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.
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.
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.
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.
- 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).
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