TEAM RUWAFIKI: A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH!
RUWAFIKI!!! Have you ever heard this name before? I am talking about the best Youth Social Enterprise in Africa now.
Africa is an understatement!
Team RUWAFIKI is making waves around the globe! Go and ask the judges in Switzerland’s prestigious “Geneva Challenge” competition… not only that!
RUWAFIKI was also selected as a finalist and among the winners at the 2019 Heineken Green Challenge in Mexico.
When I am testifying about this team, it appears as if I am bragging.
Recently, “BeChangeMaker Africa 2020” selected Team RUWAFIKI among the 5 most innovative youth social enterprises in Africa out of 315 teams that competed.
I haven’t finished yet. The Young Social Entrepreneurs 2020 in Singapore also selected RUWAFIKI as one of the top 15 finalists out of 45 teams from around the globe.
Curious! Learn more about RUWAFIKI below.
RUWAFIKI, which stands for Rural Water Filtration Kit, is an initiative of young water experts from Pan African University Institute for Water and Energy Sciences (PAUWES) in Algeria. The initiative aims to improve global health through safe drinking water.
More than 300 million people in Sub Saharan Africa lack access to safe drinking water, which leads to a significant number of deaths. About 500, 000 people die annually because of waterborne diseases especially in rural and peri-urban communities and mostly children under five years.
To achieve this goal, RUWAFIKI has designed a filtration kit, which emulates a water treatment plant and uses natural materials such as Moringa (oleifera/seed). Using Moringa, it activates carbon to treat household water collected for consumption from unsafe water sources such as ponds and rivers that do not meet WHO standards for water quality. RUWAFIKI’s water purification process is certified by a renowned international company CIMAV in Mexico.
The kit uses materials that are sustainable and reusable. Furthermore, the kit is affordable to low income communities and contains a user manual in different local (indigenous) languages.
RUWAFIKI’s current target population is in Uganda. However, the initial plan is to scale up to other African countries that include Tanzania, Nigeria and Zambia.
One of the member of RUWAFIKI, Margaret Sima Kironde from Tanzania is currently working with African Water Association as an intern. The other members are Oludare Durodola (Nigeria), Victo Nabunya (Uganda), Claydon Mumba Kanyunge (Zambia) and Francess Awunor (Nigeria)
To know more about RUWAFIKI kindly visit their page www.ruwafiki.com and social media pages
Facebook: Rural Water Filtration Kit: https://www.facebook.com/RUWAFIKI
WATCH A VIDEO ABOUT TEAM RUWAFIKI BELOW:
Team RUWAFIKI in Geneva 2019: www.ruwafiki.com
SEE PICTURES OF THE WATER-FILTRATION-KIT BELOW
Thank you for your time to read this article about RUWAFIKI: https://www.facebook.com/RUWAFIKI /
