Pumping water uphill and change lives

AIDFI is focused on solving the lack of easy access to a sufficient volume of water for drinking, household use and irrigation in upland villages and by that the many challenges the villagers face.  Actually despite the technological advances there are still hundreds of thousands of villages and rain dependent upland farms in the world. With Climate Change the weather is no longer predictable as it used to be and this causes difficulties in choosing the right time of planting and huge problems with sudden or prolonged droughts. Most upland farmers are into subsistence agriculture and rely on one or two crop cycle(s). The risk of losing a crop from drought has become real and spells disaster if it happens, it plunges already poor families into a vicious cycle of poverty. Most of the kids of the farmers here in the Philippines for example leave for the towns and cities. That is also true for many other countries, even Western. They have not been attracted to farming seeing the decreasing production (most farms are on slopes and eroded) and the risk. Their migration adds to the already existing problems in the crowded towns and cities. It also leaves a aging farmers population of which the average is depending on the source as between 56-58. The farmlands surrounding the towns and cities are being swallowed up for the necessary construction of houses, roads, shopping centers, factories and even cemeteries. This at the expense of agricultural areas. This in sharp contrast to the need for increase of food production, which has to increase with up to 70% by 2050 and without doing harm to the environment. So both in the lowlands and the uplands production is decreasing.

The challenges in upland areas are many and water for drinking, household and irrigation has been expressed as the number one issue of upland villagers, besides the many other lack of basic service they face. The waterless upland communities are mostly far flung and hard to reach, hence the many instances of absence of water, electricity, sanitation, decent access roads, health centers, day care centers and elementary schools.

Besides the decreasing agricultural production caused by erosion of lands and sudden or prolonged droughts, the households face many issues related to lack of easy access to water: time and money spent for fetching, kids skipping classes for fetching, kids being bullied on school for smell caused by lack of bathing, waterborne diseases, skin diseases, keen, neck and spinal problems caused by carrying of heavy loads of water, lack of proper sanitation with the need for women and girls to go out of the house at night, no opportunities for vegetable growing and animal raising (affecting nutrition and health) around the houses for consumption & sale and laundry needs to be done at the source. 

Once the system is installed the problem was the difficulty of monitoring for geographical and financial reasons. Monitoring is important to have early detection of challenges in the system and organization.

The solution is a holistic water system using the AIDFI ram pump and combining several technologies and social approaches. A ram pump is a device which pumps water from lower to higher elevation without the use of electricity or fuel and without emission of GHGs. The ram pump utilizes the energy contained in falling water by converting velocity into pressure through opening and closing of valves. The ram pump is automatic and works 24/7. The AIDFI ram pump is a crossbreed model from expensive commercial and inferior DIY models. It is robust and efficient and made with local materials, spare parts and skills.  The ram pump is sometimes directly connected to a spring box or to a small cement tank placed at the end of a diversion pipe. The pumps are connected by drive pipes and placed inside housing for protection from floods.. From the pumps the water goes up through HDPE Pipes and delivered to a circular reservoir built at a higher point in the village. From there the water runs to mechanical water kiosks placed near clusters of households. The ram pumps experienced easily teared rubber gaskets. AIDFI now makes sturdy gaskets from recycled plastic softdrinks caps. It manufactured itself the shredder and electric ovens.  The public tap stands were also giving issues: broken faucets and unfair distribution, resulting in association members no longer paying their monthly fees. AIDFI then came up with a water kiosk running on solar power but which had too many sensitive parts. AIDFI then went back to its simplification principle “the designer knows he has reached perfection, not when there is anything to add, but no longer anything to take away” and invented a mechanical water kiosk based on a mechanical coin acceptor combined with the flush system of toilets. It provides 20 liters of water for a one peso coin. Village technicians are trained in both the ram pump as well as the water kiosk. Having discovered that seemingly technical issues could be traced back to the functioning of the water associations, AIDFI developed a holistic approach around the ram pump. Community facilitators prepare the community socially with as main goal creating ownership over the systems. They come up with a base line study, set-up, train and register water associations, facilitate legal documents with source and landowners, arranges Memorandum of Understanding with local government units, introduces the water associations to government agencies, arranges community participation for unloading and hauling of materials and actual construction, help select villagers to be trained as technicians, organizes an official turnover. The holistic approach also includes a monitoring app which features monthly reporting (fund balances, expenses, and collections), water meter readings, yearly organization and impact (socio-economic, water usage, and health) dat, repair & maintenance videos, and spare parts ordering system. This gives AIDFI an overview of the water association organizationally and technically. Also AIDFI collects impact data through the program called mWater. This is done 6 & 12 months after the project implementation. 

