Clean water for healthier communities


Clean water for healthier communities is a social enterprise (startup) created in 2017 by a young woman, changemaker Veronique Bulaya whose mission is to facilitate local and sustainable access to drinking water and to hygiene and sanitation services for vulnerable populations and familie in Bukavu, in DR Congo

Veronique Bulaya(Founder & CEO)
Clean water for healthier communities


INTRODUCTION

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, in the city of Bukavu, a young changemaker woman has made it her mission to facilitate local and sustainable access to drinking water for the poorest. Véronique Bulaya created on March 22, 2017 the startup called Clean water for healthier communities, which is a social enterprise whose main objective is to improve the supply and access of vulnerable populations and households to drinking water as well as the improvement of hygienic and sanitation conditions for vulnerable families in the city of Bukavu, in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Clean water for healthier communities is a beneficial solution for the vulnerable populations of Bukavu and the Democratic Republic of the Congo since it facilitates access to drinking water and the improvement of hygiene and sanitation conditions for vulnerable families and will therefore contribute to the significant reduction in the rate of maternal and infant morbidity and mortality due to water-borne diseases in the city of Bukavu in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

CONTEXT & BACKGROUND

Bukavu, is a city in the Democratic Republic of the Congo located on the southwest shore of Lake Kivu. It is the capital of the province of South Kivu. It has an area of ​​44.90 km2 and currently has more than 800,000 inhabitants, of which 60% of this population do not have access to drinking water, and are obliged to use water from Lake Kivu, the Ruzizi river as well. as inappropriate wells. This water is not drinkable, its poor quality is the cause of hand-room diseases and water-borne diseases, the first victims of which are women and children. Beyond this situation, there is also the problem of ignorance and false beliefs of vulnerable populations on the harmful effects of the consumption of contaminated water and the environment polluted by garbage and waste deposited in the open in the city of Bukavu. In addition, during a consultation with the management of REGIDESO in Bukavu, the latter admitted its inability to currently remedy this problem of the shortage of drinking water supply to the populations of the city of Bukavu following the lack of the means and the dilapidation of its factory dating from 1956. It is for this reason that Véronique Bulaya will decide on the occasion of the World Water Day celebrated on March 22, 2017 to create Clean water for healthier communities to respond to the problem of lack of drinking water, hygiene and sanitation which seriously impacts the health of the populations of Bukavu.




SOME ACHIEVEMENTS 2017 - 2020

Since its creation in 2017, the startup Clean water for healthier communities has already carried out two innovative and beneficial projects for vulnerable populations in the city of Bukavu.

PROJECT 1: VIJANA - MAJI NA USAFI (YOUNG FOR WASH PROJECT)

Young for WASH Project is the first project initiated and implemented by Véronique Bulaya as part of her startup Clean water for healthier communities to address the problem of lack of drinking water, hygiene and sanitation which seriously impact the health of the populations of Bukavu who are forced to resort to water from Lake Kivu, the Ruzizi river as well as inappropriate wells. This water is not drinkable, its poor quality is the cause of hand-room diseases and water-borne diseases, the first victims of which are women and children. Beyond this situation, there is also the problem of ignorance and false beliefs of vulnerable populations on the harmful effects of the consumption of contaminated water and the environment polluted by garbage and waste deposited in the open in the city of Bukavu.




GOAL PROJECT

The project "VIJANA - MAJI NA USAFI" (Young for WASH project) was carried out for a period of 42 months from June 2017 to December 2020 with the main objective of contributing to the strengthening of the participation of young people (girls and boys) for facilitate access to drinking water and the improvement of hygienic and sanitation conditions for vulnerable families in the city of Bukavu, in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo.



To achieve this, Clean water for healthier communities has the following specific objectives:

1) Mobilize and strengthen the capacities of young volunteers (girls and boys) in WASH on awareness-raising techniques and rapid water treatment techniques in the city of Bukavu;

2) Facilitate the access of vulnerable families to drinking water by setting up Rapid Water Treatment Points (using the Aquatabs chlorine tablet process) on the various water supply sites frequented by vulnerable families in the city of Bukavu;

3) Improve the attitudes of vulnerable populations through communication for behavior change in the field of WASH in the city of Bukavu.



 MAIN RESULTS OBTAINED

- 30 young WASH volunteers (girls and boys) trained in awareness-raising and rapid water treatment techniques (using the Aquatabs chlorine tablets process) and placed in 30 of the Repeated Water Treatment Points (PTRE) distributed on 30 water supply sites identified in the three communes of the city of Bukavu (Ibanda, Kadutu and Bagira);

- 50,800,000 liters of water treated by rapid and efficient processes (using the Aquatabs chlorine tablets process) for a period of 42 months in favor of 3,000 vulnerable families at 30 water supply sites identified in the three communes of the city of Bukavu (Ibanda, Kadutu and Bagira);

- 3,000 vulnerable families for around 21,000 vulnerable people sensitized, improve their level of knowledge in basic WASH standards and improve their hygiene and sanitation conditions in the city of Bukavu;

- Significant reduction in the rate of maternal and infant morbidity and mortality due to water-borne diseases in the city of Bukavu.





