Innovate UK supports our approach to water in rural Malawi
Beyond Water is thrilled to be working in partnership with Challenges Group and insider outsider design consultancy and with funding from Innovate UK’s Global Challenge Research Fund, to deepen our understanding of Beyond Water customers and the markets for household and irrigation pumps in rural Malawi. The aim of the work supported by Innovate UK is to help Beyond Water scale up its market presence in rural Malawi through a better understanding of market opportunities and challenges.
Beyond Water is unique in Malawi in that it aims to develop markets and financial profitability for low cost water products and services in poor rural communities, as a means to improving health and food security.
Beyond Water’s track record shows that rural households both want to own their own water supplies and have funds to do so. This project will help us overcome the barriers preventing this from happening in rural Malawi thanks to Innovate UK.
Michael Chuter, Director of Beyond Water
Working with Challenges Worldwide and insider outsider, we will get a detailed understanding of the drivers for demand, credit options and physical design factors. I’m convinced this intelligence will help achieve our dual aims of selling more pumps and having a huge positive social impact. Improving access to water is fundamental for Malawi’s growth and the wellbeing of its population. We need to get water to where people need it and the most sustainable (in a practical sense) way of doing this is when people invest themselves.
Note:
Beyond Water is a social enterprise set up by the NGO Pump Aid in 2018. It provides business led solutions to increasing access to water for poor rural communities in Malawi through sales of low cost household and irrigation pumps accompanied by installation, repair and maintenance services. Treating people as customers not beneficiaries.