The beneficiaries of the holistic ram pump water systems are uplanders of whom most are engaged in subsistence rainfed farming and considered poor and who lack access to most basic services since they are living in remote areas, are politically not interesting enough and because of lack of funds or technical solutions appropriate for the villagers. Some 15% of the beneficiaries are Indigenous. Their biggest challenge is lack of easy access to a sufficient amount of water in the households and the farms. The ram pump is an ideal environment friendly technology which can be operated, maintained and repaired by the villagers themselves. The installed systems bring water uphill in an increased volume and through a household filters provided, is clean and safe to drink. There are benefits and impact on the households which avail of drinking and household water.  The households no longer spent time and money on fetching, kids no longer skip classes for fetching water, kids are no longer bullied at school for smelling, no more new water borne diseases through provision of water filter, diminished skin, knee, neck and spinal problems, improved sanitation from toilets being built, can grow vegetables and raise animals for own consumption, do laundry near the houses, have cleaner homes and undertake other water related livelihoods. For the small farmers benefitting from ram pumps for irrigation, agriculture became less risky with water at hand to survive a crop during sudden or prolonged droughts. They can also add a crop cycle or diversify their farm. This brings tremendous benefits to the families. They have more and divers food on the table, increased income from sales of products. The farms in this way, especially if the ram pump system is combined with farming techniques (erosion control, crop rotation, compost production etc.), becomes attractive again for the young ones who saw no other option than to migrate to the cities. This can help bring down the average age of the farmers which is 56-58. Higher production of crops also helps in the food security of the Philippines.

The empowered associations trigger other kinds of development in the communities through their lobbying with local government units or agencies. Often the traditional system of cooperation and care called ‘Bayanihan’ is being revived and maintained. The communities become lively again.

For AIDFI the manufacturing and installation of ram pumps, components and the mechanical water kiosk provides fulfilling jobs for the staff. AIDFI provides regular jobs, for the staff to be able to fully concentrate on their work with AIDFI and communities rather than worrying what their next job will be.

For AIDFI to continue serving waterless villages and farms to become sustainable and Climate Resilient, it needed be sustainable itself. AIDFI developed a complete infrastructure for the manufacturing and installation of holistic ram pump water systems. It owns a lot of 3000m2 lot which houses its office and 650m2 well equipped workshop, an innovation lab, an income generating coffeeshop, it has cars and trucks for transportation of personnel and materials, skilled technicians and community facilitators, all women led departments, a dynamic Management Team, a unique composed and active Board of Trustees by a mix of regular staff and affiliates, track record of 600 installed water systems benefitting some 300,000 people, AIDFI ram pumps in 15 different countries and technology transfers to Afghanistan, Nepal, Colombia and Mexico.

Our organization has a unique set up: it is owned by the General Assembly (GA) which consists of regular staff (as of today thirty) and a maximum of ten affiliates. This GA is held every year with every two years an election. The GA nominates and votes for the Board of Trustees, which consists of nine members, six from the staff and three from the affiliates. This set up is a mix of experience on the ground (workshop and field) with affiliates who carry with them skills and experiences in certain fields and who bring with them their own extensive network. This mix has worked out very well for AIDFI for already many years.

