Aqua stations provide rural areas in the North of Nairobi with potable water
Access to drinking water is critical to both the livelihood of the individual and the development of an entire region. Hygienic wastewater treatment is equally critical to human life and health, which makes it an elementary precondition for academic and vocational education and the basis for a self-sufficient existence. By means of decentralized water stations, Siemens Stiftung aims to cultivate a sustainable water supply in remote regions of Africa and at the same time initiate entrepreneurial activities and open up new opportunities for generating income.
The water stations are set up as social entreprises: local managers receive the required technical training and are instructed in the entrepreneurial tasks.The long-term goal is for the ownership of the stations to be passed on to local entrepreneurs or cooperatives. Five water stations are currently in use in the Thika Region, and more are planned.
Operations of the first pre-fabricated small water enterprise at Maragua Market, Thika, has officially commenced on November 14th, 2012. 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.
Some impressions of the opening ceremony
The Siemens Stiftung acts as the responsible party for project design in cooperation with partners: The company PureFlow realizes the project on the ground. The SkyJuice Foundation provides the filtration systems with their SkyHydrants, along with technical design consultancy. The Global Nature Fund co-funded the two kiosks in the Kenyan pilot project. With the assistance of modern technology and well-trained kiosk managers, the Siemens Stiftung aims to use the water stations to provide access to clean potable water for people in remote regions and to thus achieve progress in the areas of health and hygiene towards that goal.
At the same time, the stations also offer opportunities for income and entrepreneurship and yield further development opportunities. 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. Even if the long-term goal must always be that every household has its own connection, the water station is still a decisive step towards this goal.
Film Aqua Station Kenya
Cooperation partners
SkyJuice Foundation, PureFlow Water Solutions, and Global Nature Fund
