Who are Drop4Drop?
Drop4Drop are a charity with the aim of providing safe, clean water to those that need it the most in some of the poorest countries throughout the world. As a result it undertakes most of its projects in India and various countries in Eastern Africa. You can visit their website here: http://drop4drop.org/
Alongside providing clean water it is very important that these projects be as sustainable as possible to ensure the longevity of each and every project to provide a constant supply of water to each community. This means that integrating new, innovative technologies is a key part of these projects and research into these is part of what I shall be doing during my placement.
During the first week of my Charity Insights Internship at Drop4Drop based in Brighton I have spent my time thoroughly getting to grips with the charity, exploring how it operates to see a project through from start to completion. In doing this I have read about some truly inspirational stories and learnt some absolutely shocking facts about the conditions that some of the world’s poorest people live under and deem as ‘normal’.
This has included using the Geological knowledge that I have learnt during the first 2 years of my studies to grasp an understanding of the underlying geology of the areas where the projects are being undertaken. For example looking at papers and other public information to discover if the water is clean of potentially toxic contaminants and also to look at the quantity of water resources available in a particular region. This means drawing together numerous components of research such as current and projected safe water usage, climate and recharge rates of aquifers. This is to ensure the feasibility of a project and ensuring the safety of the recipients of the water resource.
In the upcoming weeks I am going to be looking at other technologies being implemented by other organisations to see if they can be applicable to Drop4Drop’s projects to create greater efficiency in the water delivery systems used. I will also be researching other factors surrounding quality of life such as sanitation and how these can be implemented in current projects in an effective way in an attempt to increase the quality of life of those benefiting from the projects.