PROJECT 2: PRODUCTION OF THE BIO-SAND FILTER/CLEAN WATER FOR HEALTHIER COMMUNITIES(BUKAVU, DR CONGO PROJECT)

Clean water for healthier communities was funded in 2019 - 2020 by ChangemakerXchange supported by Ashoka and Bosch Foundation with the objective of inspiring and mobilizing other young people become agents of change for the improvement of access to drinking water for vulnerable families and communities in order to contribute to the significant reduction of morbidity and mortality due to water-borne diseases in Bukavu in the Democratic Republic of Congo.







 PROJECT SUMMARY

The objective of this project is to inspire and mobilize other young people to become agents of change for the improvement of access to drinking water for vulnerable families and communities in order to contribute to the significant reduction morbidity and mortality due to waterborne diseases in the city of Bukavu (in DR Congo) through the establishment of one pools of 120 young dynamic, passionate and innovative  for the production, extension and support of communities vulnerable to the correct use of the bio-sand filter for drinking water. Our project has targeted young people as drivers of change in their communities, given the immense potential they hold to positively influence society by engaging in action and carrying a message of social advancement activities of this project. We believe that this will give them an opportunity to participate as front-line change agents for all of these targeted communities in Bukavu (DR Congo). The positive impact of this project inspired other young people in DR Congo to become agents of change in the WATER field for the benefit of their communities.







PROBLEM/CHALLENGE DESCRIPTION

Indeed, the “Clean water project for healthier communities” comes to bring a solution well adapted to the problem of the lack of drinking water, which negatively impacts and at the highest level the health of the populations of Bukavu (DR Congo) where families vulnerable are forced to resort to unsuitable water from lakes and rivers near the two sites targeted by this project in both countries (water from Lake Kivu and the Ruzizi River at Bukavu in DR Congo. This water drawn by communities and families vulnerable to lake kivu, ruzizi are not drinkable, their poor quality is at the origin of the room for hand diseases and those of water origin whose first victims are women and children. This promotes and justifies the increase in maternal and infant morbidity and mortality rates in the city of Bukavu (DR Congo) means that there is also the problem of ignorance and false beliefs of the vulnerable populations ables on the evils of the consumption of dirty water suggesting that black Africans never die germs. This is the context that motivated Véronique Bulaya to find a solution to this water problem for our communities in DR Congo.
 


PROJECT  RESULTS /IMPACT

  - 120 young volunteers (43 girls and 77 boys) are trained in the techniques of making sand filters in  Bukavu (Democratic Republic of Congo).

   - Pool of dynamic, passionate and innovative young people for the production, extension and support of communities vulnerable to the proper use of the bio-sand filter put in place and operational for communities based in Bukavu;

   - 4,480,200 liters of water treated through various bio-sand filters produced and operational for a period of 24 months (January 2019 to December 2020) for 5150 people from vulnerable families in Bukavu (DR Congo);

    - 5150 people from vulnerable families sensitized, improve their knowledge and practices in basic WASH standards and improve their hygiene and sanitation conditions in Bukavu (DR Congo).


MULTIPLIER EFFECT

This project meets the needs of young beneficiaries and is likely to improve the socio-economic conditions of young targeted volunteers. Unlike other projects and initiatives already carried out in this area, our project aims to mobilize and involve young people in the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of this project through the proposed approach. During the implementation phase, we used two strategies, namely: volunteering for the most vulnerable communities, as well as the economic component to motivate and mentor unemployed young people who will be trained and used in the production of filters. bio-sand of drinking water. We believe that this will give them the opportunity to be at the forefront as agents of change for all these targeted communities in Bukavu (in DR Congo). The young people trained in the production of bio-sand filters have in turn trained other young people who are inspired by this project. The positive impact of this project has prompted other young people in Bukavu to become agents of change in the WASH field for the benefit of their communities. We believe that this intervention model will have the potential to be successfully implemented and / or adapted in other regions, regions and / or other countries.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS

In order to minimize the carbon footprint of this project, we have resorted to the use of ecological mechanisms, including the use of ecological inputs for the production of bio-sand filters, which in itself is an ecological tool for treatment drinking water because it does not use chemicals. Finally, we use less polluting means of transport (cars, buses) during the missions of monitoring and evaluation of the activities of this project.


CONCLUSION 

Thank you to the ChangemakerXchange, Bosch Foundation and ASHOKA for funding this pilot phase of this project.

We are happy to close the planned activities which have generated magnificent results very beneficial very exciting to the local communities targeted by this project. We will capitalize on the current achievements to perpetuate this noble initiative in the long term in the Democratic Republic of Congo. 

We take this opportunity to launch an appeal to other partners and donors to support this project in favor of vulnerable communities in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

This project has also just been duplicated in the Nakivale Refugee Settlement in Uganda to the satisfaction of the beneficiaries.


December 30, 2020

Véronique Bulaya(Founder & CEO)
Clean water for healthier communities
Bukavu, Democratic Republic of  Congo
Tél: +243 975155579
Courriel: verobulaya@gmail.com


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