Clean Drinking Water for the school children in Uvira, D.R. Congo

Country

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Goal

Clean drinking water for pupils, teachers and staff of the CARIDD school in Uvira

Implementation

Donation and installation of one AQQAcube filter

People helped

1,026 pupils as well as teachers and staff

The CARIDD school; the top floor was still under construction when the photo was taken

The project

The situation on the ground

The city of Uvira lies in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo at the northern end of Lake Tanganyika, right on the border with Burundi. It is also home to the office of our local partner organisation À Portée de Mains (APM), from where it coordinates our joint water projects in the region.

Uvira is home to the CARIDD school (Conseil et appui rural intégral pour le développement durable). It is attended by 1,026 children and young people, from pre-school to secondary level. Until now, there was no clean drinking water at the school. The water used is fetched from dirty ponds and water holes in the city and is not treated. For the children, this means a constant risk of contracting waterborne diseases such as diarrhoea or dysentery.

The WeWater water filter arrives at the school

Project implementation

Before the installation, we had the school's water tested in a laboratory. The result was clear: among other things, Shigella, the bacteria that cause dysentery, and coliform bacteria were detected in the water. The total bacterial count was around three times above the limit. These are exactly the germs that the AQQAcube's ultrafiltration membrane reliably retains, which makes a filter particularly worthwhile here.

In September 2026, the APM team installed an AQQAcube water filter at the school. The filter can provide up to 1,200 litres of clean drinking water per day. As it was already in our warehouse in Uvira, the transport route was short this time. It was important to us to have the filter installed in time for the start of the school year – the "rentrée scolaire" – in September, so that filtered water would be available for the new school year.

First, a suitable location for the filter was chosen together. Immediately afterwards, the APM and CARIDD teams met to agree on how they would work together, look after the filter and share responsibilities. The site was then prepared, and the filter was assembled, fixed in place, filled with water and tested.

Setting up the WeWater water filter and showing how to use it

To finish, the APM team held an awareness-raising session with pupils and staff. It covered the importance of clean drinking water, how to use the filter correctly and basic hygiene rules.

Pupils, teachers and the CARIDD team were very pleased with the installation.

Challenges and outlook

A single filter for more than 1,000 pupils is an important start. Whether it is sufficient in everyday school life is currently being monitored. In addition, the pupils still have to fetch the water used to fill the filter from outside the school grounds.

Where the children fetch their water, at a sadly polluted water point. The WeWater filter at the school will make a difference.

We are now watching how the filter performs in everyday school life. Depending on the experience of the coming months, we will consider whether we can donate a second filter to the school.

Project costs

€1,500	1 AQQAcube filter
€110	Laboratory costs (water quality analysis)
€15	Transport within Uvira

The filter was already in our local warehouse. The costs of transport from Germany had already been accounted for as part of an earlier project.

Donate

Would you like to keep supporting this and other projects in the Congo? Your donation makes a difference. Set up a standing order now!

WeWater gUG
Bank für Sozialwirtschaft
IBAN: DE90 3702 0500 0001 6026 01
BIC-/SWIFT: BFSWDE33XXX

Please state your first and last name and the purpose of your donation ("Wasserfilter DR Kongo").

Sustainability

The sustainability of our work in this project is ensured by three measures:

Training (handling the filter and hygiene)
Protecting the filter
Long-term project monitoring

The school staff were trained on site in how to use the filter and familiarised with the technology. Pupils and staff also received an introduction to water hygiene, for example on cleaning drinking containers, so that the filter can be used effectively in the long term.

The school sign listing the education on offer

The school is responsible for keeping the filter and its location clean and for reporting any faults immediately.

Project monitoring is carried out by our partner organisation APM. Its team is based in Uvira itself, checks the filter regularly, disinfects it and carries out repairs when needed.