About a million people in Malawi have gained access to clean water and electricity through solar-powered projects implemented by Israeli non-profit organisation, Innovation: Africa, since it began operating in the country in 2011.
Speaking in an interview with #MBCDigital in Tel Aviv, Innovation: Africa Country Director for Malawi and Zambia, Gil Winterstein, said the organisation has completed 224 solar and water projects across rural areas of Lilongwe, Zomba and Mangochi, among others.
Winterstein said the organisation also intends to secure funding for more projects.
He said the projects are transforming livelihoods by improving access to safe water, boosting food production, increasing school attendance and reducing waterborne diseases.
Winterstein said the projects target remote villages, including three T/As in Zomba and seven in Mangochi that previously had no reliable source of clean water.
“When we do a water project, it is usually in a village of around 3,000 people that had no source of clean water before. Women used to wake up as early as three or four in the morning to walk long distances to fetch water from unprotected water sources, but with our interventions, lives are changing,” he said.
Winterstein said Innovation: Africa’s approach goes beyond infrastructure by training community members to operate and maintain the solar-powered water systems, helping ensure their long-term sustainability.
Sivan Yaari, founder and CEO of Innovation: Africa, said the organisation had completed more than 880 solar and water projects.
Yaari said over 4.2 million people have benefited across 10 African countries, including Malawi, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, South Africa, Eswatini, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia and Senegal.
Innovation: Africa was founded in Israel in 2008 and uses Israeli solar, water and agricultural technologies to provide clean water and electricity to off-grid rural communities, particularly in health facilities and schools across Africa.
By Doreen Sonani – Tel Aviv, Israel
