Grundfos, a global water technology company, pioneers solutions to some of the world’s toughest water and climate challenges, with the ultimate goal of improving quality of life for all people. Grundfos has been working to solve water challenges in Africa since the 1980s. Collaborating with World Vision, the leading nongovernmental provider of clean water in the developing world, Grundfos supplies water pump solutions along with local technical expertise and targeted capacity building.

When the joint work started in 2014, Grundfos and World Vision set an ambitious goal—to reach 2 million people with sustainable clean water access by 2020—and they hit the milestone ahead of schedule. Confident in their ability to build on that success, the partners have set another ambitious goal: to double the impact and bring clean water to another 4 million people by 2024.

Since Grundfos’ founding in 1945, one of the company’s core values has been to make a difference in the world’s most water-poor regions. This has been strengthened in part by the creation of the SafeWater department in 2019, whose purpose is to reach people with clean water access through strong partnerships with organizations like World Vision.

Sustainability is key to Grundfos’ mission and work. To that end, local Grundfos staff regularly train World Vision’s field staff in sub-Saharan Africa on the water systems, and in India they’ve trained over 200 World Vision staff in solar solutions for community water supply systems. With the 4 million–people goal, the partnership is plowing ahead with ever-evolving solutions. “We constantly explore new areas of working together to serve water-poor communities with more complete solutions to increase their livelihood, such as wastewater and water treatment systems and water-boosting,” explains Hanne Jørgensen, global key account manager in Grundfos’ SafeWater department.

Pia Yasuko Rask, SafeWater director, says, “It’s incredible to see our technology make a difference when applied in some of the most remote and underserved parts of the world and to watch our combined efforts reach and improve lives of the people living there. It’s honestly a touching and humble feeling that I whole-heartedly share with my family and friends, and I am sure that the successful partnership between World Vision and Grundfos will continue to push the boundaries of providing water to the people who need it the most.”

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On International Women’s Day (March 8), World Vision is joining partner Global Water Challenge (GWC) and a diverse group of organizations to bring attention to the importance of water in the lives of women. Water4Her is a movement initiated by GWC’s women for water initiative and Waterboys to mobilize 100,000 women, to help empower 100,000 women and girls in East Africa by breaking down barriers to a basic need: access to clean water.

These fundraising efforts will support World Vision’s Dream Communities project in Uganda, providing community water supply systems to 25,000 people, training to support 4,000 women as decision-makers for their household and create savings groups for women-led income generation.

Join us by sharing our campaign posts on social media the week of March 8, or by taking the pledge to help empower women and girls in Uganda.

Learn more at:  https://water4her.org/donation/world-visions-giving-team/

Waterboys is a leading athlete led platform, founded by former NFL football player Chris Long and his wife Megan, to unite athletes and fans around a single mission: provide clean water access to 1 million people.

Global Water Challenge is a leading water access coalition whose efforts have delivered clean water to over 2 million people across Africa, India, the US and Latin America.

Now, GWC and Waterboys have teamed up to start the water4Her Movement. Led by Megan Long, co-founder of the Chris Long Foundation and former collegiate lacrosse player, this movement will enable women and girls in East Africa to live, learn, earn, lead and thrive through access to clean water.

THE RIPPLE EFFECT

In 2018, the Water and Development Alliance (WADA) in partnership with Coca-Cola, USAID, GWC and research firm Ipsos, studied how improved access to water can impact women, their families, and communities. The results were summarized in the report called the Ripple Effect Study, which shows that water uniquely empowers women and girls, which in turn uplifts communities.  By removing barriers to clean water access, women and girls are safer, stronger, healthier, educated, empowered and heard. Women and girls around the world spend millions of hours collecting water that is often unsafe to drink.  They may stand in line and wait for water, walk long distances and experience harassment. This is time that would be better spent learning, earning and leading their communities.

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Villagers can now get water at any time of day or night at the water ATMs. Previously they had to wait for an attendant to open a water kiosk for limited hours during the day

Easy and sustainable access to clean water changes everything. Once World Vision provides a water source in a community, we want to make sure that the water continues to flow.

Through independent evaluations, we have learned a key predictor of long-term sustainability of the water points is to have a water committee that takes ownership of the water point. Critical work of the water committee isto charge a small and affordable fee so that there are funds available for ongoing maintenance and repair. World Vision has an excellent record of long-term sustainability of water points because we are able to walk alongside communities for an average of 15 years to ensure that the water committee is self-sufficient.

In order to provide sustainable water sources managed locally by these water committees, we have teamed up with Grundfos, the global leader in pump solutions. World Vision drills for water in a community and then installs a Grundfos pump powered by solar power. Water is pumped up into an overhead storage tank and then the water flows through gravity to kiosks placed throughout the community including near households, in schools, and health-care facilities. World Vision works with the community to establish the water committees and works with other key stakeholders using a system-wide approach. Grundfos provides the systems and installation and helps ensure that parts and service are available locally.

A new innovation developed by Grundfos – called AQtap Water ATM – is an automated water kiosk with a payment system. Small affordable payments collected through a customer’s water card at the kiosk ensures that the water solution is sustainable because money is easily available to the local water committee. Customers pay the set price and can even use their mobile phones to load credits onto their water cards. Water usage and payments are tracked by the system allowing us to quickly identify potential needed repairs. In addition, this allows for 24/7 service and the user doesn’t depend on having someone present to turn on the water or collect fees. The system is more efficient and fee collection goes directly to the bank.

Close up of a water ATM.

World Vision and Grundfos have been able to expand the AQtap Water ATM in Kenya with a grant from the Stone Family Foundation. (Read a case study about this partnership in Kenya.) We have now provided 60 units in Kenya, 20 units in Zambia, 40 units in Ghana, two units in Ethiopia and two units in Rwanda.

I strongly believe that innovation can help address the world’s water, sanitation, and hygiene challenges. I believe that new tools, approaches and partnerships can find great ways of empowering people to take an even greater ownership. This partnership with World Vision is a wonderful example of how a different water supply model can empower people to get access to water, and do it in a sustainable way.

Mads Nipper
CEO, Grundfos

Our goal is to expand this effort throughout Africa and ensure that everyone everywhere has access to clean water that lasts.  Please watch the video below to see how the AQtap Water ATM works and the difference it is making in a community in Kenya.

Grundfos & WV Partnership from World Vision US on Vimeo.

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