Casestudy at Muranga site -- Mr Njuguna

CASESTUDY AT MURANG`A SITE

The project title; Solvatten for Makueni - Improve Local Community’s Standards of Living Through the Use of Solvatten Safe Water Technology in Makueni County - for secure access to safe drinking water and strengthening local communities while enhancing environment through reforestation efforts.

This project, started in June 2015, is supported by Soromptist International, Sweden and implemented by Kenya One World Linking Forum (K-OWL) and Solvatten AB, Sweden. It is serving 72 poor households in and outside of Makueni.

Solvatten in Kabuta

Kabuta is a small market centre in the near Murang`a town where the family of Mr.  Njuguna Mwaura lives. Kabuta town is located 100 km north east of Nairobi city on the Nairobi-Murang`a-Sagana highway. He practices small scale agriculture cultivating beans, maize and vegetables.

Njuguna 73 years, lives with his wife and four grandchildren. The children are aged ten years and below. Their source of water is rainwater

harvested from the house roofs and river Mathioya. The water from the river is known to be contaminated as the area is situated in the southern side of the river source and the roof catchment water is not reliable. The rains are scarce even when expected in the months of April and October.

The Solvatten unit came at the right time to this family when they needed to improve the quality of their drinking water. They spent their meager income on hospital visits - transport and medicine purchases as their family members are always stricken with chronic typhoid, amoeba, diarrhea and malaria. However with he savings that they are realizing by treating their water with Solvatten, they are able to supplement their meagre incomes.

Today they have safe water every day at a very cheap price.

Njuguna appreciates the Solvatten technology and the kind support from Soromptist International, Sweden. He is happy with the Solvatten technology because it is simple and can be applied by all many times a day, wherever there is sun. It saves him time because once he puts her water in the sun in the morning he goes to work. In the evening he finds his water treated. She is using the unit to treat water for the family to use for drinking and cooking.

Mr Njuguna poses with his Solvatten unit. 

Njuguna uses Solvatten unit one to two times a day to treat up to 10litres of water. He stores the treated water in clean containers to cool for drinking purposes. He is happy that the Solvatten unit is saving the family time to attend to other tasks.

Njuguna saves from reduced expenditure incurred in buying charcoal and firewood. He estimates that she is saving kshs100 per day or ksh3000 pm (USD30.00) on charcoal and firewood. This is enough money to buy milk, sugar and cooking oil for one month.

Njuguna is of the opinion that, all families should have a Solvatten unit because they will have hot water and safe water that leads to more savings and promotion of better hygienic behaviour the community.

When Njuguna was visited, he was looking smart. His clothes were clean and his face was glowing. Njuguna is very happy and says that this Solvatten unit is the best gift that he has received in a very long time.

Njuguna’s experiences are very similar to by those received from other families in the project sites, indicating that the Solvatten unit has saved a lot of their resources and has supported them to change their behaviour.

enough money to buy milk to make family tea for ten days.       

Priscilla recommends that, every family should have a Solvatten unit because they will have hot water and safe water that leads to more savings and promotion of better hygienic behaviour in the community.

Av David Wadström

Solvatten vinner UNFCCC Lighthouse Award 2015

Solvatten AB - 2015-10-28 21:02 CET

Svenska Solvattens projekt i Kenya har tilldelats det prestigefyllda ”Momentum for Change Lighthouse Award” av FN:s klimatsekretariat UNFCCC. Denna utmärkelse lyfter fram internationella verksamheter som arbetar för en hållbar, koldioxidsnål framtid. Solvatten skapar energieffektivitet och bidrar med rent vatten till de människor som är mest utsatta för klimatförändringar. Solvatten uppfyller alla de 17 globala hållbarhetsmålen som FN har tagit fram.

- Vi är mycket stolta och glada över att få denna prestigefyllda utmärkelse av FN. Tillsammans kan vi förbättra livet för miljontals människor runt om i världen. Solvatten är som en verktygslåda med funktioner som motsvarar alla de 17 hållbara utvecklingsmålen. Vi arbetar dagligen med att öka antalet användare genom samarbete med regeringar, organisationer och företag världen över, säger Petra Wadström, grundare, VD och uppfinnare av Solvatten.

Solvattens prisbelönta projekt har genomförts i Kenyas slumområden med hjälp av Nordiska utvecklingsfonden samt finansieringshjälp av “Nordic Climate Facility” (http://www.ndf.fi/project/nordic-climate-facility-ncf). “Institute of Environment and Water Management“ (http://iewm.org/) har hjälpt till på lokal nivå för att implementera projektet.

Fakta om Solvattens projekt:

2 592 Solvattenrenare har distribuerats och sålts i Kenya

• 12 900 personer i Nairobis slumområden har fått tillgång till rent och varmt vatten

• Efter fyra års användning av Solvatten har 22 000 ton växthusgaser minskat i Nairobis slumområden

• Ungefär 30 000 liter vatten per Solvattensrenare har värmts upp och renats sedan år 2012

• Över 36 000 Solvattensrenare används dagligen av fler än 200 000 människor runt om i världen

Projektgruppen för Solvatten har nyligen haft ett av sina återkommande sammanträden. 

Vid det här tillfället var Lage Bergström från, Ihushi Development Centre, IDC, inbjuden för att berätta om deras engagemang i Tanzania. Gruppen har sedan 1999 haft framgångsrika utbildningsprojekt i Ihushi regionen nära Viktoriasjön. Vi i projektgruppen har funnit att det är störst chans att lyckas med ett projekt när vi har en svensk samarbetspartner på plats. Bestämdes att inleda ett samarbete med IDC. Vi bidrar med att 72 Solvatten skickas till Nairobi i Kenya och IDC ansvarar för att de når fram till behövande familjer. Kontrakt signeras av båda parter vilket också innefattar att vi får case-studies och rapporter efter ett antal månader.