Vodafone Foundation donates €30,000 to support Mozambique over Cyclone Chido
Vodafone Foundation has pledged €30,000 to Save the Children in response to the devastation caused ...
Brazilian inventor plans to extend Aqualuz water technology to Africa in 2020
The 2019 Young Champion of the Earth prize for Latin America and the Caribbean, Aqualuz Founder Anna Luisa Beserra said she is planning to extend her invention to Africa as Aqualuz technology help rural communities have access to safe drinking water.
Since winning the award in September, she seeks to spread Aqualuz technology in all countries to save people’s lives through helping them to access safe drinking water.
Bessera pledged to continue developing the technology to be more affordable and more useful.
“I see safe drinking water as a critical way to change lives, not only through access to clean water but also through better sanitation. With different technologies like these, we can reach more people and create impact for healthier lives and environments,” she said.
“Before the award, it was hard to convince people that Aqualuz really worked and that it would be a useful technology for this region. After the award, we became renowned not only in Brazil but also in Japan, India and Korea as more people were asking us about the technology and wanted to buy it,” she said.
“It has been fantastic, not only for the project but also for the whole start-up and the team. I have enjoyed motivating them to work and to follow our purpose to make water available for everyone,” Bessera added.
“I have received numerous invitations to speak at various events in Brazil. As a scientist and social entrepreneur, I have received a higher recognition in the field of social innovation. It makes me happy to see that the fruits of my hard work are finally being recognized and are creating positive impact,” she said.
Additionally, more institutions want to partner with her to improve and implement Aqualuz’s technology. She considers this as a major milestone for her project.
“We had a contact with a company which was in an early negotiation, but after the prize and after we won all this visibility, they were quicker to progress the project with us. With this company, we are now implementing 200 units of Aqualuz in a rural community in North West Brazil. Other companies want to do the same. They are contacting me to help in corporate social responsibility projects with Aqualuz.”
“With this visibility, youth can create a higher impact and more people will be aware and conscious about what they need to do to help tackle climate change, for example. Sustainable Development Goals should also be incorporated into school curricula thus increasing the visibility of these goals,” she said.
that’s a nice article.