Halcrow Foundation funded a commercial bottled water enterprise by the Rise and Shine Academy in Nairobi.
The project’s aim was to enable the school to become self-reliant, sustainable and cover its shortfall in running costs, while providing cheap, clean water to the surrounding slum areas and local schools.
Self-sufficient future
The Rise and Shine Academy is located in the Kawangware Slum. It was established in 1998 with the aim of educating children living in the slum areas and giving them the chance of a better, self-sufficient future. Many of the pupil’s parents are unable to pay the low school fees and as a result the school is constantly short of funds.
The school teaches around 170 primary school-aged pupils. Since 2005, it has been supported by the Eva Reckitt Trust which bought land for the school and provided an annual grant to cover part of the shortfall in running costs. The school also received a grant from the Halcrow Foundation in 2007 to cover part of the building costs. This bottled drinking water project included the purchase and installation of water plant equipment, the construction of a building to house the plant, along with employing and training staff to operate it and market and sell the water. The school researched the local bottled water market and the prices it could charge.
Community service
Half the water is sold to local kiosks, small shops, clinics, other schools, churches, and supermarkets. The rest sells at a greatly reduced price in large jerry cans to the local slum population, and also to local schools as a community service. Profits from the sale of the water help with the day-to-day running costs of the school, including staff wages, buying teaching materials, building renovations and future school expansion.
