Water pump eases villagers’ burden

Children in Bug-as fetch water from the village tap

Joebert Arnaiz is 36 years old. He lives with his wife and four children in a hillside village on the Philippine island of Cebu. For much of his life he has descended every day 120 metres down the hill to fetch fresh water for drinking, cooking and washing dishes.

“I carried about 40 to 50 litres each day,” says Joebert. “It was still not enough.” Some children in his village suffered with skin diseases from lack of washing, and there was little water for crops.

In 2008 a water pump was installed in the valley below his village, Bug-as. It brings a continuous supply of fresh water, providing each family with 10 times what they were able to carry. Women in the village now rinse clothes at the tap, children wash can wash regularly, and there is enough water to grow vegetables. “Life has become easier,” says Joebert.

Auke Idzenga trains a technician at the AIDFI workshop, Mansilingan, the Philippines

The pump was installed by a technician from the Alternative Indigenous Development Foundation (AIDFI), a non-governmental organisation. It sits below the river, allowing water to flow in through a sloping pipe. Pressure builds up in the pump, then is released. The continuous cycle creates a motion like a ram – giving the pump its name – and pushes water through pipes to villages above.

“This system uses the natural power of water,” explains Auke Idzenga, founder and manager of AIDFI. “It is quick to install, easy to maintain and emits no carbon dioxide emissions.” The cost of installing the pump, pipelines and taps for a community is relatively low, at around just $8,500.

AIDFI was set up in 1990. It develops technologies that supply basic necessities to some of the world’s poorest people. Its ram pumps are already delivering water to around 55,000 people in nearly 200 villages in the Philippines.

In 2010 the Foundation won BBC World Challenge, an annual competition run by BBC World News and Newsweek, with support from Shell. It offers an award for initiatives that show good business sense or innovation, inviting the public to vote on a shortlist of 12. “We were very excited to win,” says Auke. “It was the crown on our years of hard work.”

The ram pump system

AIDFI received $20,000 from World Challenge which they are using to hire more staff and for research into new technologies. They are also helping to plant fields of lemongrass – a type of grass native to the Philippines – which allow villagers to earn money from the crop’s oil.

“The pumps bring more than water,” says Auke. “They help to create a sense of community and give villagers a livelihood.” Interest is spreading internationally. Auke has trained technicians to install the pumps in Afghanistan, Nepal and Columbia.