Month: May 2020

Categories
Water

1001fontaines

Cambodia

  • Inhabitants: 16,5 million
  • Annual income per capita: 4 060 USD
  • One in three Cambodians uses water from a non-improved drinking source (source)
  • 3 million people lack access to safe drinking water (source)

In Cambodian villages, most people collect the water they drink from ponds and rivers. That water is often contaminated -especially with the increase of human activity- and is not safe to drink which leads to water borne diseases such as diarrhoea for instance.

In 2004, a young Cambodian born in a village and studying water engineering in France created with a French consultant, and a french NGO volunteer, 1001fontaines to bring a solution to this problem. Their idea was to develop a sustainable and scalable solution by empowering the local communities. This is how they decide to launch “water kiosks” in rural Cambodia.

A water kiosk is a mini plant located in a village, using water from the pond or the river, treating the water locally and selling it to the villagers around. The kiosk is set up on land given by the community and managed by a villager acting as an entrepreneur who produces and sells the water. The decentralized model allows the price to remain affordable. Since 2004, 1001fontaines has established more than 267 kiosks in villages across Cambodia.

This creates employment and activity in remote areas where people are struggling to find sustainable opportunities. Typically, a water kiosk entrepreneur will create jobs for 2-3 people per village.

In schools the water is supplied for free to 260.000 kids, which has a proven impactful in reducing absenteeism and allows kids to grow healthier and benefit from their education.
1001fontaines is also operating in Madagascar, Myanmar and Vietnam.

267

kiosks in Cambodia

260,000

kids benefiting of school program

-75%

reduction of absenteeism at schools (source)

Chanthou

Consumer, Prek Luong village

“Every day, early morning, before the sunrise, I used to wake up to fetch water from the pond on the outskirts of the village. I knew that the stagnant water is not good for the health of my family, so I used to boil it to make it drinkable. When the sun rose, I gently woke up my only daughter Arunny to prepare for school. Sometimes Arunny had had a belly ache and that meant she would miss yet another school day.

Today thanks to 1001 fontaines that is not the case anymore. I can buy safe drinking water from my neighbour Haem who is delivering it from the 1001fontaines water kiosk, just a few kilometres from my village. Haem is delivering the safe drinking water also to Arunny’s school, so all the school kids can benefit from it, not missing school days and have a bright future.”

Photos by Sandro di Carlo Darsa
Categories
Water

dloHaiti

Haiti

  • Inhabitants: 11,3 million
  • Annual income per capita: 1 870 USD
  • Between 1990 and 2015, share of the population with access to safe drinking water decreased from 62% to 52% (source)
Play video

In 2010 Jim Chu, an American entrepreneur, came to Haiti after the earthquake as a volunteer. He discovered that safe water access was essential for the country to bounce back.

Jim’s background was in business, and he was drawn to designing a business-based solution that was IT powered and quality focused.

dloHaiti’s water kiosks deliver safe water jugs to more than 500 small retailers, where the local population buys most of what they need. Through this network of small retailers, dloHaiti serves more than 50.000 people daily.

dloHaiti has created over 100 jobs, and also delivers safe water for free in schools, to over 32 277 students.

9,950 million

liters sold: Liters (2021)

14 000

kids in school program

526

kiosks and retailers

Jerome

Shop owner, Cabaret, Haiti

“I am a small shop owner, an entrepreneur. I live with my wife and two young boys in Cabaret, a town few hours’ drive from Port-au-Prince. Growing up in this town, I’m well aware of the water crisis. After the devastating earthquake in 2010 the water scarcity became much worse and the waterborne diseases were common among my friends and family. Due to lack of water in my town I was buying it from a water truck, carrying water from the capital. The quality of the water was not always good and sometimes the trucks simply did not come.

When my neighbour Thomas started to manage dloHaiti water kiosk next door to my family house, I visited and learned more about the new venture. Today I am a regular consumer and I’m happy to be able to have access to safe drinking water so close to my home.” 

