A new solar technology for water purification and storage has been launched in Uasin Gishu County.
To improve on the widely used Jerry can water storage solutions, 4Life Solutions has launched the SAWA can, which uses heat from the sun to purify water by killing disease-causing microorganisms in the water.
Speaking at the launch in Uasin Gishu, Maendeleo Ya Wanawake Organisation (MYWO) National Chairperson Mrs. Rahab Mwikali Muiu pointed out that a lot of households do not have access to clean and safe drinking water.
“Clean Energy Drinking Water Solutions is a transformative initiative aimed at increasing access to safe drinking water across the country and improving public health, economic empowerment, and climate resilience in Kenya,” she said.
Muiu noted that according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), 842,000 people in the world are estimated to die each year as a result of unsafe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene practices.
“Currently, our nation is grappling with the ongoing floods. These floods have increased the risks of water-borne diseases such as cholera and typhoid, posing a significant threat to public health and safety, “she said.
She said that MYWO extends its deepest sympathies to the families affected by the crisis, noting the critical importance of addressing waterborne diseases, particularly during this time of flooding.
“In November 2019, we launched a national water harvesting project targeting every woman at the grassroots household level in Kenya to get at least 30,000 litres of water tank through loans to be paid in a period of 1 or 2 years,” she added.
She further noted that to roll out the project countrywide, the MYWO has partnered with Equity Bank to provide affordable credit to women to acquire at least a 10,000-litre water tank.
“The project is to enable women to access affordable loans to acquire water tanks to store reliable water for domestic use, improve health, sanitation, and dignity for women, and enable smart agriculture,” said Muiu.
“Women in 10 counties have received over 500 tanks; more than 900,000 litres of water have been harvested through the project; and over Sh6 million worth of loans have been disbursed to members by Equity Bank,” she added.
She revealed that so far, over 300 women have been trained in financial literacy, digital literacy, and entrepreneurship.
She stated that MYWO has recognised the critical importance of not only harvesting water but also ensuring its cleanliness and safety for household consumption.
“We have moved to the next level now that we have harvested water so as to ensure the water is safe for consumption by rolling out the clean energy purification solution, an innovative advancement in water purification using the power of sunlight to eliminate harmful microorganisms present in water sources,” noted Muiu.
“We are training women groups in Uasin Gishu in partnership with 4Life Solutions to access information so as to increase access to safe drinking water to reduce risks of waterborne diseases, reduce deforestation activities, and reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and carbon from boiling water with firewood,” said the chairperson.
She called on residents to embrace the solar can as a transformative tool for water purification, which is efficient and sustainable.
According to commercial partnership sales Director of 4Life Solutions, Solomon Muigai Kamau, it is a privilege to partner with MYWO in this journey of achieving safe water in Kenyan households.
“The advantage of this solution is to purify normal water that households have access to, be it rainwater, river water, borehole water, or whatever water source you have at the household level. That is what we are seeking to purify and eradicate waterborne diseases that keep on being a menace to society,” he said.
“We have a high cost of health care with illnesses that originate from waterborne diseases, and sometimes some cases end up being fatal. This being the case, we saw the need to partner with MYWO so that we can access all the households across the country and have this initiative cascaded to achieve a healthy society.
He clarified that the can has a capacity of 6 litres, and if exposed to the sun for 4 hours, it is able to eradicate all disease-causing microorganisms within the water.
“We seek to improve the economic wellbeing of Kenyan women by enabling them to also create business from this partnership through peer-to-peer sales within their community,” said Kamau.
By Judy Too
