Partner organizations

Partner organizations of PRACTICA Foundation

Partner organizations in the Netherlands

Laluz

The laluz foundation matches and brings together enthusiastic Young Professionals and inspirational NGOs. Young Professionals who are keen to donate their time, expertise and knowledge in addition to their own professional career. And NGOs which are in great need of invaluable knowledge and expertise in order to professionalize their organisation, fill a knowledge gap in a specific area or simply because they need the fresh view of someone from outside the organisation. Currently laluz has built up a database of over 2500 Young Professionals and 400 NGOs and is able to make around 150 matches per year. Visit Laluz.

Water Right

Clean drinking water combined with Micro Credit Loans; Water-Right can makes clean water available to many people in developing countries. In these countries small factories (workshops) produce simple rope pumps that are sold by giving a micro credit loan to local people living in rural areas. Due to the local production of the pump, the program is also creating employment and so stimulates the local economic development. Visit Water Right.

Netherlands Water Partnership (NWP)

PRACTICA participates actively in the NGO platform of the Netherlands Water Partnership (NWP) with technical information, exchange of views and field experience in water issues. For this, PRACTICA has signed the Charter NWP NGO – Platform, a cooperation with Simavi, Waste, Aqua for All, Plan Nederland, SNV, ICCO and IRC.

With Aqua for All, IRC and other organizations PRACTICA contributes to the so called AT (Appropriate Technology) platform and to the development of the (AT) Protocol, which is an initiative of the NWP/NGO platform. Visit NWP.

ETC

Cooperation with the technical training program (TTP) of ETC has lead to the preparation of manuals on for example hand drilling, rope pump production and Volanta pump production. In the near future, preparation of manuals for the production of ceramic water filters and for training of drilling teams in basic geological knowledge will take place in cooperation with ETC.

Through the cooperation between ETC and PRACTICA, synergy is created between the extensive experience in design and development of training programmes of ETC and the applied technical knowledge of different technologies and hands-on training techniques of PRACTICA. Visit ETC.

IRC

PRACTICA and IRC cooperate in aspects such as the content and translation of he publication Smart Water Solutions, joint presentations at water forums like WASH and WEDC, and meeting with UNIDO. PRACTICA uses the IRC network that resulted in cooperation with organizations in Africa like Water aid in Ghana. Cooperation in formulating ideas regarding MDGs , for instance for the NWP trust initiative.

In cooperation with IRC and WASTE, PRACTICA organized mini courses on water, sanitation and hygiene in the Tsunami period and more recently at the World Water Forum in Mexico. Visit IRC.

WASTE

As WASTE and PRACTICA have complementary programs, a Memorandum of Understanding is signed that should enable good cooperation in the near future. Cooperation between WASTE and PRACTICA so far, has been concentrated on information exchange, publications, organization of workshops, specifically:
In the aftermath of the Tsunami, January 2005, PRACTICA and WASTE together with IRC organized a short training of water, sanitation and hygiene issue for Dutch relief and development workers to be send on mission to the disaster area.

March 2006, WASTE was supported by PRACTICA and other NWP member organizations in the publication of Smart Sanitation Solutions (NWP, 2006) that was presented at WWF4.

WASTE and PRACTICA are both member of the working group to develop the Appropriate Technology Guidelines (AT@work). At World Water Forum 4 both organizations were responsible for the training session regarding this topic. Visit WASTE.

Woord en Daad

Woord en Daad and PRACTICA have signed a Letter of Intent to enable for intensification of cooperation in the field of research in development of commercial application in water, sanitation and energy. Visit Woord en Daad.

Technical University Delft

PRACTICA acts as knowledge provider in a research project on the different properties of the silver impregnated ceramic water filter at the TU Delft. This research is a collaboration between the TU and different water laboratories and should lead to recognition of the effectiveness of the CSP filter and ultimately to a certification of the filter.

Within this cooperation, PRACTICA tries to bridge the knowledge gap that exists between (theoretical) research institutes as the TU Delft and the water laboratories by presenting a realistic image of the technical and organizational status-quo of ceramic water filter production in Nicaragua, Ghana, Cambodia and India. Visit TU Delft.

Larenstein college of professional education Velp

Larenstein acts as an international knowledge centre for agribusiness, food production, environmental care and rural development. Within the curriculum of this university, PRACTICA provides lectures on different Appropriate Technologies and the relevance of AT’s for sustainable food production and rural development.

The focus of these lectures is at awareness creation among students about the potential of non-conventional technologies and the impact of these technologies by presenting different Practical cases. Visit Larenstein college of professional education Velp.

Technical college for professional education (TH) Rijswijk

PRACTICA organizes presentation on technologies at the TH Rijswijk. Also students are involved in efficiency tests (as part of study assignments) of the Nicaraguan wind charger (windmill for battery charging). PRACTICA plans to expand cooperation with institutions as technical colleges for professional education, as is generates innovative ideas and creates awareness about development issues among students at the same time. Visit TH Rijswijk.

Partner organizations in Europe

Rural Water Supply Network

Visit Rural Water Supply Network.

Approsolar

Approsolar (Tom Smith Phd) is working on the development of a new solar thermal pump, based on the principle of an osccilating water collumn. The concept is interesting because of its simplicity and almost complete absence of moving parts. Visit Approsolar.

Partner organizations in North America

Partner organizations in Africa

Ceramica Tamakloe, Ghana

Tamakloe Ceramics, a large scale ceramics producer in Accra, Ghana, received training on the production of ceramic colloidal silver impregnated water filters. After initial testing and production set-up, Tamakloe made a start with the production of ceramic water filters.