The Technical Staff and Community Facilitators of AIDFI are selected on skills and attitude rather than education. The Technical Staff can make career in the organization and become coordinator for Production, Innovation and Technical Services.  Many of the Technical Staff did not have the financial means to attend or finish formal technical education. AIDFI with so many implemented systems is in the ideal situation to spot out capable and enthusiastic people from the beneficiaries. There are several regular staff working with AIDFI who came from project sites. Two of them even became coordinator of the Human Resource and Management Department and the Operations Department. 

The Management Team consists of the CEO, COO and (all-female) coordinators of the four Departments.

Besides having so many staff coming from the grassroots, the Community Facilitators and Installation Teams integrate in the communities we serve with water systems during the social preparation and the actual installation. Integrating with the communities for the whole installation period has two objectives: to ensure that beneficiaries and the water associations take and feel (the) ownership over the water systems by capacitating them technically, organizationally and financially. At the same time the AIDFI staff continue to learn about what works in practice and by that there is constant technical and social innovation taking place with acceptability and simplicity in mind.

One of the founders of AIDFI learned about the ram pump technology in his preparation for his work in the Philippines. This was 1985. He worked with an Appropriate Technology Group on a Technical University in the Netherlands where he tested a ram pump completely made from concrete (cement). It was crude and inefficient but not knowing the technology before, the fact that water could be pumped high up with water blew his mind away. It was only in 1990 that he got the chance to build his first system and was hired by an Appropriate Technology Group from Manila to develop a ram pump program. He experimented with three different models, in an actual set up at a river. One of the models would be come later on the AIDFI model, based on local materials and an ordinary door hinge as main spare part. After the experiments and training to young engineers from different islands this program had after six months to be stopped because of lack of funds. AIDFI was just being organized and adapted the ram pump technology.  This was all in the pre-digital period where everything was hard and expensive: trying to get hold on research materials (magazines, books etc.), communications, materials and parts and transportation. The unique AIDFI model ram pump was being installed in a few projects. One project at a time. The technology was actually unknown to the public, even many engineers had ever heard of it. The ram pump had a wrong timing in history. It was despite having a huge potential swept away by the Industrial Revolution where there was no concern for cost of energy and the environment. The pump at that time was made by a few manufacturers in industrialized countries but never really spread. Some 50 years ago during the oil crisis there were some attempts from especially Appropriate Technology Groups to come up with DIY models. Those remained inferior and not fitted to serve whole communities in a sustainable way.

Being on Negros, one of the middle islands of the Philippines, it was hard and expensive to promote the ram pump technology. Around 2002 AIDFI came up with the idea to produce a miniature set of the AIDFI ram pump which would work and could be carried around and demonstrated. It helped demystify the technology and attracted crowds on seminars, workshops and conferences, also in other countries where it was brought. The miniature ram pump helped to popularize this forgotten technology and resulted in more ram pump project and the developed of more different sizes of the pump for different circumstances.

Having perfected the ram and installations, it was in 2007 to bring the story of changing communities through the supply of water from ram pump installations internationally. AIDFI participated in the Ashden Award and won, which resulted in publication of the story through different media. A British consultant, working in a river basin program in the Kunduz Region in Northern Afghanistan was very much interested and saw the ram pump as an ideal tool for developing riverbanks. It resulted in a contract for AIDFI to install three systems in different far flung villages to pump water to a height of 150 meters to be used for irrigation of fruit and nut trees. The installation was done in e period of great unrest. AIDFI saw the huge potential for ram pumps in Afghanistan and suggested to organize a Technology Transfer in the Philippines for Afghan engineers. This happened in 2008 and upon return of one of the engineers who had with his brother a workshop, started producing and installing the AIDFI model ram pump.

In 2010 AIDFI became the winner of the BBC World Challenge and that gave a lot of publicity.  In that period AIDFI also organized Technology Transfers to Nepal and Colombia. This through a training in the Philippines and an installation in each country. In 2015 this was followed by two trainings for Mexicans.

Because of the work of AIDFI, the ram pump became more and more known in the Philippines and resulted in 2012 in interest from the Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM) under the Department of Agriculture, which was searching for Renewable Energy driven small-scale irrigation pumps for its High Value Crop Program. AIDFI gave a presentation and demonstration with the miniature and since that time the Bureau implements ram pump irrigation systems, meaning the technology got institutionalized.

