The Dowa Project
In 2020, Martin Paterson and the Waterloo Foundation selected the Dowa Project initiative to be recipient of a special memorial grant to Janet Alexander, Trustee of the Foundation, and a great supporter of small scale business initiatives in Africa.
This initiative is developing a sustainable network of water provision, training and maintenance infrastructure in Malawi, and this web page will provide regular updates of the entrepreneurs and the communities where pumps have been repaired.
“Becoming an area mechanic was a huge achievement for me” Raphael trained to become an Area Mechanic because he saw an opportunity to give people access to safe water and reduce the incidences of waterborne diseases whilst securing a source of income.
2023 results after 2 year project:
94% functionality of 441 Dowa pumps
503 community hand pumps repaired
787 community hand pumps serviced
28 area mechanics recruited, trained and active in 3 Districts
65% of Pump Mechanics showing an increase income of at least 50 %
In Memoriam
Janet was many things to many people and she achieved some of her major ambitions as a Trustee of The Waterloo Foundation. This Foundation is now generously supporting Pump Aid’s effective and novel approach in Janet’s memory as a specific new initiative.
