Highlights

This year the SMART Centres will also be represented at the World Water Week

in Stockholm from the 27th of August until the 1st of September. You find us there at stand

no. 18 together with social enterprise Basic Water Needs, showcasing various SMARTechs, including the Tulip Water Filter. This is an effective and affordable filter for the Base of the Pyramid, produced in both Africa and Asia.  Please visit us at stand no.18 for demonstrations, a cup of safe water, material on various SMARTechs and explorations on how we can work together to

accelerate reaching the water related SDGs.

The SMART Centres were represented at the annual WEDC conference in the UK (24th to the 28th of July 2017) and had a stand together with Transform International. Presentations bij the SMART Centres on Self-supply included:

• Supported Self-supply as a key to reach water, food and poverty related SDGs by Henk Holtslag
• How can Self-supply help reaching SDG 6? by Rik Haanen

Other presentations on Self-supply were given by Dr. Sally Sutton and Dr. Peter Harvey. Both clearly indicated that (supported) Self-supply is essential to reach the SDG 6. The presentation of Peter Harvey showed that for Zambia, where a large part of the unserved live in communities of less than 250 people,  water access via family wells could be 6 times cheaper than using conventional communal water supply.  Compared to communal wells, Self-supply wells have advantages like convenience and more hygiene since water is near, and possibilities of food production for own use and sales to local markets. As presented at the RWSN conference in 2016 other advantages of family wells include the high ownership and the fact that families share water with others so Self-supply can become communal supply. A topic related to Self-supply is house water treatment. A successful programme on selling effective and affordable water filters in Tanzania was presented by Dr. Annemarieke Maltha of Basic Water Needs.

Many more papers, presentations and posters can be downloaded under Resources.

On behalf of the SMART Centre Group, Walter Mgina and Jasmina van Driel attended the Innovate for Water event (8th and 9th of June 2017). This was a matchmaking forum focusing on water, sanitation, entrepreneurship and sustainable investment. Day 1 was specifically geared to connecting entrepreneurs or entrepreneurial initiatives with (social impact) investors. Day 2 was an open forum, which provided an opportunity for meaningful interactions around Technologies, Business and Human Rights among water experts, impact investors, social entrepreneurs, multinational corporations, NGOs and UN agencies. On both days the SMART Centre approach was pitched by Jasmina.

At the last RWSN forum in Abidjan, which is organised once every 5 years, the SMART Centre Group showcased several SMARTechs and shared information about the SMART Centre Approach. Several SMART Centres also presented papers and posters which can be downloaded in the resource section.

The SMART Centre group is well represented at the 7th Rural Water Supply Network (RWSN) forum in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire. Various presentations have ignited lively discussions on Self-supply, the role of the private sector, various service delivery models and much more. And the booth has become a meeting hub for those interested in learning more about the various SMARTechs, exploring cooperation or for simply having a discussion on topics covered at the conference.

Demonstrating a table top filter produced in Malawi at the World Water Week in Stockholm. This filter purifies water, eliminating all bacteria, parasites and turbidity. The filter element is treated with silver, avoiding re-contamination of the purified water in the storage container. The filter capacity is 40 litres per day and has a retail price of around 20 USD. The SMART Centre Group is working with the local SMART Centres and partners to set-up local supply chains for this product.

More information can be obtained from info@smartcentregroup.com.

On Sunday August 28, Henk Holtslag will present “SMART Centres – Water and jobs by training local entrepreneurs”. This is part of a larger session on Value Chain Sustainability. Read further for the full Sunday program…