20 December 2021 - Project Maji has joined hands with the Marie-Stella-Maris Foundation to accelerate rural access to safe water via sustainable solar-powered water solutions. As a result of this partnership, a total of 17 solar-powered water points will be deployed across rural Ghana over a period of two years. Keeping in mind the unique water needs of each community, a mix of Mini Maji, MajiPlus systems and our brand new iteration MajiPlus with household connections will be deployed as per the needs of the village.
The foundation is the charitable arm of the Dutch retailer Marie-Stella-Maris offering natural mineral water, body care and luxurious home care products. Project Maji applauds their forward-thinking corporate social responsibility vision; introducing a business concept inspired by the human right to clean drinking water and sanitation. Our Founder & CEO, Sunil Lalvani has expressed similar thoughts:
“Marie-Stella Maris is an exceptional purpose-driven organisation, as demonstrated by their slogan ‘Care for Water’ as well as their commitment to donate 5% of the turnover to sustainable water projects. Business for good is truly engrained in the company’s DNA and as a fellow impact enterprise we are especially excited about this partnership. We are very grateful to receive a grant to change the lives of 13,000 people by providing sustainable access to safe water in Ghana.”
Through its foundation, Marie-Stella-Maris selects the sustainable Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) projects independently. The foundation works closely with Aqua for All, a trusted Project Maji partner, and a Dutch non-profit known for their WASH expertise, to select the right projects with the aim of making a structural contribution towards communities in need.
Envisaged quantifiable impact
The partnership will deliver 17 solar-powered water access points, directly impacting approximately 13,000 lives serving over 15 million litres of safe water each year. Below you find detailed outcomes and the impact we aspire to achieve in Ghana as a direct result of Marie Stella Maris’ support:
Innovation for Accelerated Access to Water
A truly like-minded partner, Marie-Stella-Maris is supportive of our constant drive to innovate and introduce novel products and systems. This partnership will see us piloting a small piped system with household connections in the second year. As a learning organization, innovation is very important to us. Testing and trialling new techniques will strengthen our ‘rural water business case’ ultimately diminishing donor dependency for safe water enterprises. This funding therefore not only helps us scale but will also assist us in generating invaluable insights and quantifiable evidence to further our sustainable growth path.
For now, the Project Maji Ghana Team will start with the site selection process, selecting eligible disenfranchised rural communities to receive solar-powered kiosks in the second half of 2022. The partnership also has a strong focus on reaching the unreached as a pro-poor study to explore the inclusivity and affordability of the service for low-income consumers is part of the scope of the partnership.
About Project Maji
Project Maji is a non-profit safe water enterprise, working to provide sustainable access to safe water to rural communities and growth centers in Sub-Saharan Africa and beyond. Project Maji designs, develops and implements solar-powered water solutions. Till date, we have deployed 90 solar-powered water access points across off-grid communities in rural Ghana and Kenya serving almost 100,000 people with more than 200 million litres of safe water. A registered NGO and an official member of the International Humanitarian City in UAE, Project Maji is headquartered in Dubai. To learn more visit www.projectmaji.org
About Marie-Stella-Maris
Marie-Stella-Maris was founded in 2011, inspired by the human right to clean water and sanitation. Today addressed by the United Nations as Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6: ‘Clean drinking water and sanitation for all'. For every product you purchase, we donate 5% of our turnover to sustainable water and hygiene projects. Ever since starting in 2011, we have been able to contribute over €1.400.000. As a result, thousands of people have already gained access to clean water. But we are not there yet, we will continue until clean water is accessible for everyone, everywhere. Read more about our purpose and foundation here.