When AIDFI was chosen as a Ramon Magsaysay Awardee (also called the Asian version of the Nobel Prize) in 2011, Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines Inc. (CCFPI) showed interest in the AIDFI ram pump as a tool for offsetting the water used in the bottling process as part of their Sustainability Program. Since 2012 then AIDFI installed some 178 village systems using ram pumps all over the country benefits 130.000 people and helped CCFPI to reach their goal. With the programs of BSWM and CCFPI, AIDFI went from one project at a time to batches of ram pump projects. 

As of today AIDFI has installed 600 village water systems utilizing ram pumps with some 300.000 beneficiaries. The systems have pumped some 35 billion liters water up and save the environment of some 8280 tonnes of CO2 per year.

During the pandemic AIDFI invented a mechanical water kiosk which is now installed in new ram pump sites as part of the holistic system. At the same time in previous installed systems AIDFI has already replaced some public tap stands with the mechanical water kiosk. In total around 250 units have been manufactured and installed. This kiosk has won already two Good Design Awards: one from the Department of Trade and Industries in Philippines and one from Japan. Besides being installed in AIDFI sites, it can be sold separately since it can also be incorporated in other water systems (gravity, electric or motorized pumping).

AIDFI has the capacity to produce enough units of ram pump for its own and project of other installers. In terms of installations, AIDFI can do around 25 holistic village systems without compromising the quality of work. AIDFI is also anytime ready to implement Technology Transfer to other countries, but this is on request and depends on the seriousness of the requesting party.

The reality is that the number of installations depend on the funds accessed in a year. The ‘poor’ communities are not able to invest in the infrastructure but are willing and proving to be able to operate and sustain the systems, mainly through the collection from the mechanical water kiosk. AIDFI, as technical service provider, has no funds to finance systems. Therefore, the number of installations IS dependent on the funding (a mix of grants from corporate, government, funding agencies and even crowd funding).

There are different reasons to apply to Solve:

• To put the spotlight on a holistically packaged and remodeled forgotten technology which has a huge potential. The ram pump is hardly mentioned in literature discussing water pumping systems. AIDFI from experience knows that this is a very Appropriate Technology which is under the organizational, technical and financial control of the communities which are often far flung or remote. It is a low cost technology combined with high tech distance monitoring by mobile phone, another Appropriate Technology. Attention to the program and results of the work of AIDFI with holistic ram pump systems will help this wonderful technology further spread, which is the humanitarian wish of AIDFI.
• To bring the mechanical water kiosk, an invention brought in the package as a component of the system, to the avant-scene. Solar water kiosks are very expensive to purchase and expensive in terms of repair and maintenance. Most are designed and built outside the countries of use. The mechanical water kiosk can be used in other water systems than the one driven by ram pumps. It has in itself a huge potential.
• To be introduced by Solve to US based groups involved in drinking or irrigation water pumping projects in developing countries to see if they are interested in the ram pump technology.
• To be introduced to US based funders which can finance highly impactful ram pump village water systems
• To be introduced by Solve to corporations which are engaged in or planning off-setting of their water- and/or carbon footprint. Ram pumps can off-set both through the amount of water pumped up and/or the amount of carbon avoided.
• Last but not least to be inspired by co-innovators. Working in remote areas under often difficult circumstances (peace and order, effect of climate change like droughts, excessive rains and floods, earthquakes, restrictive government rules etc) sometimes needs a boost of energy from like-minded people.

Innovation is in the DNA of AIDFI. It is constantly working on making the water systems and associations more sustainable. The solution is the crossbreed AIDFI ram pump model mixed with other technical and social innovations in a holistic package or end-to-end solution. 

The different technical innovations:

- Unique ram pump as main component of the water system. The efficient and robust AIDFI ram pump, a crossbreed between commercial and DIY models, is based on local materials, spare parts and skills. 

