COVID-19 Crowdfunding Campaign: initiatives and updates

We want to say a big thank you to the many contributors who helped us reach our goal of €6,600, great job! Special thanks go to BOSAQ and Rotary Club Wavre-Europe for their very generous donations.

Through the initiatives described below, the campaign provided an opportunity for youth-led social businesses to stay operational and impactful during these difficult times. Their work has helped restrict the spread of the virus by promoting safe hygiene and supporting vulnerable communities with little or no access to handwashing facilities and protective wear.  

Thanks to the funds raised, four Young Water Fellows – Nuha Anfaresi (Indonesia), Jenifer Colpas (Colombia), Baseka Saidi (Burundi) and Christopher Sunday (Uganda) – have re-purposed their social businesses and developed four impressive initiatives to restrict the spread of COVID-19.

Nuha Anfaresi and her organisation Aikite have employed the donated funds to reduce the spread of the virus by installing Tongs – water containers that can serve as handwashing stations- in public places including markets, mosques and meeting halls. Moreover, as part of her initiative, she has been distributing soap to these public spaces as well as providing information to increase hand-washing awareness.  

Similarly, Jenifer Colpas and her organisation Tierra Grata have employed their expertise in community hygiene and sanitation to improve handwashing and hygiene education around COVID-19. Thanks to the funding received, they have provided remote rural communities and schools in Colombia with handwashing facilities, soap, WASH workshops and teaching materials in cooperation with local authorities.   

Baseka Saidi and his UJEAD/AKEZA social business have improved access to hygiene for 2,250 people by manufacturing and donating affordable soap and hand sanitiser for rural communities in Burundi. What’s more, Saidi has boosted the start of the school term by not only distributing soap to schools, but also training pupils in how to produce soap themselves.   

Finally, Christopher Sunday and his Eco-Toilet Initiative have worked to tackle the spread of COVID-19 by manufacturing and distributing soap and protective wear to over 1,000 market workers in Fort Portal, Uganda in cooperation with local government authorities.