Our projects

A systematic approach involving three phases

The installation of our “fountains” is implemented by projects that use a systematic approach of three phases over a period of several years:

• “Phase 1” : Demonstrating the feasibility

The purpose was to demonstrate the technical feasibility of our solution and, in particular, its applicability to the specific conditions and needs of a village, as well as its sustainability.
In Cambodia, this phase was conducted from 2005 to 2007 and consisted of two projects:

• Cambodia 2005 was the first pilot project carried out in three villages. The objectives were to evaluate the technical, cultural and economic feasibility of the proposed solution.
• Cambodia 2006 was the larger second pilot project, carried out in eight villages. The objectives were to identify the most appropriate approach to managing the systems, the skills required and the role of the local 1001 Fountains organisation (support structure and method of assistance to the villages).

This phase also taught us to collaborate with local partners, generally the local NGOs concerned with the problem of access to drinking water in rural areas and capable of accompanying the villagers in setting up the projects and during the first years of use.
The principal lessons are summed up in the document entitled “Retour d’expérience” (Lessons from experience).
The NGO DEEP, an organization that emerged out of Handicap International and completely autonomous since 1998, was an essential partner in the accomplishment of the pilot projects.
In 2007, we created the Cambodian NGO “Teuk Saat 1001” as a local platform to conduct our projects in Cambodia.

• “Phase 2” : Formulating the approach for large-scale deployment.

After validating our concept, we had to prepare for large-scale deployment.

The main activity during this phase was the development of the local support organization. An embryonic version had been created in Phase 1. The objectives during this phase were to:

• recruit the required skills,
• formalize its method of operation,
• verify its ability to be self-financing.

A local support organization is expected to be able to support 50 to 60 operating sites. From 2008 to 2010 the focus will be on ensuring that this support organization works effectively with its network of villages, equipping additional villages in north-western Cambodia with purification systems.
“Phase 2” has commenced with “Cambodia 2008” and allows us to define and test the methods of operation which are best adapted to the local culture and resources. At the same time we are able to develop the methodology which will be used for large-scale deployment.

• “Phase 3” : Deployment

Once the deployment model has been validated, the objective of this phase will be to extend the “1001 Fountains” solution to other regions of Cambodia and to create additional local support organizations. The intention is to deploy the solution to about 200 new villages over the period 2011 – 2015. This will mean a total of 300,000 beneficiaries. Each year 40 – 50 new systems will be deployed corresponding to 40,000 to 80,000 new beneficiaries.

Given the positive results achieved in Cambodia, we have established contacts with partners in Madagascar where “Phase 1” was launched in 2008.