This week, students from Ghana and the Netherlands reconvene at Stockholm World Water Week to share the results of their efforts to bring safe water to people in need.
The award-winning students, who met during the 2010 international Stockholm Junior Water Prize, realized the complementary nature of their original submissions and embarked on a yearlong collaboration to solve critical water needs.
With the support of Water For People, ITT Corp. and Black & Veatch, the teams worked to construct a water system in rural Ghana and explored the use of ozone in disinfecting water at the source.
The young scientists, including Raymond Bentum, Theophilus Asiedu Sagoe, Archimedes Bruno Andries and David Mclean of Ghana, and Evelien van Zwol, Lianne Siemensma and Wouter van der Wal of the Netherlands, spent the last year working on their projects as part of a long-distance collaboration and met in Ghana to fine-tune their solutions and expand their understanding of local water needs.
As part of this work, the Ghanaian team partnered with the community of Open to educate residents on safe water and sanitation practices and to design and construct a water filtration system using local materials. The Netherlands team spent the year networking with ozone experts to create a water pump that uses mechanical energy to spark the creation of ozone for water disinfection and tested their prototype with the same Ghanaian community.
“We look forward to continuing our work with these young people, who are passionate about water and sanitation issues,” said Water For People’s CEO Ned Breslin. “They bring a new motivation and innovation to the sector that contributes to the true sustainability of our work by invoking the next generation to feel confident that they can solve problems and contribute to better the livelihoods of millions worldwide.”
Source: Water For People
