SHOFCO Recognized by Conrad N. Hilton Foundation with 2018 Hilton
Humanitarian Prize
LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Global water treatment company Pentair plc, the Pentair Foundation, and
Shining Hope for Communities (SHOFCO) recently completed a multi-year
endeavor to expand access to safe drinking water in Kibera, an
impoverished settlement in Nairobi, Kenya, with the implementation of
water filtration technology and a cutting-edge aerial piping system that
delivers clean drinking water to residents.
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Pentair and the Pentair Foundation partnered with SHOFCO to implement the Kibera School for Girls’ Clean Water Access Project pilot program. The revenues from the project support the water system and help fund the Kibera School for Girls, thereby creating an integrated link between clean water, the girls’ education and community development. Photo courtesy of Louis Nderi. (Photo: Business Wire)
The effort was the result of a multi-year collaboration in which Pentair
and the Pentair Foundation partnered with SHOFCO to implement the Kibera
School for Girls’ Clean Water Access Project pilot program with two
objectives: to create a more sustainable, fairly priced supply of clean
water in Kibera, and to help reduce the number of contracted waterborne
illnesses. The revenues from the project support the water system and
help fund the Kibera School for Girls, thereby creating an integrated
link between clean water, the girls’ education and community development.
“When we first visited Kibera several years ago, it became clear that
treating the water to make it safe to drink was only the first step,”
said Phil Rolchigo, Ph.D., Pentair Chief Technology Officer. “The larger
challenge was how to sustainably deliver the treated water to residents
as the water distribution system was not secure, leaving the potential
for contamination as well as vandalism. Our solution was to literally
reach for the sky, and we designed and installed a custom aerial piping
system.”
Working collaboratively with SHOFCO, Pentair engineers designed, built
and installed a state-of the-art water filtration system to treat water
on site, doubling the volume of water that the system delivered to the
community. The aerial piping system, the first of its kind to be
constructed in Kenya, distributes the clean water away from groundwater
contamination while reducing the risk of tampering. The custom designed
aerial system consists of overhead pipes supported by wooden poles that
connect to 10 safe water distribution kiosks throughout Kibera.
“The lack of clean water disproportionately affects women and girls, who
must care for those who fall ill due to unsafe water and lack of
sanitation,” said Ed Gachuna, SHOFCO Chief Financial Officer. “Access to
clean, safe water is key to empowering the women of Kibera, and to
helping the larger community build a better future.”
Project Recognized with Global Humanitarian Award
SHOFCO was recently recognized as the 2018 Hilton Humanitarian Prize
recipient for its local approach to transforming lives in Kenyan
impoverished settlements by providing critical services that disrupt the
survival model, including the sustainable delivery of clean water in
Kibera. SHOFCO’s programs also include health care, education and
economic empowerment for women and girls.
With an estimated one million residents within an area of less than 2.0
square miles, smaller than New York’s Central Park, Kibera is one of the
most densely populated places on the planet. Up until recently, there
was no running water in Kibera, and Kibera residents paid often paid ten
times what Nairobi city residents paid. With the completion of the Clean
Water Access Project pilot program, SHOFCO and the Center for Disease
Control (CDC) are partnering to research waterborne diseases in Kibera.
Initial findings indicate a reduction in reports of waterborne disease
in neighboring health clinics since SHOFCO’s water program launched.
ABOUT SHOFCO
SHOFCO (Shining Hope for Communities) is a grassroots movement that
catalyzes large-scale transformation in urban slums by providing
critical services for all, community advocacy platforms, and education
and leadership development for women and girls. Growing up in Kibera,
one of the largest slums in Africa, SHOFCO’s founder Kennedy Odede
experienced extreme poverty, violence, lack of opportunity, and deep
gender inequality. Now, SHOFCO is focused on building solutions to urban
poverty by addressing those core obstacles. For more information, please
visit www.shofco.org.
Kennedy’s story can be viewed here.
ABOUT PENTAIR AND THE PENTAIR FOUNDATION
At Pentair, we believe the health of our world depends on reliable
access to clean water. We deliver a comprehensive range of smart,
sustainable water solutions to homes, business and industry around the
world. Our industry leading and proven portfolio of solutions enables
our customers to access clean, safe water, reduce water consumption, and
recover and reuse it. Whether it's improving, moving or helping people
enjoy water, we help manage the world's most precious resource.
Founded in 1998, the Pentair Foundation is Pentair’s philanthropic arm
which thorough its programs and grants helps strengthen the communities
in which we operate as well as providing safe, clean water to nearly
three million people every day in the developing world.
With approximately 130 locations in 34 countries and 10,000 employees,
we believe that the future of water depends on us. Our 2017 revenue was
$2.8 billion, and we trade under the ticker symbol PNR. To learn more,
visit Pentair.com.
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Pentair Communications
Rebecca Osborn, +1 763-656-5589
rebecca.osborn@pentair.com
Source: Pentair Foundation