Water in Africa Through Everyday Responsiveness – WATER is a USA based 501C-3 (since 2004) which has been undertaking water, sanitation, disease control and climate change projects in Africa for over 15 years. WATER does drilling, mechanizes boreholes, constructs latrines, educates communities to do maintenance and undertakes health and hygiene education. Our WASH projects are typically accompanied with other issues, which are used as pointers to the communities in which we work. A specific disease or a community affected by climate change are examples of this.
In 2018, WATER merged with Pure Home WATER (PHW) which manufactures low cost ceramic water filters and foot powered handwashing stations in Ghana. In 2019 we began to set up CREATE stations (more information below) at which we pay for plastic by the kilo. We also sell our ceramic water filters and hand washing stations at the CREATE locations. New projects for the organizations in 2020 and 2021 include; 1) a disease control project to help reduce Yaws, Buruli Ulcer and Leprosy in Ashanti Region, Ghana; 2) CREATE stations; and 3) a tree farm in Tamale as we get more involved with climate related issues.
WATER has worked on such issues as Guinea Worm eradication in both Ghana and Nigeria and Buruli Ulcer control in Ghana. Its partners have included the Carter Center, WHO, UNICEF, Anesvad, Sahara Group of Companies and Rotary International among others. Projects are usually done with both local and national government partners such as the Ghana Health Service. WATER is interested in climate change, because many of the water installations that have already been put in, are being affected by reduced borehole yields, which often occurs as a result of climate change.
We have affected the spread of guinea worm, trachoma, buruli ulcer and other diseases in Ghana and Nigeria. Our foot powered hand washing stations are used by Ghana Health Service to combat COVID 19 throughout northern Ghana.
WATER founder Jim Niquette and Board Member Dr. Andrew Seidu-Korkor and their wives are pictured with President and Mrs. Jimmy Carter above.
You can assist by giving or by contacting us if you are interested in working with us. Our Board of Directors consists of 2 Medical doctors, a US citizen with 19 years experience in Africa, a former Miss World Beauty with a Purpose, 2 University lecturers from Ashesi in Ghana and MIT in Boston, a Deputy Director at the Ministry of Finance in Ghana, a former Managing Director of PHW and a Manager of an NGO in Uganda. Our Chairman, Mr. Minta Aboagye, is the former Director of Water (urban and rural) in Ghana. You can read more on everyone in site content below. Most of our current work is in Ghana, and we are always on the lookout for productive partnerships. We also have associates we have worked with over the years in Nigeria. We look forward to hearing from you, especially if your area of concern involves water, sanitation, disease control or climate change in Africa.
January 30, 2021 – Pure Home WATER announced today that it had sold over 1,000 of its foot powered handwashing stations to UNICEF, World Vision and Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP). The stations were designed to the buyer’s specifications and included foot powered water dispensing, soap and/or sanitizer dispensing or in some cases all three. Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor also purchased a community version with 3 disbursement points which were put in churches, mosques and other locations in the Tamale area.
Dec. 1, 2020 – Water in Africa Through Everyday Responsiveness and Pure Home WATER (PHW), today announced the funding of a project designed to provide Water, Sanitation and Health and Hygiene solutions to 17 communities with skin diseases Yaws, Buruli Ulcer and Leprosy in Asante Akim North and Sekyere Afram Plains Districts in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. The project is being funded by the Spanish NGO Anesvad, and complements an existing skin disease project being undertaken by Ghana Health Service and the World Health Organization (WHO), which is also funded by Anesvad. The WATER/PHW project is designed to put boreholes in multiple communities, a mechanized system in Drobonso, the capital of Sekyere Afram Plains, as well as institutional latrines. Sekyere Afram Plains District Assembly is also contributing boreholes and latrines to selected communities as part of the project. In addition, the project will provide foot powered handwashing stations and ceramic water filters to every clinic, school and classroom in the 17 communities, and as a result will address the existing COVID 19 pandemic. The project is expected to start immediately and run for 1 year.