Photos by Sandro di Carlo Darsa
Categories
Nutrition

Grameen Danone Foods Ltd

Bangladesh

  • Inhabitants: 163 million
  • Annual income per capita: 4 560 USD
  • 40% of kids under 5 years are suffering from anemia (WHO – 2016)
  • 22% of preschool-age also have Vitamin-A deficiency (WHO – 2016)
  • Moderate and severe underweight prevalence is 22.6 % in 2019. Similarly, moderate and severe stunting rate is 28% in 2019. (UNICEF-2019)
Play video

In Bangladesh, one out of two children suffer from malnutrition, so it’s very hard for them to reach their full physical and mental potential. Eating well enables children to grow, develop good memory and maximize their learning at school, which prepares them for a bright future – for themselves and for their country.

That’s why the Grameen Danone Foods team developed Shokti +, a yoghurt enriched with micronutrients (iron, Iodine, zinc, vitamin-A) that helps to fulfil the children’s nutritional needs.

Grameen Danone Foods is also a source of income for the inhabitants of surrounding villages: the small farmers sell their milk to the company and women with no resources earn an income by selling the yogurts door-to-door. Grameen Danone Foods also supports 100 van pullers by giving them insurance, sales training, and revenue stability.

300,000

beneficiaries

500

farmers living better by selling their milk to Grameen Danone

350+

jobs created

Nafisa

Shokti+ Lady, Entrepreneur, Bogra, Bangladesh

When the roosters start to announce the first light Nafisa already finished preparing roti and eggs for her family. She lives in the Northern Bangladeshi village, in a small tiny house together with her husband, their son, his wife and a lovely Rahim, her grandson. Today is a special day, as Rahim is going to school for the first time. She has arranged a special treat for him – Shokti+ yoghurt – for Rahim to grow up healthy.

After all the family leaves home, Nafisa takes her bag and walks to the village crossroad to meet Asadul, the rickshaw van driver who delivers a fresh batch of Shokti+ for Nafisa to sell in the neighbourhood villages. This is a unique opportunity for Nafisa to gain some income and help to support her family. She knows Asadul since he was very small boy and she is happy that he found a regular job in Grameen Danone. Before, he was living on a daily wage, and it was difficult for him to support his family.

She takes a fresh batch of yoghurt, spares one in the corner of the bag, for Rahim, and goes to sell it in the villages. She really enjoys meeting people and seeing happy faces of children eating Shokti+.

Photos by Sandro di Carlo Darsa
Categories
Water

Drinkwell

Bangladesh

  • Inhabitants: 163 million
  • Annual income per capita: 4 560 USD
  • 41 percent of all improved water sources in Bangladesh are contaminated with E. Coli bacteria (source)
  • More than 20 million people are thought to be at risk of drinking water contaminated by arsenic in Bangladesh. (source)

Drinkwell is also operating in India

Play video

Minhaj Chowdhury, an American Fulbright scholar, was visiting his family in Bangladesh every summer and soon realized that access to safe drinking water was a grave issue across the country.

Because of geological reasons, the water in Bangladesh is contaminated with arsenic, a tasteless contaminant that is causing major health problems in the long run.

Turning down a professional career in the US, Minhaj decided to create Drinkwell, a technology-driven social enterprise that powers water infrastructure in Bangladesh and India. Through a public-private partnership with the water utility in Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh, Drinkwell has already opened more than 200 water kiosks in the most densely populated areas of this city, where 4 million people live without access to safe water. Other cities of Bangladesh are now following and new kiosks are being opened.

235

kiosks in Bangladesh

347

jobs created

500

Ambition: 500 kiosks by 2022

Asma

Garment worker, Dhaka, Bangladesh

“Just one day after my wedding, my husband and I packed our belongings into a small bag and left everything. Our destination in search for a better future was Dhaka, the capital city. I found a job in a garment’s factory, and my husband as a rickshaw puller. As our incomes are not regular nor high enough to afford to rent an apartment, together with our two beautiful children we live in the slum. 

