Self Help Africa (SHA), in partnership with CO2 balance, has developed an innovative, sustainable, community-safe water project generated from carbon financing-Water Carbon project in the two districts of Kasungu and Dowa.
The Carbon Finance project began with 41 boreholes in 2013 to generate, market and sell carbon credits from its borehole programme has grown to 762 in Dowa and Kasungu by October 2024 and is still expanding in all T/As of Dowa and Kasungu (T/As Santhe, Sub T/A Chaima, Nyaza and T/A Kawamba.
The Carbon Finance project is a climate-smart, innovative way of financing; people get paid for reducing carbon emissions through the provision of safe water implemented with the rationale of providing safe water access to communities.
Self Help Africa’s Carbon Finance Project Officer for Dowa Uchizi Chirambo said despite efforts to provide safe water, keeping the water flowing remains a sustainability challenge, saying 30-4 percent of water points do not function, resulting in rising diarrheal disease.
Chirambo said by providing water access to communities, Self Help Africa is eliminating the need to boil water for safe consumption, thereby reducing water-related carbon emissions and by earning carbon credits through the reduction of emissions, SHA funds are creating a self-sustaining maintenance program.
She said the project would be implemented with other objectives of reducing carbon emissions through drilling and repairing non-functioning boreholes and providing sustainable access to ensure safe drinking water while benefitting the global environment.
The officer said carbon finance is a new form of environmental finance; one is paid based on what he/she achieves, measured in tonnes of CO2, and one tonne is equal to one credit, saying credits are sold to individuals, businesses, and governments wanting to offset their emissions.
“The project will reduce diarrheal diseases and morbidity associated with consumption of unsafe water and sustainable development co-benefit, important in the voluntary market e.g lives improved, income generated,” said Chirambo.
On key achievements, Chirambo said the project has contributed to Water Point functionality, offering capacity building to Water Point Committees on community and water management and treatment through Community Based Management (CBM) refresher training and water management talks.
In his remarks, Self Help Africa’s Deputy Country Director for Programs, Smorden Tomoka, said through carbon, the organization is able to achieve 95 per cent functionality for all registered water points to ensure that communities have sustainable access to safe water.
Self Help Africa will implement the Carbon Finance project in Kasungu and Dowa with a total budget amounting to 613,118.85 Euros.