- Plastic recycled gaskets replacing the rubber gaskets of the pumps which were sensitive to tear. AIDFI developed sturdy gaskets from recycled caps of soda bottles. The small-scale machines for this recycling, a shredder and oven are designed and fabricated by AIDFI.

- Ferro cement technique in the structures. This requires less materials and time to construct and makes the structures earthquake proof. 

- The Mechanical Water Kiosk developed during the pandemic. AIDFI has added this invention to the systems as replacement for the public tap stands. The kiosks are vital for the sustainability of the water associations through the collection of fees from it. Beneficiaries pay one peso for every 20 liters of water. The kiosks installed solved the unfair distribution and poor monthly collection.  

On the social part, AIDFI developed a complete approach with as goals the sustainability of the system and the triggering of further development after the turnover. Several activities are part of social preparation, namely set-up and training of water associations, introduction of associations to local government units and agencies for future cooperation, arrangements for legal documents for the use of the water source and the land where pipelines will pass or structures be built, selection of villagers participating in the construction and being trained by AIDFI technicians in operation, repair and maintenance of the ram pump and water kiosk, participation of beneficiaries in unloading and hauling of materials, reviving of the traditional system of cooperation and care called ‘Bayanihan’, water filter distribution to the households having followed set criteria and an official turnover of the project. 

Considering financial and geographical constraints, the systems in most cases do not allow for regular monitoring on the ground. AIDFI developed a monitoring app, which is installed on a mobile phone. Initially the water volume delivered, collection of fees and repair and maintenance were transmitted as data for AIDFI as an indicator of the system and association. Lately the app has been modified to accommodate yearly organizational and impact data (socio-economic, water usage and health & sanitation) of the members of the association. It now also has space for repair & maintenance videos, and a spare parts ordering system. This modified monitoring app has been tested out in ram pump projects that were recently implemented from 2021 to 2023 and is ready for complete deployment.

 There is also a questionnaire developed, which is used for a baseline survey of waterless communities before system is installed, and impact after 6 and 12 months.

The provision of easy access to an increased volume of water brings immediate, medium- and long-term changes to households, farms, communities (villages) and environment. It positively affects their health, sanitation, education, economic livelihood and socializing.

The average amount of water being consumed by a household in an upland waterless community is 40 liters/day. This is not enough for all the household chores, which are mostly done by the women. The water had to be brought up manually over elevation (typically between 50-100 meters) and distance (1-2 kilometers) and created many challenges.  Nearly all upland farms are dependent on rain and have limited crops. With the changing climate, their farming has become riskier with unpredictable rain fall and periods of sudden or prolonged droughts. This affects the farmers and their families in many ways. Then there is the environment which is affected by villagers and farmers who in dry periods resort to illegal logging, charcoal making and other destructive activities.

 The holistic water systems utilizing AIDFI ram pumps brings water closer to the houses and farms in an increased volume, in such a way that most challenges mentioned are being eased or solved.

 AIDFI applies a holistic program around the installation of the ram pump water systems for the systems to become truly sustainable in different technical, organizational, financial and social aspects. The most important goal is to create (sense) of ownership over the systems with a key role of the water associations.

 Once a targeted project site is considered feasible technical and socio-economic surveys are carried out. This includes:

• Courtesy calls 
• Consultative meeting and demonstration with miniature set 
• Actual community and technical survey of source, target area for structures, service area and potability test             
• Finalization and presentation to community members

 Several vital data are required (GPS locations, elevations, community information sheet with socio-economic situation, history of access to water and health & sanitation situation, number of inhabitants segregated into male, female and children (0-12), service areas divided into puroks, Google Earth map with important locations and pictures of source and areas for structures.

  Once Technical study is approved and financing secured, the manufacturing of the ram pump, mechanical water kiosks and other components is started. This is also the time the community development facilitator starts preparing the community for the project by setting up and registration of water associations, training of officers and some in surveying for impact data gathering, introduction to local government units and agencies, preparations legal documents, participation of beneficiaries in hauling, actual construction and trainings, selection of village ram pump technicians and official turnover. They also prepare the place for the technical team to stay for the whole duration of the project. Then the installation team completes the technical work in 2-3 months and trains the local technicians and water starts flowing. The project is being monitored through an app for its operations and impact. There are also after sales services provided. All this geared towards sustainable water systems and empowered communities.

