And the winners are…

For a period of almost 6 months,  participants of the 2023 Water Challenge have been meeting-up and crafting their projects together. At times calling across time-zones and connecting skills, the young change-makers put their heads together to develop creative solutions to a variety of pressing issues in Water for Development. The SWP Youth Committee provided support through the process with the help of  inputs on systems thinking and on how to make a good project application. From roughly 50 participants, we received 18 projects.

A great shout out  to all candidates who have submitted a project. Even those who have not made it through the selection process are encouraged to continue refining their solution ideas and apply again if the application criteria allow so.

We congratulate our Winners of 2023, who will be mentored by carefully selected experts from the SWP Pool and supported with a grant of up to CHF 2000 until End 2024. We can’t wait for the projects to come to life and see them fly very soon!

This year’s sponsors are EBP, EAWAG and Photrack. We are immensely thankful for our sponsors in continually making the water challenge such a success!

The Power of Valves, Cabo Verde

This science-based short movie about Water Infrastructure has the aim of reaching out to civil society to raise awareness on the problem of nuanced service level of water provisioning in Cabo Verde and in developing countries.

 

Team

• Helen Barbosa
• Linda Lilienfield
• Domingos Barros

 

Drip Drop Saver, Zambia

This project will provide installation of rain-water catching barrels with an intergated filter system, to serve toilets and menstruation management facilities at the Chakunkula combined school in peri-urban Lusaka. It will be complemented with workshops for the students on good hygiene practices.

 

 

Team

• Lilia Mposha
• Simate Simasiku
• Anjali Bijukchhe
• Muhammad Abdul Sulaiman

 

Smallholders‘ adaptation to water scarcity, Argentina

This project aims at optimizing irrigation for small-scale grape producers in water scarce areas. This will be done through inclusive adaptation measures and a low-cost and low-tech solutions at the farm-level, in collaboration with local researchers.

 

Team

• Marc Monnet

 

Mandomaji, Kenya

Using a compressed earth technique for bricks, Elizabeth Ntukai’s trains and collaborates with women in rural Kenya to build rain harvesting tanks and pit latrines which allows women to build structures without masonry expertise.

 

Team

• Elizabeth Ntukai

 

Feutap Rainwater Project, Cameroon

This is a local rainwater harvest solution that will be implemented in an Agroecology School. Rainwater storage facilities at the educational center will be complemented with awareness campaigns to educate the community on effective and safe rainwater harvesting.

 

 

 

Team

• Tebogo Vivian Siphambe
• Abdurrahman Abdulkareem Aliyu

 

WASH and Climate Innovation Hub, Burundi

The Project aims to teach local economically challenged women how to make ceramic water filters and promote their use to make life-saving drinking water available for every household in Mbaza-Miduha locality, a marginalized community located in Rugombo Commune in North-Western Burundi.

 

Team 

• Godiolla Akimana
• Eric Niyikiza
• Zbeda Gentille Nishimwe