Our response to the water sustainability challenge
Hope Water Ltd
Do you ever wonder why we see many requests from charities for support to improve water access in Africa, but over time the problem doesn’t seem to get solved?
Water supply is not straightforward, but in our experience the biggest barrier to universal access is sustainability. A number of studies have found that around 35% of water points in Sub-Saharan Africa are out of order.
An internal or external entity might set up a water supply in a village, only for it to fall into disrepair within a couple of years.
Maintenance of water points often doesn’t happen for a number of reasons, like a failure to form a trained management structure, unavailable parts or simply too many other pressures to cope with.
Hope Water is our response to the water sustainability challenge. We provide prepaid water to customers through a limited company owned 50/50 by Hope for a Child and our local partner Rhema.
We receive payment for all water before it is dispensed, allowing for maintenance and expanding the water supply to more users. The water fees are carefully set at a rate that is accessible to low income households while enabling viable business.
Happy customers
We believe that water users should have the option not to manage their own water supply.
We currently supply around 1,500 households through public and private water points in one community in Dowa district. Before we started, water access in the area was very limited so the impact of this service is enormous. People are healthier with more time to attend to other things, and businesses like hairdressers, tree nurseries and cafés have become viable, bringing more life to the area and a boost to the local economy.
We have a vision to supply water to all underserved urban and peri-urban areas in the district.
Drilling Service
Hope Water also provides a borehole drilling service, regularly performing services for NGO’s, local government and private clients.