Stichting Connect International

The world has committed itself in to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s) by 2015. Foundation Connect International (CI), Rural Energy Foundation (REF) and FACT Foundation (FACT), are forming an Alliance - WEFA (Water, Energy and Food Alliance) - that focuses on low-cost watsan, energy and food security solutions, mainly in rural areas.

The Alliance partners have to date successfully assisted poor, mainly rural communities to achieve MDG’s, based on the following basic principles:

1. Self help (everything that can be done by beneficiaries is done by themselves).
2. Production and distribution of facilities and services required by beneficiaries on a commercial basis by local companies.
3. Access to affordable credits enabling beneficiaries to commercially purchase high priority facilities and services.

In the light of the subsidy of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFS2), for the period 2011 – 2015, WEFA has developed a program focusing on the above subjects and principles, which we intend to implement in Tanzania, Zambia, Mozambique and Uganda. WEFA was informed on 1 April 2010 that it has successfully passed through the first MFS2 round. The final proposal will have to be submitted on 1 July 2010.

WEFA works on the basis of a strategic framework encompassing the following components:

1. 300 in 6
2. SMART Centres
3. Retailers systems
4. Community development (CD)

300 in 6
300 in 6 is a worldwide initiative for advocating attention and initiatives with regard to Home Water Treatment Systems (HWTS). It is a movement/initiative of multilateral, bilateral and Non Governmental organizations and companies, that join hands to enhance that 300 million people, currently without access to watsan facilities, obtain structural access to affordable, cost-effective and sustainable HWTS within 6 years. CI will as part of the WEFA program host and execute the 300 in 6 Secretariat that will function as the executive and coordinative body for 300 in 6.

SMART Centres
SMART Centres are capacity building centres. Per program country a SMART Centre can comprise one centre or several centres depending on which parties will implement which parts of the program. SMART centre functions include:

1. Capacitate and monitor local NGO’s, companies and finance institutes to introduce low-cost watsan, energy and food security solutions. Local NGO’s will be capacitated to (a) implement CD (community development) programs that social market high potential low-cost solutions and assist communities to realize such solutions including the required organizational structures, (b) liaise and coordinate with local authorities, other NGO’s etc., (c) coordinate with and monitor performance of involved companies and finance institutes, etc. Local companies will be (a) trained, guided and certified to produce and market low-cost solutions and set up proper businesses, and (b) assisted to find loans for investments. Local finance institutes will be capacitated to provide affordable credits to beneficiaries for purchasing high priority goods with a focus on low-cost watsan, energy and food security solutions.
2. Adapt and develop low-cost watsan, energy and food security solutions to different circumstances and for mitigating the negative effects of climate change.
3. Assess where the different low-cost solutions have a high potential and how these can be introduced in the most cost-effective and sustainable way in different areas.
4. Advocate the importance of low-cost watsan, energy and food security solutions, together with like-minded organizations in the country, to national and local authorities and assist them to develop policies, plans, and procedures for these solutions.

Retailer systems
Capacitate and monitor social entrepreneurs who will introduce on a country wide scale promising Over The Counter (OTC) watsan, energy and food security solutions through capacity building and monitoring of commercial distributors, retailers and other sales systems and assist these with credit and marketing services. REF and its local partners will implement this part of the program.

Community development (CD)
Local NGO’s will be contracted to assist rural villages to build the awareness and organizational structures required to lay a basis for achieving MDG’s 1, 4, 6 and 7 and realize low-cost watsan, energy and food solutions. These villages will also function to show/promote/advocate to authorities, NGO’s, companies etc. how integrated CD and low-cost watsan, energy and food solutions, adapted/prepared for climate change, can improve the health, wealth and happiness of poor people significantly, largely in a commercial and through that more sustainable way. Additionally the villages will fulfill an important function for piloting adapted and improved low-cost solutions and strategies, and training of staff from local NGO’s, companies and finance institutes on the job and in ‘real-life’ situations.

April 2010

On 19 November Mr. Henk Holtslag, technical coordinator of Connect International, has been decorated Knight in the Order of the Royal family Oranje Nassau. The decoration was awarded by the Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs during a special celebration at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Mr. Holtslag has worked for more than 25 years on the development and promotion of what we call SMART Techs. Mr. Holtslag has specifically worked on the now famous Rope pump (for which he is often called 'Mr. rope pump), of which currently many thousands function to provide the poorest on earth with good and nearby drinking and irrigation water. Mr. Holtslag has done his work in many occasions on his own account, without any financial support. While others were focusing on conventional (often not sustainable) technologies Henk Holtslag knew that the solution would rather be technologies that can be locally produced and maintained and that are affordable to even the poorest people. He has proven right and for that he has been rightfully awarded the very high royal decoration, as with these technologies now hundreds of thousands of people have better health and better welfare. We congratulate Henk wholeheartedly and are very proud to work with such a frontliner in appropriate technologies and such a friend and especially also respected example for many other people in the development sector.

November 2008

We are very sad to announce that our collegue and friend Ron Rivera passed away. Ron has been active for some 25 years with the so called pot filter, an effective low cost ceramic water filter. He and the organisation Potters for Peace started the local production of this filter in 20 countries.

Ron was a collegue and close friend of our Smart Techs coördinator Henk Holtslag with whom he worked together for 20 years. Since last year we worked with Ron on the local production of the new siphon filter in Mozambique. In the spirit of Ron, Connect International will go on with his objective of life "Safe water for all".

Read here for tribute for Ron Rivera.

September 2008

With Funds of the Programma PvW (Partners voor Water), Connect is studying the possibilites of a local production of the so called Siphon water filter in Mozambique. The Siphon filter is an innovative filter which is more effective and lower in cost than other ceramic filters known so far and is smaller than the so called pot filters as promoted by PfP

The recent publication Marketing safe water by Mr Urs Heierli describes the Siphon filter as a promising low cost option to reduce water borne diseases. See for more information about the siphon filter also the website of Arrakis.

June 2008