Impact data covers a wide range of issues over different time span: immediate, medium and long term. 

 Immediate outputs are:

 Households:

• Time and money saved from fetching
• Kids no longer skipping classes for water fetching
• No more waterborne diseases and lessened skin diseases
• Lessened neck, leg and back pain from carrying loads of water
• Laundry is now done near houses
• Cleaner houses

Farms:

• Increased food production

Outcomes:

Households:

• Improved health and sanitation
• Households producing vegetables
• Households raising animals

Farms:

• Additional crops and diversification
• Contribute to food needs of a growing population

Environment:

• Less destructive environmental activities like illegal logging and charcoal making

Impacts:

Communities:

• Empowered women and communities
• Other forms of development trigger double income
• Kids can focus on their education
• More cooperation and care with revived ‘Bayanihan’ system

Farms:

• More young people engaged in farming
• Decreased migration from rural to urban
• Increased income up to 2-3 times

Environment:

• Communities and farms in harmony with nature

Two years ago, AIDFI joined a training on Impact Data gathering and established questionnaires for collecting baseline data and data six and twelve months after the installation of the water systems. 

 In three ram pump projects AIDFI lately has implemented for Farmers Associations, baseline studies were carried out and impact data gathered after six months. Some of the results in averages: 

• Monthly income of associations increased by 100%
• Number of association members went from 106 to 138 members
• Water consumption went from 80 to 120 liters/day
• More men and less children and senior citizen collect now water
• Number of hours spent for collecting water went down from 50 to 17 minutes
• Cost for water retrival went down from 1000 to 116 pesos/month
• Number of households with toilets went up from 31 to 64
• Number of households without toilets from 8 to 4.67
• Average number of handwashing per day went up from 2.33 to 3.67
• Number of cases of dehydration went from 5 to 1
• Number of cases of skin diseases reported from 5.67 to 0
• Number of diarrhea cases went down from 12.7 to 0
• Number of households owning livestock from 30 to 38
• More water bufalos (carabao) goats and ducks were reported
• Water used per day for raising livestock went up from 63 to 100 liters
• Number of households that grow vegetables went up from 32 to 35
• New crops grown were squash and tomato and growing of bell pepper and eggplant increased more than double
• Expenditures of association to produce crops went down from 10,333 to 2,500 pesos
• Average income from crop yields went up from 3,400 to 5,867 pesos
• Number of households engaged in charcoal making went down from 4.67 to 1.67

The variety of benefits and impacts of the holistic program are crosscutting over most of the SDG’s.

The core technology is a combination of low and high tech. 

• First there is the heart of the water system, namely the crossbreed model of the hydraulic ram pumps, designed with as basis simplification, easy availability of affordable materials and cheap spare parts and local skills. The manufacturing of this pump in many sizes is done with solar electricity and provides regular and fulfilling green jobs.
• For the structures like intake boxes, intermediate & drive tanks and reservoirs AIDFI works with ferro cement technology, which is basically wire mesh plastered with a mixture of cement and sand. It requires less materials (cheaper and easier for hauling), takes much less time to build and is earthquake proof.
• Plastic recycling with machines manufactured by AIDFI is done to fabricate gaskets from soda caps.
• The invention of the Mechanical Water Kiosk. This model has replaced the solar water kiosk which was too complicated in terms many sensitive parts. The concept of the kiosk evolved when the previous public tap stands created trouble in different ways, resulting in unfair water distribution and poor collection of monthly fees. The mechanical water kiosk releases 20 liters of water for a one-peso coin. The distribution is fairer since those who want more water, pay more. The collected coins are for the operation of the water associations for their expenses, repair and maintenance (allowances and parts) and expansion. This kiosk can also be integrated for distribution in other gravity or water pumping systems and marketed by AIDFI as a stand-alone technology to other water providers. AIDFI has observed an increase in collection by 3-4 times compared to previous collection systems. 
• The ‘high tech’ is in the monitoring app which is provided on a mobile phone to the water associations. It is namely for different reasons impossible for AIDFI to monitor all installed systems. The monitoring is on operation (technical, organizational and financial) and impact data on the community.
• Another ‘high tech’ is related to impact data gathering, which is more on households and done with a questionnaire through the community development facilitator with the help of trained officers. The questionnaire is on a ‘tablet’ and uses the mWater program. First there is the baseline study, followed by monitoring after 6 and 12 months.