Additional training was needed to work on quality control. After this second training mission of PRACTICA, Tamakloe now produces good quality ceramic water filters for the local market. Recently, Tamakloe was rewarded with an innovation prize in the Ghana Development Market Place, a contest organized by the World Bank.

As Mr. Tamakloe, director of Tamakloe Ceramics said: “the next challenge is to create a bigger market for this new filter concept”. The prize money will be used for awareness creation, publicity, and marketing. Visit Ceramica Tamkloe.

Centre Sainte Famille, Burkina Faso

The Centre Sainte Famille is a factory combined with a technical vocational training centre where commercial production Volanta pumps takes place. Since production started 25 years back, production is now some 300 pumps each year.

Although the factory produces on commercial basis, profit is again invested in the technical training centre and other schools. PRACTICA gives technical support to this production facility. The Centre Sainte Famille participated in the production of the technical and training manuals for the Volanta pump in 2005.

Enterprise Works, Senegal

An organization with presence in several African countries, working on the large scale dissemination of, among others, fuel efficient stoves and treadle pumps. After PRACTICA training, EW now disseminates manual well drilling, hand rope pumps and motor rope pumps.

Selam Technical school, Ethiopia

A technical school (about 5000 pupils), an orphanage (about 200 orphans), a factory for roof tiles, building bricks and pumps, and a training restaurant. Established in 1975, permanent staff some 200. Funding mainly through charities and donations.

JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency), Ethiopia

Works with PRACTICA to introduce rope pumps and motor rope pumps.

UNICEF, Chad

Working with PRACTICA to reduce cost of wells for drinking water.

ApproTEC / Kickstart, Kenya

Dedicated to the development and marketing of low cost, money making technologies for small farmers. The main products are a range of treadle pumps (Moneymaker) and sprinklers.

SHIPO, Tanzania

Staff of about 8 persons. Engaged with rural development including water supply. Works with PRACTICA for introducing manual drilling and rope pumps.

Pump Aid, Zimbabwe

A small but successful NGO working in rural development . Pump Aid introduced the rope pump, (locally know as the Elephant pump) in Zimbabwe some years ago. There are now around 1000 pumps installed, serving around 200.000 people.

ORWDAP, Cameroon

An umbrella organization based in Buea of women groups in South and South West Cameroon working on social development and agriculture.

Centre Technique de Garoua (CTG), Cameroon

A center including a school to train young people from the street in basic skills (sewing, metal-works, car mechanics) linked to workshops to produce clothes and textiles, of agricultural tools and machines, and to do car maintenance.

ADEID, Cameroon

Visit ADEID

FAO, Madagascar

Working with PRACTICA on the introduction of low-cost and small-scale irrigation technologies

UNICEF, Madagascar

Working with PRACTICA on the introduction of manual drilling

Partner organizations in Latin America

CESADE (Centro d’Estudos Agricolo et de Desarollo), Nicaragua

An NGO providing loans and extension to small farmers. CESADE disseminates products such as micro irrigation, rope pumps, motor pumps, wind-pumps, animal traction pumps, and executes water well drilling.

UNAG, Somotillo, Nicaragua

Farmers cooperation providing technical assistance and loans, on among others small scale irrigation.

AMEC, Nicaragua

Local workshop that works on development, production and installation of all rope pump models, storage and drip irrigation systems and making wells

FILTRON, Nicaragua

Local enterprise producing ceramic water filters. In 2004 FILTRON received a first prize in a UNDP contest as being the most innovative product of the year

Baptist Foundation, Bolivia

A Baptist mission that disseminates extremely low-cost well drilling, water pumping and harvesting technologies. A successful activity is the training of well drillers that make low cost boreholes by manual drilling on a commercial base assisted by the future owners of the well.

CORDES, El Salvador

One of the biggest NGO’s in El Salvador. CORDES is now making the ceramic water filters.

Partner organizations in Asia

CDHI (Centre for Development of Human Initiatives), Jalpaiguri, West Bengal, India

Staff of about 10 people. Involved with women groups, rural mechanic cooperatives, introduction of ceramic filters, fuel efficient irrigation pumps and manual drilling techniques.

BS Agriculture Industries, India

After study by PRACTICA on Petter standard surface diesel pumps in the Indian Terai Area, it was found that the fuel efficiency was quite low. A number of modifications were then tested and their impact measured. After modification, the fuel consumption of the pumps dropped from 1,0 litre per hour to only 0,5 litre per hour, at he same discharge of 10 litre per second.

Instead of only modifying existing pumpsets, PRACTICA agreed with BS Agricultural Industries (BSA), one of the leading diesel pumpset manufacturers in India, to start production of pumpsets according to the new specifications. Due to PRACTICA effords, this smaller, lighter and fuel efficient pumpset is now available on the Indian market.

BSA (Baldev Singh Agricultural Equipment), India

Manufacturer of diesel pumps in Agra. Producing the new lightweight fuel efficient pumps and starting with the micro diesel engine.

BIRDS, India

An NGO based in Nandyal, Andhra Pradesh. With a staff of about 80 people, BIRDS is the leading partner in a FAO financed project to execute the “Farmer Managed Ground Water Management” Project. Much attention is also directed at introducing environmentally friendly fertilizers and pesticides.

The Hangzhou University of Technology, China

Dept. of Mechanical Engineering. Collaboration on the development of the micro diesel engine and later on other products.