YouthADAPT Challenge Winner IRIBA Water Group: Transforming Rwanda’s Water Crisis into Sustainable Solutions for Communities
R
wanda faces significant water-related hurdles, especially in accessing safe drinking water. According to UNICEF, only 57% of Rwanda’s population can access clean water within a 30-minute walk from their homesThis affects the daily lives of the people of Rwanda, particularly girls and young women, who are usually responsible for collecting water for their families.
To respond to these challenges, Yvette Ishimwe founded IRIBA Water Group, a social enterprise that brings affordable and safe water to communities and schools in Africa through innovative and customer-tailored water solutions. IRIBA installs rainwater harvesting systems in public places and schools, which are then connected to “Smart water ATMs” that further purify then distribute the clean water. Its reusable water containers allow IRIBA to offer safe drinking water to low-income communities that is 70% cheaper than packaged drinking water.
IRIBA’s innovative use of rainwater harvesting simultaneously helps lower flood risk for vulnerable communities while also improving their access to clean drinking water. Recognizing the enterprise’s pioneering climate adaptation solution, IRIBA Water Group was awarded as one of the winning enterprises for the 2022 African Youth Adaptation Solutions Challenge (YouthADAPT Challenge). The YouthADAPT Challenge is an annual competition and awards program for youth-led enterprises jointly organized by the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA), the African Development Bank, and Climate Investment Funds (CIF) as part of the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program (AAAP).
In an interview with GCA, Ishimwe shared her personal journey, from founding the enterprise to winning the YouthADAPT Challenge, which has helped her scale up their solutions. Looking ahead, she articulated ambitious plans for the enterprise, aiming to further expand its impact.
What inspired you to start the enterprise?
The inspiration for founding IRIBA Water Group struck when my family moved from Kigali to a rural community in Eastern Rwanda, where accessing clean water was a daily struggle. We devised a makeshift method of fetching water from a nearby lake with a hired truck and storing it in our tank for our own use. This experience ignited a passion within me to help others in our neighborhood.
Drawing from this experience, I started to provide clean water to our community. Through research, I found a purification system that made water safe for consumption, and all neighboring homes started to come fetching water from our home.
From selling water in my mother’s backyard, IRIBA Water Group has now grown to serve over 300,000 people across Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the Central African Republic.
What solutions has your company developed, and how do they contribute to climate adaptation in the community?
We have pioneered IRIBA Tap&Drink innovation, which is a climate-smart solution that provides affordable safe drinking water to low-income people in urban and peri-urban communities in Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the Central African Republic.
We install rainwater harvesting systems in public places and schools to manage increased flooding that threatens our city’s safety and destroys infrastructure. With IRIBA’s first flash diverters, often called roof-washers, the rainwater collected is free from the blackish color and bad smell which are commonly attributed to rainwater. We then connect IRIBA water ATMs that further purify collected water using reverse osmosis and ultraviolet technologies and dispense 100% safe-to-drink water.
IRIBA water is consumed using reusable water containers, making it more climate-smart and 70% cheaper than bottled and sachet water, allowing poor people to afford it. The water ATMs are managed by youth aged 18 to 30 years, of which 85% are women who operate them as their own businesses through a franchise model. In schools, we have a flexible ease-to-own model that facilitates students to have access to clean water at all times of need.
What are some of the challenges and obstacles that you experienced trying to implement, scale up, or disseminate your solution?
We have faced some real challenges as we have worked to implement and scale up our solution.
The first challenge is limited financial resources. Money has been tight, and it has really held us back from reaching our full potential. Without enough funding, we have had to scale back our plans and make do with less.
Second, we lack references. Trying something completely new has been tough. People just are not familiar with what we were doing, so navigating all the bureaucracy has been a headache. It has taken a lot of time and effort to get the paperwork we need.
Third is the internal learning curve. Without any previous examples, we have had to learn everything from scratch. That has led to some pretty costly mistakes along the way. We are doing our best to learn from those mistakes and improve, but it has definitely been a challenge.
How does your company empower women and ensure gender inclusivity?
At IRIBA Water Group, we’re passionate about promoting gender inclusivity and empowering women in our franchise model. We actively recruit and train women as water ATM operators, providing equal opportunities for economic growth. We offer financial support and mentorship to overcome barriers to entry for them, and we prioritize flexible working arrangements to support work-life balance for the women franchisees who work with us. Our goal is to ensure that women have the opportunity to thrive and contribute to the success of IRIBA Tap&Drink project – and they have proved it works.
What led you to apply to the YouthADAPT Challenge?
I applied for the YouthADAPT Challenge because I was eager to learn more about climate change and adaptation, particularly in the water industry. I also wanted to learn more about the urban environment and sustainability, climate finance opportunities and strategies to tap into them, and investment readiness.
Additionally, I needed the funding to further scale our IRIBA Tap&Drink innovation and also launch our rainwater harvesting intervention.
How has the YouthADAPT program supported your youth-led enterprise?
The YouthADAPT program has been instrumental in supporting our enterprise in two key ways.
First, the program’s mentorship has provided invaluable guidance, helping us gain a deeper understanding of how to expand our customer base and navigate the growth trajectory of IRIBA Water Group.
Second, thanks to the YouthADAPT funding, we were able to scale the IRIBA Tap&Drink solution to more communities. Specifically, we successfully piloted our rainwater harvesting intervention, furthering our impact and reach.
What are your future ambitions for IRIBA Water Group?
In the next 3 years, we aim to bring affordable safe drinking water to 3,000,000 people, create 685 jobs through our franchise model, and avoid millions of tons of carbon emissions every month. We also intend to create a country-wise franchise model, to enable other entrepreneurs in other countries to replicate our model, thereby resulting in a bigger impact.
What advice would you give to other young African entrepreneurs?
To my fellow young African entrepreneurs, first, I urge you to stay resilient. Running a business in Africa comes with its fair share of challenges, but it’s the resilience that will see you through the toughest times. Believe in yourself and your vision, and never give up, no matter what obstacles come your way.
Second, have patience. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither will your business. Allow the time it needs to grow organically. Don’t rush to achieve a certain level of success prematurely. Take it one step at a time, and trust in the process.
Third, innovation is key. Challenge yourself and your team to think and act outside the box. Look for inspiration from other countries that are ahead of us and be open to learning new insights and approaches. Innovation is the lifeblood of entrepreneurship, so never stop seeking new ways to improve and innovate.
Finally, keep your eye on the big vision, but be flexible in your approach. The market is constantly evolving, and it’s essential to adapt to changing circumstances. Stay true to your vision but be willing to pivot and adjust your strategies when necessary.
The ideas presented in this article aim to inspire adaptation action – they are the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Global Center on Adaptation.
