Bringing Student Water Projects To Life

The first of the two teams included, Bruno Andreas, Raymond Bentum, David Mclean and Theophilus Sagoe of Ghana, who created a simple, but extremely effective water treatment unit and an educational program that will inspire communities to take local actions to improve their health and environment. The project will also help to diversify options for water supply in rural communities. The second team from the Netherlands included Lianne Siemensma, Wouter van der Wal and Evelien van Zwol, who discovered a way to use radical particles from hydrogen peroxide, chlorine and ozone to disinfect water being transported by contaminated water containers.

Over the next year, the teams will continue to improve their projects in their respective countries and participate in monthly training and reporting sessions with Jim Clark, vice president of Black & Veatch, to obtain additional guidance. The teams will also work together on location in Ghana to fine tune their solutions and upon both projects' completion, both groups of students will meet in Ghana to implement their plans. The teams will present their findings at a special seminar session during World Water Week 2011 in Stockholm.

"The application of these two projects epitomises the Stockholm Junior Water Prize, bringing together the next generation of water leaders to change the face of science," said Bjorn von Euler, director of corporate philanthropy at ITT. "After sponsoring the Stockholm Junior Water Prize for the last 15 years, ITT is pleased that Water For People will help bring to life projects that are specifically designed to be implemented in developing countries. It marks one of the best opportunities for projects from the competition to become actual solutions that will help provide access to clean drinking water for those who need it."

"Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) and the Stockholm Junior Water Prize are pleased to welcome Water For People to our global community of sponsors and organizers. Implementing these two projects is an important step for the Stockholm Junior Water Prize and demonstrates how students involved in the competition are working to make the world a more sustainable place for us all," said Anders Berntel, Executive Director of SIWI.