We’re thrilled to share the latest update from our clean water partnership with charity: water. As part of our ongoing commitment to creating meaningful impact, Volcanica Coffee helped fund 39 piped water tap stands in India—and real progress is happening. Here’s a look at what’s been accomplished so far, and how lives are already being changed.

Project Overview

Implementing Partner: Aga Khan Foundation (AKF)
Country: India (Uttar Pradesh)
Status: In Progress
Estimated Completion Report: Spring 2025

 

Progress to Date

In the first half of 2023, you generously funded 39 piped system tap stands in India. Your gift — along with donations from our global community of supporters — has since been put to work as part of a larger grant reaching people in the region. Our local partner AKF is hard at work. So far, they have:

• Completed 140 of 219 planned water points.
• Conducted 13 training sessions with 69 teachers on school sanitation and hygiene services.
• Formed and trained 198 Village Water and Sanitation Committees (VWSCs) on their roles and responsibilities.

Field Conditions

AKF’s work is concentrated in the Barabanki, Shravasti, and Sitapur Districts of Uttar Pradesh in northern India. These districts have a tropical climate and frequently experience monsoons. The area also has prevalent groundwater, though it suffers from bacterial and geogenic contamination.

To address this, AKF designs its rainwater harvesting and solar-powered piped systems specifically to mitigate these challenges. When choosing where to build water projects, AKF prioritizes low-income households, early childhood development centers, schools, and healthcare facilities.

Partner Photos

We recently received some exciting photos from AKF, offering a glimpse of the work happening on the ground:

• (1) AKF team members mapping tap stand locations throughout the community.
• (2) Contractors retrofitting pipes to extend water access to more households.
• (3) Water quality surveillance groups being trained to test and monitor water safety.

Community Engagement

AKF uses a Behavioral Change and Interpersonal Communication approach to work closely with local communities. This method includes training on hygiene, sanitation, water system maintenance, and conflict resolution. Each program is tailored to the local culture and includes input from local leaders. Special attention is given to involving women and marginalized groups.

To shift hygiene norms, AKF uses the Community-Led Total Sanitation approach, which involves communities in identifying sanitation challenges and ending open defecation practices. A Village Water and Sanitation Committee (VWSC) is formed in each community, prioritizing the inclusion of women and people with disabilities. These committees will be responsible for maintaining the water systems going forward.