November 20, 2019 – Water in Africa Through Everyday Responsiveness WATER and Pure Home WATER today announced its first CREATE station in Ghana. CREATE stands for Collect, Recycle, Empower And Transform the Environment. At the CREATE station plastic is collected and filters, handwashing stations and other products made from recycled plastic are sold. The first CREATE station was funded by the Government of France. Present at the opening were the Ambassador for France, Anne Sophie Ave, as well as the Tamale Metropolitan Municipal Chief Executive, Iddirisu Musah Superior. Mr. Superior commented “We need 10 of these” when introducing the effort to local press and others present. Local citizens bringing PET bottles and empty sachets are given .50 GHC per kilo (around .10 US) as encouragement to continue. The filters sold at the station also serve as an alternative to using sachet or bottled water, as they can make most any water potable for drinking including water obtained from the many dams and dugouts in the Northern Region and Tamale. WATER Managing Director Jim Niquette, stated that the organization hoped to have more CREATE stations in the future and was actively looking for additional funding to build them.
October 30, 2019 – Pure Home WATER today announced the immediate availability of a foot powered hand washing station. The station, was created by its operations team led by Michael Anyekase at its factory in Tamale. It is ideal for the prevention of spreading disease which can occur as a result of a person touching the water dispensing mechanism of traditional veronica buckets or other hand washing devises. Interested parties can contact Michael in Ghana at +234-(0)24-403-5000 or Jim Niquette at +234(0)24-365-4634 or at JNiquette@aol.com.
August 24, 2019 – Water in Africa Through Everyday Responsiveness USA and Pure Home WATER of Ghana today officially named a combined board and officers. The nine member BOD will serve for both organizations. Board members include Minta Afosa Aboagye (pictured above), Chairman and former Director of Water, Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing; Edward Abrokwah, Deputy Director, Ministry of Finance; Dr. Gordon Adomdza, Associate Professor of Business Administration, Ashesi University; Dr. Edwin Ampadu, former Buruli Ulcer Program Manager, Ghana Health Service; Mary Kay Jackson, Associate Directory TMS Global and former Managing Director of Pure Home Water; Dr. Lamisi Mbillah, former 2005 Miss Ghana and 2006 Miss World Beauty with a Purpose; Susan Murcott, Vice President, founder of Pure Home Water and Lecturer, Climate Change, Water and Sanitation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston, MA, USA; Jim Niquette, Secretary and former Carter Center Country Director, Atlanta, GA, USA; and Dr. Andrew Seidu Korkor, WHO and former Guinea Worm Program Manager, Ghana Health Service; Adam Questad, Senior Water Resources Enginer at Geosyntec Consultants of Boston, MA, USA has also agreed to serve in an advisory role. The organizations also agreed to use the name Pure Home WATER for its African operations. UPDATE: WATER and PHW have added Barika Poole, Executive Director of Spouts of Water, Uganda to its board.
May 12, 2018 – The Board of Directors of Pure Home Water and Water in Africa Through Everyday Responsiveness (WATER) today announced that the organizations would merge. This gives Pure Home Water a USA affiliate and Water in Africa Through Everyday Responsiveness – WATER a stronger infrastructure in Ghana including a ceramic filter factory located in Tamale, Northern Region, Ghana. Ceramic filters are especially relevant in communities without boreholes or other alternatives for obtaining potable water. PHW collaborated with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to build its factory. For its part, WATER has been focusing on providing Water, Sanitation, Health and Hygiene or WASH solutions to communities and districts which have specific diseases. Over the years, these diseases have included guinea worm, trachoma and buruli ulcer. Pure Home Water was also active in these areas and was especially involved in the eradication of guinea worm in Ghana. Both organizations worked with the Carter Center and UNICEF to help successfully accomplish this. WATER is a registered 501C-3 tax exempt organization in the United States since 2004.
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