As Project Maji grows as a clean water charity, so too does the need to iterate our technology and address the myriad of health and environmental challenges faced by rural communities living with water poverty. Developed in partnership with Volta River Authority (VRA), our River Solution is one such innovative iteration of our standard solution.
Our Project Maji River Solution is a solar powered water purification system that is bringing a safe, sustainable, and cost-effective intervention to communities suffering from bilzharzia (schistosomiasis) across the banks of the Volta River. The same Project Maji solar-powered water Cube, which usually pumps from underground aquifers, has been adapted to pump water from a river. With the addition of an appropriate and proven rapid sand filtration unit, this solar powered water purification solution eliminates the harmful larvae from the river water and thereby provides these communities with sustainable safe access to their preferred water source while eliminating direct contact with the infested river.
The solution has been developed by our dedicated Project Maji R&D team in partnership with socially like-minded organizations such as the Volta River Authority (VRA) and IFRC. The River Solution has been deployed in the Teikpitikope Community along the banks of Volta River in Ghana since 2019, serving almost a thousand people.
In line with the typical ripple effect of our solar-powered water kiosks deployed in communities, the River Solution not only provides clean water to a community, it significantly improves the safety of women and girls by bringing clean water in the heart of the community. Keeping in mind that 17 million women and girls collect water at the risk of sexual violence each day in Africa, this is a significant indicator for us as a safe water enterprise. The ease of access is another key advantage. The solar powered water purification solution provides 24/7 access to safe water at the turn of a tap. This is why 93% people in Maji communities report easily accessing water from the Maji kiosk. Here’s proof from our live impact dashboard:
“If we can prevent people from getting schistosomiasis, we will cease spending on medication; so there is a win-win for the communities we serve, for the VRA, and for the environment. We feel this solution is a more sustainable one and is the reason why we partner with organisations like Project Maji, who offer a turn-key solution,” says Samuel Fletcher - CSR Manager, VRA.
Project Maji Country Director, Ghana, Amol Parker shared: “The River Solution is truly emblematic of the kind of innovation we stand for at Project Maji – the one that implements simple, reliable and affordable technology to improve daily life. The Teikpitikope Community suffered from a myriad of life-threatening water-borne diseases and knowing that this simple solution will alleviate the community’s suffering, is why we do what we do.”
At Project Maji, we are constantly developing sustainable, innovative solutions that create tangible, life-changing impact for the communities we serve. Not only that, we believe in outsourcing technology for social good. Simply put, we encourage our peer safe water enterprises to embrace our innovative iterations in the interest of making universal access to safe water a reality. We envision a world in which every rural community has access to safe water and together we can make it possible.