In the centre of the slum is a water pump where some of the residents get water for everyday needs, like drinking, cooking and washing. But this water is not suitable for drinking, there’s bacteria and iron in the water, which is a big problem in Bangladesh. I am not using water from the slum anymore, since there is safe drinking water available near the community. Every morning I go to the DrinkWell water kiosk to collect safe drinking water. 

I know that this water is safe and the price is acceptable, even for our budget. The change is really big for our health. My kids do not miss school anymore and with my husband we can work more regularly. I see a huge impact that access to safe water has on our daily lives.”  

Photos by Sandro di Carlo Darsa
Categories
Water

EcoAlberto

Mexico

  • Inhabitants: 127,6 million
  • Annual income per capita: 19 440 USD
  • In rural areas, thousands of isolated villages account for 5 million people who do not have access to water. (source)

Located in the centre of the country, Hidalgo is known because of its water scarcity. When EcoAlberto was born in 2011, the communities depended on small sources which most of the time were polluted and located far away from their homes.

The company EcoAlberto was created in this area to provide access to safe drinking water. Nowadays it has benefited more than 30,000 people in 78  indigenous communities. The water is delivered in big tanks to fill the smaller tanks of shops and schools, the meeting points where indigenous women sell this safe water to increase their income and promote healthy water and healthier hydration practices.

15,763

People with access to safe drinking water

3.257 million

of liters sold (2021)

Xochilt

Hidalgo, Mexico

“I had to carry the water in buckets all the way to the community. It used to take me more than 3 hours a day, to go and bring back water home. It was a difficult and tiresome task, taking away a lot of my time.

Now I own a small shop where I sell Eco Alberto’s safe drinking water to my community. I’m happy to be able to help my community have easy access to safe drinking water. This also is empowering for women around me: now they don’t have to collect water anymore and they can work and earn a living.” 

Categories
Nutrition

La Laiterie Du Berger

Senegal

  • Inhabitants: 16,3 million
  • Annual income per capita: 3 670 USD
  • 67,9% of kids under 5 years are suffering from anemia (WHO – 2016)
Play video

In Senegal, 90% of the milk is imported as powder, whereas 30% of the Senegalese population make a living of cattle farming. La Laiterie du Berger enables those milk producers to have a regular revenue by purchasing their milk. La Laiterie du Berger produces delicious traditional dairy products, the only ones made from local Senegalese milk.

Dolima: good for me, good for my country!

This slogan explains the uniqueness of La Laiterie du Berger (The Herder’s milk farm). Not only does the milk farm produce delicious dairy products inspired by traditional recipes, they also increase the supply of locally produced milk.

Bagore Bathily is a vet and took care of nomadic Fulani herders’ cows for several years in Northern Senegal, who are living in poverty and not finding customers to sell their milk to. In 2005 he decided  to create a social business in Senegal, La Laiterie du Berger, to improve the living conditions of local herders, collecting their milk and producing dairy products made from locally sourced milk.

La Laiterie du Berger contributes to develop a local dairy sector, sourcing its milk from local herders and facilitating their access to services like cattle food and credit.

That’s why they named their product “Dolima” which means “I want more” in Wolof!

1425

herder families living better by selling milk to La Laiterie du Berger, on which 50% are led by women

1100 €

of annual revenues per breeder as milk supplier in 2019, +77% versus 2018

6 800L

of fresh milk collected daily

1800

tons of animal feed delivered to breeders

41

innovative dairy mini-farms implemented for breeders

8 274

beneficiaries

Yero Sow

Furlani herder, Senegal

Yero, like his father and grandfather, is a herder. He belongs to a tribe of Fulani herders, who historically are nomads. Like the majority of Fula in the countryside, Yero also spent long time alone on foot, travelling with his family and cattle throughout the west African hinterland, moving the herds in search of water and better pasture. They were travelling and selling the cows to support the family. He always wished to settle down and send his kids to school.

