A2W offers a win-win business model, ensuring access to drinking water for impoverished populations, whilst assuring the financial sustainability of the project. All the projects at A2W are eco and socially responsible, while benefiting from their strong local roots. Moreover, A2W focuses on the social, economical, environmental and health impact of its projects. In this way, the projects have allowed notable improvements, as follows:
This research project aims to come up with innovative, low-cost and eco-friendly technical solutions, in order to offer access to drinking water to small communities such as schools, or health centers, situated in water stressed regions.
This project is carried out in collaboration with the centre ‘Essential Tech’ of the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), the Haute École de l’Arc Jurassien (HE-ARC), and several private partners.
To this day, A2W and its original partner Swiss Fresh Water have installed more than 180 water filtration machines in Senegal. These machines are distributed between 150 water kiosks, reunited under the trademark Diam’O, and are operational both in urban communities and rural ones affected by water stress. The kiosks have positive local, social, economic and environmental impacts.
Over the course of 7 years, the kiosks Diam’O have produced over 154 million litres of drinking water, including 36 million litres in 2019 alone, and have generated, directly and indirectly, over 600 jobs. At the end of 2019, A2W handed the chain of Diam’O kiosks over to Swiss Fresh Water SA; this enterprise is socially responsible, helping the development and attraction of private investors. These machines are still in use today.
A valued partner
For several years, A2W has worked in close collaboration with the NGO Access To Water Senegal, managed by Badara Diom, who is also the mayor of the Djirnda city in the Sine-Saloum island.
Partners of our current projects
Thank you to our donors who since 2012 have made these projects possible
Technical partners
We are also very thankful to all other donors that support our mission. Particularly:
Rotary Club Genève-Lac, RC Genève, RC Genève Palais Wilson, RC Genève Sud, RC Portes de Lavaux, RC Yverdon-les-Bains, RC Dakar-Soleil, la Fondation Rotary, RC Lausanne, RC Muellheim Badenweiler, Ordre de Saint-Jean (Vaud et Suisse), Lions-Jorat, Soroptimist Lausanne et Suisse et de très nombreux donateurs privé.
Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) threaten more than 1.7 billion people living in the poorest and most marginalized communities worldwide. These diseases blind, disable and disfigure people, taking away not only their health, but also the chance of staying in school, earning a living, or even being accepted by their family or community. (https://worldntdday.org/)
Among these diseases are Dengue, Chikungunya, Dracunculiasis (Guinea worm disease), Leprosy, Scabies and especially Schistosomiasis (or Bilharziasis).
Since 2019, with the support of the Global Health Institute of Merck KGaA, a new project has been launched with the aim of facilitating access to quality water in healthcare centers and at the same time fighting against Schistosomiasis.
Bilharziasis, or schistosomiasis, is the second most common parasitic disease in the world after malaria, with more than 210 million people infected and around 200,000 deaths each year worldwide. This disease is a major health problem in Senegal.
The disease is mainly due to the population exposure to water containing the parasite. Women and children are the most vulnerable victims. In fact, women spend several hours a day in the river to do their laundry, bathing and dishwashing while small children play around in the water. During this time, the worm, carrier of bilharziasis, penetrates their legs and will lay eggs in their bodies. This can cause urinary, intestinal, hepatic and spleen disorders, which can make them fall seriously ill or even lead to death.
In collaboration with Merck (KGaA), A2W’s project consists of installing “Water Houses” equipped with showers, latrines, washbasins, but above all, large wash tubs to offer an alternative to the women who until now have been washing clothes in the Senegal River. This house will also be a place for sharing moments, raising awareness and training.
This program will be accompanied by important awareness sessions to make the population understand the disease, its effects and the means to fight it.
A2W would like to take advantage of this day to thank the partners who make this project possible and in particular:
The Merck Global Health Institute,
Local, regional and national authorities,
Matam City Hall,
The Ministry of Health with the National Coordinator of Schistosomiasis/Senegal and the Chief Medical Officer of the Matam region,
The NGO Access To Water Senegal,
Trunz Water System, Better Shelter, Off Grid Box.
And many private donors.