Every year we have to explain to the tax office for corporations what we achieved with WeWater in the past year. In this way, we demonstrate that we are pursuing our non-profit statutory purpose. This is called an activity report and we’re happy to share it with you in a more reader-friendly version. The basis of the report is always a calendar year. Let’s go:

Partnerships

Last year we entered into a whole series of partnerships, which we are very happy about.

• Reisedepeschen

The Reisedepeschen were our first partners. The publishing house creates great travel manuals, inspiring picture books and thoughtful reading books. The books of the publishing house are a joy to read. The Reisedepeschen supports us by providing exhibition stands (e.g. at the Berlin Travel Festival), which allowed us to make our work known to a wider public. Furthermore, the Reisedepeschenverlag donates 1% of its online turnover to us.

• Nuggit

Together with the help of Nuggit, we produce clothing whose sales proceeds are used to finance drinking water projects. But the guys from Nuggit not only support us in this, they also help with media attention for us and place WeWater ads in school newspapers.

• Wilo-Foundation

Together with the Wilo Foundation we are planning another project in Uganda. More precisely in the north of Uganda, in Gulu.

This project is about the drinking water supply for Lichtstrahl e.V. Lichtstrahl is an organization, founded by Heike Rath in 2010, among others. The association is committed to helping people in northern Uganda in acute emergency situations with immediate measures and to giving young mothers and children in particular a perspective in life by helping them to help themselves. Thus the association built up a whole project on site, which includes a hospital ward, schools, a bicycle rental, a café, accommodation and much more.

In cooperation with the Wilo Foundation, we support the project with two water filters, which are used for the maternity ward, among other things.

• Stadtwerke Nienburg/Weser

Together with the Stadtwerke Nienburg, we are planning a second project in Bweyale, Uganda. Following our first project for the orphan village of Life for All e.V., it will now also provide a drinking water supply for a part of the remaining population. The public utilities support us in this by selling a self-designed glass bottle as a drinking bottle.

With this bottle we want to educate people about the precious commodity drinking water. WeWater and Stadtwerke show in their joint communication that many people in the world lack access to clean drinking water. Not all people have the luck to get clean drinking water from the tap directly into their homes, as we do in Germany. The public utility company not only donates the proceeds of the drinking bottles to WeWater, but also donates an AQQAcube water filter.

This cooperation is a special one for me personally, because I spent my school time in the city of Nienburg/Weser and I am very happy to have won this partner for the project.

• DSV

For a period of the year, the German Swimming Association (DSV) also supported us. We were for example present as a partner of the DSV at the swimming event FINA 2019. Unfortunately, our paths parted amicably at the end of the year, as each of the parties involved had different ideas about further cooperation.

Projects

• Uganda (Bweyale 1)

From 6th to 15th of August 2019 we carried out our first project with the association Life for All in Bweyale, Uganda.

We supported the association’s children’s village near Bweyale in the north of Uganda by donating a filter system for drinking water treatment for about 700 people.

Especially because it was the first project we carried out as WeWater, it was an important new experience for us. For the first time we transported the filters, for the first time we trained the people in handling our water filter and for the first time we experienced the filters in continuous use.

• Kenya

For the year 2020 we have planned several projects in Kenya. Together with our partners Tomkin and Elizabeth we have found project locations there and had water analyses carried out in laboratories. The result was, among others, three project locations, which we will dedicate ourselves to in 2020:

– Kasimori (Seme), Kisumu

– Okenye and Roko A (Rarieda), Siaya

– Kiagaza Village (Mbita), Homabay

All in all, we are planning drinking water treatment for about 5500 affected people. Some of the water filters are already on site, the next ones are currently being produced. Meanwhile Tomkin is still on site and looking for further project locations.

• Uganda (Bweyale 2)

In Bweyale there will be a second project in 2020. Since our first project was mainly for the benefit of the school and the children of the orphanage, we would like to expand the project so that even more people can get access to drinking water. Together with the Stadtwerke Nienburg/Weser we provide another AQQAcube for drinking water treatment outside the orphan village.

• Gulu (Uganda)

Finally, a project is planned in Gulu, Uganda for Lichtstrahl e.V. with the support of the Wilo Foundation. Here two AQQAcube will supply the maternity ward with drinking water. In total, the water filters will provide help for about 900 people.

Products

• Together with Nuggit we produce clothing. The profit made from the sale of the clothes is reinvested in WeWater donation projects. At the moment you can buy hoodies and t-shirts in our store, all fair traded, CO2-neutral and produced with organic cotton. You can have a look at the products here.
• We have created training and educational material in the form of video instructions for the water filters we use. They are available in German, English and in the future also in Swahili and Luganda.
• We have also created a series of promotional materials to help spread the word about WeWater’s work. Among other things, roll-ups, stickers and flyers were created.

Events

In April 2019 we celebrated the foundation of WeWater with you where we presented our work and our projects. We are still totally fascinated and happy about how many people came and expressed their interest in our work. That motivates and encourages us.

Together with the Reisedepeschen, Steven and Thilo organized and carried out a discussion round on the topic of “poverty while traveling” as well as a booth at a side event of the ITB 2019, the Berlin Travel Festival.

The DSV gave us the opportunity to be present with promotional stands at their swimming events in August and October, thus informing people about our work.

Finally, at the end of the year we thanked our supporters at a Christmas party and presented our past and future projects to them.