Hello! I'm studying Environmental Health at BU School of Public Health. I'm excited to join Saha Global this summer, helping women in rural communities of Ghana meet their village's demand for clean drinking water.
Over 780 million people lack access to clean drinking water, leading to 1 billion cases of waterborne disease each year. HALF of Ghana's population lacks acces to clean drinking water. Globally, diarrheal disease is the #2 cause of death among children under 5.
I'll be based in Tamale working on a multidiscplinary team to train local women entrepreneurs to build and launch a sustainable water treatment business in a nearby village. I'm excited to combine public health practices with strategies from engineering, business, international policy and medicine.
I set a fundraising goal of $3,500. The money I raise will go directly into the start-up cost of the business: building materials, chemical flocculents and biocides, large drums to store water, individual containers for village households, transportation costs, etc. These funds will also ensure adequate monitoring and evaluation for up to 10 years after the business is launched. You can read more about our project below. Thank you for the support!
Our Project:
Saha partners with the Ghanaian government to identify communities who rely solely on contaminated surface water for drinking and household use. Our team will work with village elders within these communities to develop a business plan that will provide clean water for everyone at an affordable price. We will partner with women entrepreneurs to build the treatment center, training them on how to treat contaminated water from nearby rivers and "dugouts" using biocides and flocculants such as alum and chlorine. We'll also teach helpful skills like social marketing and employee management. Upon completing the construction and training phase, we will help the women teach the rest of the community about using clean water in their homes. We'll also begin the monitoring and evaluation phase that will continued by year-round Saha staff after we leave, ensuring water quality and village satisfaction.
