Initiative: Eau, a U.S. nonprofit focused on safe drinking water, has received a $21,000 grant from the International Foundation. The group announced the news from New York on August 6, 2018, while the project itself will run in Africa. The money will go to H2Odata.city.fada, a project in Fada N’gourma, Burkina Faso.
The project trains local groups to monitor and maintain the town’s water infrastructure and gives them responsibility for that work. When upkeep improves locally, drinking water service becomes more reliable. As a result, the organization projects a 66% drop in the number of breakdowns. It also expects an 83% cut in the time a broken system stays out of service.
With fewer and shorter outages, more people can rely on safe water. That, in turn, reduces the use of unimproved sources and lowers rates of water-borne disease.
Working with what already exists
Initiative: Eau does not build new water systems. Instead, it works with the infrastructure already in place and passes sound monitoring and maintenance practices to suitable local groups. This way existing systems run at full capacity, while local people stay in charge. Both goals sit at the core of the group’s mission.
Donald Brooks, the group’s CEO, said the grant will help thousands of Fada N’gourma residents get safe water. He also thanked the foundation for its support and noted that the grant covers 66% of the project’s cost.
The International Foundation gives one-year grants to U.S.-based 501(c)(3) organizations that partner with communities in the developing world. It looks for results that are measurable, broad and lasting. Grantees must also work within a development vision. In addition, they have to show they know the local context and what will work there.
Initiative: Eau and its partners plan to start H2Odata.city.fada in October 2018. The project is expected to run for about eight months.
Initiative: Eau is a 501(c)(3) nongovernmental organization working to improve the safety and quality of drinking water in developing areas. It currently runs programs in Burkina Faso, Niger and Nigeria. It also holds consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council. Its approach is human-centered and data-driven, since data guides decisions across all of its programs and helps target money and staff more effectively.
