The West Central Africa Region Solar Hub

April 8, 2022

Water Mission is dedicated to developing and implementing best-in-class safe water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) solutions. This innovation is about more than developing stand-alone technologies or solutions. It’s also about innovating for continuous improvement, including collaborating within the sector to end the global water crisis. In 2021, in collaboration with UNICEF, Water Mission’s Innovation and Engineering Department continued to support a significant investment in training through the West Central Africa Region (WCAR) Solar Hub. Launched in 2020, the WCAR Solar Hub provides free technical support for any organization working on solar-powered water systems in the region. The ultimate goal is to scale sustainable, safe water production. WCAR Solar Hub Training In Sierra Leone

The WCAR Solar Hub provides free technical support for any organization working on solar-powered water systems in the region.[/caption] To date, the WCAR Solar Hub has:

Responded to more than 75 support requests.
Made more than 330 contacts from 90 UN agencies, NGOs, private sector organizations, and government offices in the region.
Conducted in-person workshops in Sierra Leone, Mali, Niger, and Mauritania for nearly 130 participants.
Conducted virtual classes in English and French on “Principles and Practices of Solar Powered Water Systems.”

The impact of innovation expands when it is shared through training. As a part of the WCAR Solar Hub initiative, Water Mission engineers conducted in-person trainings for regional WASH implementers. The workshops included training on solar-powered pumping design and installation in the region. [embed]https://vimeo.com/693532899[/embed] Our work through the WCAR Solar Hub expands on our collaboration with UNICEF that started in 2020 when we published “Solar Powered Water Systems Design and Installation Guide.” This first-of-its-kind resource provides detailed instruction for fulfilling the internationally recognized technical standards for implementing solar-powered water systems in rural contexts. It is available in English, Spanish, and French and hosted by the Global Water Center. With published standards and accessible training, we are equipping implementers to end the global water crisis. As we look to the future, we hope to scale our WCAR Solar Hub efforts as we recognize that implementing sustainable projects starts with education and training. This is a great example of the power of collaboration, which is a crucial part of ending the global water crisis. Our team is grateful to be a leader in this innovative partnership with UNICEF.

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The West Central Africa Region Solar Hub

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