The Grundfos Foundation has handed over a P7.1 million grant to the Baseco community in Manila. The commercial foundation of Danish water pump maker Grundfos has teamed up with the non-profit Asia Society for Social Improvement & Sustainable Transformation (ASSIST) for this initiative.
Under this Community Grant, the community will receive two water treatment systems from Grundfos Philippines. The solar-powered water-infiltration units can bring up to 4,000 liters of clean or potable water per hour, with a total production capacity of 96,000 liters of clean water daily. This will benefit over 4,000 residents who need safer water for drinking and handwashing.
The grant will also fund an education campaign on proper sanitation and several livelihood opportunities for over 60,000 inhabitants of the 53-hectare community.
It will also open more opportunities for social enterprises through a community cooperative of water business and health-related livelihood projects like soap-making (led by Kabalikat sa Pag-unlad ng Baseco People’s Organization). Proceeds from such activities will also sustain the information drive about regular WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) training and distribution of informative materials within Baseco compound. Employees of Grundfos Philippines and ASSIST will be engaged as volunteers in the community training and events.
“Critical life sources such as clean water and sanitation facilities have always been imperative,” said Grundfos Foundation Executive Director Kim Nohr Skibsted. “It is needed now more than ever as lack of access to these basic needs may bring greater health risks to communities and make them highly susceptible to the spread of diseases such as Covid-19. Our support through this grant will help us pursue our commitment to provide safe water for one of the world’s poorest and improve their living and health standards.”
Grundfos Philippines General Manager Jonathan Breton said the water systems will not only be sustainable but will also ensure the financial stability of its operations through the social enterprises being built around it. “This will in the long run support its operations and provide livelihood opportunities for the residents of Baseco,” he added.
Aside from this Baseco project, Grundfos Philippines and ASSIST are also partners for an ongoing project called ‘Solutions’ that supports the farming communities on solar irrigation systems.