 All technologies applied by AIDFI need to adhere to its guiding design principle of being appropriate to the people, place and environment: “The designer knows he has reached perfection, not when there is anything to add but no longer anything to take away”. It needs to be understood and accepted/owned by the community to become sustainable.

30 regular (fulltime) staff.

One of the founders learned in 1985 about the hydraulic ram pump during his volunteering work with an Appropriate Technology Group at a Technical University in the Netherlands. He assisted in testing a ram pump entirely made from concrete cement, which was crude,  but blew him away by knowing that water could be pumped to very high elevations. He knew one day he would apply it in the mountains in the Philippines. In 1992 he developed the unique AIDFI ram pump model, which is already installed in 600 villages. AIDFI is constantly innovating on the holistic program around the pump.

AIDFI has a General Assembly (G.A.) held every year. All regular staff are member of this G.A. together with a few affiliates. Nearly all staff are regular. Despite depending on grants, AIDFI tries to create an environment for the staff in which they have job securities and through which AIDFI thinks they are more committed than temporary (contractual) or part time staff. All members have equal rights and obligations. They can vote and be voted on for a Board of Trustees position, no matter what position or background of the staff. AIDFI is therefore owned by all staff and the few affiliates and that creates a group spirit in which each member can fully participate.

AIDFI calls itself a grassroots organization with most of its staff coming from the grassroots or communities we serve. Most technical staff were for financial reasons not able to finish or even start any formal technical education or course. They are given equal opportunity in the organization to make career. Promotion depends on skills and attitude in cooperation and willingness to learn and share. Since our design principle is “A designer knows if he has reached perfection, not when there is anything to add but no longer anything to take away” or simplification, working with engineers for AIDFI hasn’t worked out for long. Engineers tend to make complicated designs and always on the outlook for greener pastures. AIDFI years ago decided to go for a slower but surer approach, namely of developing ‘engineers’ from within.  

AIDFI has four Departments (Operations, Sales and Marketing, Finance and HR & Administration), which are all led by women. In fact, two of the Heads were spotted out in communities we served with water systems. The Management Team consist of the Heads of these Departments and the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Operating Officer. Management Team meetings are minimized, and time is rather spent on practical informal coordination. AIDFI has a flat organizational structure in which communication is important. Our CEO for example on a daily basis eats his lunch with the technical staff.

With AIDFI progressing, there are several benefits created. AIDFI officially has a six days workweek, which had been decreased to five and a half (with pay for six) and since over a year to a five days workweek. It saves staff transportation cost and an opportunity to have time for home or sideline activities for boosting income. There is also a inhouse medical insurance which includes a yearly ‘complete’ checkup. Since last January each staff receives a monthly performance bonus.

The CEO in cooperation of the HR, is watchful for opportunities for trainings and skills development. This resulted in participation of different staff in mostly online activities for acquiring extra knowledge and self-confidence.

AIDFI is a not-for-profit organization, which prefers to call itself a social enterprise. It started out with manufacturing and installation of technologies for basic needs for the poor which over the years evolved into a focus on pumping water to waterless upland communities in mostly far-flung areas since this was and is identified and by the beneficiaries confirmed number one priority. AIDFI is engaged in the manufacturing of the ram pump in different sizes, the mechanical water kiosk and components for the water systems and on demand some other technologies such as plastic recycling machines or distillation equipment. AIDFI has a complete infrastructure to implement its holistic ram pump program which it developed of the last years. It owns a lot of 3000m2 which houses its office and 625m2 well equipped workshop, means of transportation for personnel and materials (trucks and cars), skilled technical staff, community development facilitators, track record of 600 installations with 300.000 beneficiaries, installations in other countries, technology transfers to four countries and many national and international wards and recognitions. 

