From Naiade Uganda

In March this year Norman received 2 Naiade waterpurifier and solar energy units. Thiis event marked the start of the real development of Bunabumali. The experiences gained getting the units there and how they have impacted the progress of project are very exiting. They have already led to interesting changes in the overall concept creating important added value.

This article describes the consequences of having Naiade in a rural areas where until last month no utility services existed. It also explains how the folks at Clean Water Now! rappidly reacted to rewquests from the community and came up with creative additional services to increae the effectiveness.

Cleanwaternow provides the hardware to Bunabumali on a 5 year lease contract. This is a pilot project for Africa.after 5 years the community is legal owner of the infrastructure, that wil last for at least another 10 years.

We will be introducing an upgrade soon with more surprising features which will make it easy to provide any rural community with clean water, internet connection, LED light and mobile phone battery recharging service.

We are at this moment redesigning our on-line presence and are working on a realy smart order process, accounting and payment service and business development package that will be of great benefit to rural communities.

• The local community is in charge
• Naiade Netherlands only acts as facilitator. it’s up to the community to figure out how to make best use of the technology. When adjustments are needed we’ll try to answer to those requsts to the best of our ablity.
  
• We don’t give aid, Naiade means business, for the community as wel as for us. The Bunabumali pilot will show how this could work for your area as well.

In the pipeline….

• Naiade Kenya

How a party at the Ministery of Development Aid in the Hague, Netherlands leads to the launch of a village banking system in Sub Shara Africa.

CWN’s goal is to contribute towards solving clean drinkwater issues in developping counties,

TimeDesk’s ambition is to jumpstart (rural) communities in Sub Sahara Africa out of an existance under $.2,00 per day by facilitating change instead of donating aid.

We met in November 2006. Clean Water Now (CWN) allready had the Naiade water purification system and TimeDek was about to start a unique chat session with a small group of African enterpreneurs.

TimeDesk Africa started with this picture of a makeshift bridge. After almost 2 years chatting with Norman Nakhokoe resulted in an ambitious approach to rural development in Africa due to kickoff with the installation of 2 Naiade solar powered drinkwater and energy systems in Bunabumali, Eastern Uganda

The systems are provided on a 5 year lease basis at a monthly utility service fee the local community will able to cover them selves. The idea is that having this essential infrastructure new economic activities will emerge and facilitate the local people to increase their average daily income, stimulate education, improve healthcare and generaly help create a better and sustainable future.

Challenges

CWN was looking for communities that would benefit from their invention, which proved to a much larger challenge than anticipated, given the global need for clean water and the impact their system would have.

TimeDesk started without capital, learning while chatting about ideas put to us by folks in Africa that had grown up with the idea development aid would be essential to solve their problems. We learned the hard way that model is not sustainable but over time worked out the concept we are now launching.

It’s not the technology, it’s not the lack of money, it’s not the local culture, it’s not aid that prevents the BOP market from moving to the next level. It’s lack of cohesion and helicopter view that causes bottlenecks in unexpected parts of the full chain of events that cripples sustainable development.

The role of the Villagebank is to eliminate those bottlenecks wherever possible, without burocratic bariers, logistical overhead and Western style neo colonisation as a hidden agenda.

Tomorrow, $500 is being sent via Western Union from Stitch Uganda Together to Norman in Kampala to buy three rolls of fabric and rope to start the hammock sewing project again in Bunabumali. The orphanage needs funds for food due to poor growing conditions. If they sew and sell 60 hammocks, they can triple that seed money and make $1500.

The best thing I can suggest is to keep buying fabric and using the sewing machines we donated last year. We also need to figure out how to make sure they don’t suffer the same fate again next year with their garden, so online permaculture resources you can recommend will be helpful.

I am focused on being back in Bunabumali, Uganda for the months of October and November to develop projects associated with the Good Samaritan Orphan & Needy school, and want to others to join in the fun. Please feel free to share this opportunity with friends.

Corry Richardson. Stich Uganda Together