After almost 10 years, the Protecting Water in Africa project is coming to an end in its current form and moving into a new phase. People in Need aims to develop a new solution that would monitor all water sources, including simple wells, and gradually expand to all areas of Ethiopia. This solution would then be handed over to the Ethiopian authorities free of charge for maintenance. At the same time, the Ethiopian government requires the application of strict security measures and the storage of data on local servers. Given this approach and the complexity of these conditions, we have agreed that People in Need will develop, maintain, and implement the new solution itself. However, HRDLIČKA, spol. s r.o. will continue to act as a consultant, as it has many years of experience and know-how in the development and operation of WaterReport.
In a country like Ethiopia, we encountered the following main barriers: high illiteracy rates among the population, language barriers, limited internet access in some areas, corruption, and a reluctance to take responsibility for lost or damaged equipment, which stemmed from a lack of motivation. However, obstacles are part of change, and once we know what they are, we can work with them. Because we consider such projects to be very meaningful, we will be happy to support such ideas and activities in the future. As pioneers in the field, we feel an obligation to come up with innovative approaches and set dysfunctional structures in motion towards transformation.