The preferred beneficiaries (clients) for the holistic water systems either for drinking or irrigation are the uplanders of whom most are engaged in subsistence rainfed farming and considered poor.  Besides that, AIDFI has beneficiaries which are agricultural corporations or private individuals. 

The first group of beneficiaries do not have the finances to pay for the infrastructure but commit themselves in actual construction activities and to operate, maintain and sometimes expand the systems through their water associations. The funds come from grants from Government Agencies or Units (Municipalities or Barangays), Corporations under their CSR or sustainability programs (water or carbon off setting), Crowdfunding, Prize (Award) Money or donations.

There are other ram pump manufacturers or installers which sprouted up later than AIDFI but those are mainly concentrating on the technology alone and maximization of profits. The AIDFI technical team works side by side with chosen local villagers being trained as village ram pump technicians. AIDFI also wants the systems to be a starting point for further development taking place in the receiving communities and gives equal importance to the social components with as ultimate objective the sustainable operation of the systems and water associations being setup and registered. AIDFI therefore implements a holistic program or end-to-end solution, which after the installation involves continuous monitoring for operation and impact through a monitoring app. It also provides after sales services which is communicated through the mobile phones provided for the monitoring.

Considering that AIDFI's target beneficiaries are mostly the poorest of the poor who can’t afford to invest in infrastructure, AIDFI is relying on grants, revenue income, and donations. Since its work crosses most of the SDGs, there are many opportunities for AIDFI to obtain funding. Easy access to an increased volume of water in waterless upland communities is the number one priority of villagers and farmers. 

Grants drive the organization around 75%, donations make up 2%, and revenue/other income is 23%. Grants provided by the government, funding agencies, and corporations mainly cover project or infrastructure costs, while donations and revenue/other income mainly cover the organization's operational costs. 

Donations are provided by donors, primarily individuals and groups who donate through online platforms and who believe in our work. 

Revenue/other income are income-generating projects of the organization, such as our essential oils and café. The income will support the organization's programs and build financial sustainability.

We are looking at building towards a 50:50 revenue-to-grants ratio. Grants and revenues would each cover 50% of our yearly funding needs. In our quest to diversify our fund sourcing, we are looking into new ventures or partnerships with like-minded organizations.

New grant opportunities can come from corporations running water or carbon footprint sustainability programs. AIDFI has already been partnering with Coca-Cola's sustainability program since 2012 and has significantly contributed to Coca-Cola Philippines' goal of offsetting water use in its bottling. There are more companies engaged in such water offsetting.

Some government agencies, like the Department of Science and Technology and the Department of Agriculture, have discovered the ram pump as a perfect tool for reaching those left behind in the uplands. Many of the ram pumps installed in their program came from AIDFI.

AIDFI has a Marketing and Sales Department that entertains inquiries from different channels. It maintains the AIDFI website, a Facebook page, and videos on YouTube.

AIDFI has been constantly investing toward its goal of becoming financially sustainable. It has a complete infrastructure with its building (office, well-equipped workshop, innovation center, Technopark and coffeeshop), cars and trucks for transport of personnel and materials, skilled technicians, community development facilitators, track record of 600 ram pump water systems with 300.000 beneficiaries, track record of working with corporate, technology transfer to four countries and numerous international awards.

AIDFI was already on the right path to financial sustainability, targeting to set aside 6-12 months of savings, and before the pandemic, it had already reached six months. This helped AIDFI survive this difficult period of many restrictions and even allowed the development of the invention of the mechanical water kiosk. 

Just last year, we started spinning off revenue-generating programs into AIDFI-owned enterprises that will lift constraints in doing business and generate more profit that contributes to our overall financial sustainability and, most importantly, to the foundation's social development programs. We are also shifting to renewable energy by installing solar panels for our operations, which will help us save significantly on electricity costs.