Description
Project Name: Spouts Water Filter
Project owner: SPOUTS
Standard: Gold Standard
Project ID: 11638
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that over 40% of Africa’s Sub-Saharan population still lacks access to safe water. In Uganda, 52% of the country does not have basic access to safe drinking water.
To fight this issue, SPOUTS aims to provide access to safe and clean drinking water through the production and distribution of ceramic water filters for households and communities in Uganda.
Prior to the use of filtration, Ugandan were using wood and/or charcoal on rudimentary stoves for boiling water in order to use it after. The project improves the energy efficiency of end-users practices and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions otherwise resulting from the burning of non-renewable woody biomass and/or charcoal. SPOUTS has also installed filters in over 500 schools across the country, providing access to safe water for over 50,000 students.
SPOUTS aims to provide 5 million Ugandans, or 14% of the population, with access to safe water by 2025.
Kathy Ku, a young college student, spent the summer of 2010 in Uganda and was struck by how many people around her were getting sick from dirty water. Seeing that these diseases could be prevented, she knew there was a better way. SPOUTS was created in 2011 with the simple idea that ceramic water filters could be made and sold locally.
Impact
Waterborne illnesses remain a leading cause of death for children under the age of five.
Thanks to the SPOUTS filter, households have access to clean water more easily.
Acquiring drinking water is an expensive investment across Uganda, whether boiling water or purchasing costly bottled water.
For less than $30, a filter will provide a Ugandan family safe water for over two years.
Clearing forests to provide firewood to boil water contributes to deforestation, increases CO2 emissions and smoke inhalation in homes.
With this water filtration system, no more wood is used to access clean water.
SPOUTS is using the local workforce
The project is hiring 20 people for manufacturing, dissemination and maintenance of the filters.
CSR Action
In Uganda many schools lack the money and resources to provide students with access to safe water during the school day. Through our Filters for Schools Program, SPOUTS Impact has installed filters in over 80 schools throughout Uganda, providing over 32,000 students with safe water.
Uganda is one of the largest refugee hosting countries in the world. SPOUTS have installed over 7,000 filters in refugee settlements, both at the household and institutional level.
SPOUTS coordinate with local health, religious, and political leaders to introduce the filter and show the community the process for treating their water. Filters are installed in households, schools, health centers and places of worship.
