Acumen Fund is pleased to announce that it has selected four Kenyan organizations to conduct pilot programs addressing issues of safe water transportation and storage. The pilots will enable local organizations to test new ideas for delivery and storage of safe water for consumers who lack access.
These organizations were selected as part of the Ripple Effect a collaborative project of Acumen Fund and IDEO, a leading design firm. The project is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Established to apply design thinking and entrepreneurial market-based solutions to the challenges of safe water storage and delivery, the first phase of Ripple Effect supported five organizations based in India, and recently came to a successful conclusion. The current East African phase aims to build on the work already completed in South Asia.
The following organizations were chosen for the current phase:
- Kentainers, a manufacturer of water and sanitation containers, will develop a model for water kiosks that include water storage, treatment, and container washing stations.
- Maji Na Ufanisi, an NGO that builds community toilets and water kiosks in informal settlements, will host a design competition to develop water carts and storage vessels appropriate for community-based business models to distribute water.
- PureFlow, which distributes household water purification solutions, will develop a scalable business model for delivery of safe drinking water through a business-in-a-box safe water kiosk system.
- Umande Trust, an NGO which works on sanitation, will create “water choice points,” that allow customers to have options around purchasing and transporting water.
Through its investments in the water sector, Acumen Fund has come to understand many of the challenges entrepreneurs face in providing safe, clean water to their customers. These latest Ripple Effect pilots seek to secure the “last mile” of water delivery. Having successfully completed its first phase, Ripple Effect launched its East Africa phase by conducting an assessment of issues faced by low-income communities on the ground, followed by a workshop with local water organizations to brainstorm and create innovations that will improve water delivery and storage across Kenya and the region
A team from Acumen Fund and IDEO spent two weeks with the four organizations in Kenya to provide business and design mentoring to support the development of these ideas. Sangeeta Chowdhry, Ripple Effect Project Manager for Acumen Fund recently said that, “the ideas these organizations are piloting represent creative, out-of-the-box approaches to improving water treatment, delivery and storage in rural areas and informal settlements of Kenya. We’re very excited to see the work that has already begun.”
The pilot programs will conclude at the end of January 2010 with an Award Ceremony and presentation of the results.
To see video footage of the India phase of the project click here.
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