When Bagore Bathily started with La Laiterie Du Berger, Yero started to sell the milk to the company. The income was regular and soon Yero decided to settle down and produce milk. Today, he is supporting his family selling the milk, which allows him not to travel anymore and to grow his herd.

Photos by Patrick Willocq

Categories
Nutrition

Malin

France

  • Inhabitants: 65,1 million
  • Annual income per capita: 46 900 USD
  • 160 000 babies are born every year in families living below the poverty threshold

In France, 160 000 babies are born every year in families living below the poverty threshold; that is one child out of five.

These families face two issues: expert advice are sometimes difficult to implement and adapted food for children is expensive. Social and economic vulnerability are obstacles to adopting healthy eating practices. For a child, nutrition during the first 1000 days is essential to his future health.

The mission of the Malin Program is to improve eating habits during these 1,000 days of families under the poverty line living in France. The way to operate is through an association of general interest, which has been co-created with private and public partners (Red Cross, 2 pediatric French associations, Action Tank Entreprise, Danone Communities, Blédina, SEB and its brands SEB/Tefal/Moulinex, Lesieur and La Banque Postale Assurance Santé)

Malin Program is built on three pillars:

  1. Education on nutrition (breastfeeding, adapted diet..)
  2. Budget offers to access adapted food : 20% to 80% off vouchers on infant nutrition and vegetal oils, online VIP sales for kitchen devices to do home made food….
  3. Impact measurement (Clinical study)

With 2 principles : Co-creation and non stigmatizing offer

50 000

families impacted (end of December 2021)

93

departments covered

 

Adèle

mother, France

It is late in the evening when Adèle comes home. Adèle has a part-time job and she is a single mother of Gabriel, 6-month old, and Louis, 2-year old. She does not have much help raising her sons and she is trying her best to sustain the boys and herself. Adèle did not have a lot of time to learn about and prepare healthy nutrition for her children.

It was a great relief when the pediatric nurse told her about the Malin program. The program helped Adèle to understand the nutritional needs and gave her tools to guarantee healthy nutrition for her sons.

Photos by Sandro di Carlo Darsa
Categories
Nutrition

Nutrigo

China

  • Inhabitants: 1433,8 million
  • Annual income per capita: 18 140 USD
  • 56 million people in rural areas live in poverty (source)
  • 10 million children are affected by anemia
Play video

In an ever-expanding China, parents from poor rural communities leave their villages to go to work in the cities. Infants are often entrusted to their grandparents. It is the reason why the breastfeeding rate is low and anemia (mostly iron deficit) affects 10 million children, especially in rural areas among children under 2-year-old.

Mrs Chen and Mr Zhu, two Professors, decided to tackle this issue by developing Ying Yang Bao – a nutrition supplement pack that is enriched with essential micronutrients and can be sprinkled on rice, noodles or beverages of kids.

After a successful pilot, YingYang Bao is now sold by the social business Nutrigo in Eastern & Central China. Encouraged by the positive impacts from Ying Yang Bao, the Chinese government started to distribute it in the 300 poorest districts and joined forces with Nutrigo to educate health workers.

25%

A dose of Ying Yang Bao provides at least 25% of a kid’s daily micronutrients needs

85,000

the product is sold in 2 provinces and 85 000 babies benefit from it (2021)

Mrs Xiao

Grandmother, Bengbu, Anhui Province

Mrs Xiao story is a story of many grandmothers in her town. With her husband they are taking care of their grandson while her daughter and her husband are working in a city. There is no work available in her town, so many young people are forced to move and search for earnings in big cities.

One of the main concerns Mrs Xiao has, is how to guarantee good nutrition to her grandchild. She is aware that adequate nutrition plays a crucial role in her grandson development. It was a few months ago when a village health practitioner introduced YingYang Bao to her. She went to talk to her, as her grandchild was often tired and sick.

Now she is regularly adding Ying Yang Bao to the meals she is preparing for her grandson and she is seeing he is much more active and not so sickly.

Photos by Sandro di Carlo Darsa