic model capable of supplying approximately 1,000 households with safe
potable water using their local water sources. Mr David Maina of Pureflow
Solutions noted: “This solution will improve hygiene and health standards in rural
areas tremendously. The people of Maragua took ownership and responsibility for
this water kiosk, and the early successes at the water kiosk are proof that this
model’s approach ensures sustainability.” The existing partners Siemens Stiftung,
SkyJuice Foundation and PureFlow Water Solutions have already started the next
phase by building more small water enterprises and developing a sustainable
operational model.
The Small Water Enterprise – Technology, Training and Entrepreneurhsip
“The small water enterprise is a modular low cost design kiosk solution that
provides a high-quality building and at the same time enables its mobile
application to remote areas in need”, said Rhett Butler, the founder of SkyJuice
Foundation in Australia. The unique SkyHydrant water filters treat up to 1,000
liters of raw water per hour and remove solids, physical impurities, bacteria and
pathogens, helping to prevent water-borne diseases. The filtrations systems are
based on gravity membrane filtration.
At the same time the Small Water Enterprise comes with both technical and
enterpreneurial training. “By introducing community mobilization and
entrepreneurial activities, the partners unlock new opportunities for generating
income for the community”, said Christine Weyrich, Project Manager of the
Siemens Stiftung. A dedicated manager is responsible for the kiosk’s operations,
maintenance and performance. Technical and managerial trainings are part of the
manager’s training to ensure longer financial and technical viability.
As the stations are connected to existing structures in the communities, such as
the market place, school or hospital, they also help to shorten the often long
journeys to potable water. Whilst a long-term goal must always be that every
household has its own connection, the water station presents a decisive and
practical bridging step towards this goal.
The Small Water Enterprise – Technology, Training and Entrepreneurhsip
With the assistance of modern technology and well-trained kiosk entrepreneurs,
the Siemens Stiftung aims to provide access to potable water for people in remote
regions and to thus achieve progress in the areas of health and hygiene towards
that goal.
The Australian SkyJuice Foundation provides the turnkey solution for the small
water enterprises, including the filtration systems, along with technical design
consultancy.
The Kenyan company PureFlowWater Solutions realizes the project on the ground
and as part of its social mission supports the scaling up of the concept in the
region. To ensure sustainability, PureFlow will continue to provide technical
assistance to the various outlets.
Pictures are available on request. Please contact christine.weyrich@siemensstiftung.org.
About the Siemens Stiftung
ENCOURAGE. empowering people. The Siemens Stiftung wants to empower
people to actively address today’s social challenges and is dedicated to the values
of Werner von Siemens. Together with partners, the foundation designs and
implements local and international projects with the aim of promoting individual
responsibility and self-initiative. The foundation is committed to enlarging basic
services and social entrepreneurship, promoting education and strengthening
culture. The Siemens Stiftung pursues an integrative approach and stands for
responsible, impact-oriented and innovative project work. The foundation was
established in 2008 and cooperates with the other five Siemens foundations
established by the company in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, France and the U.S.
The project work of the foundation is concentrated on the focus regions Africa,
Latin America and Germany/Europe.
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