Conrad N. Hilton Foundation Grant To Assess Market-based Solutions For Ghana

Safe Water Network, through funding from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, is conducting an assessment of the potential for commercial, decentralized safe water solutions to address the needs of underserved populations in Ghana. This initiative builds on our three years of field learning in Ghana and our network of regional alliances. It seeks to identify the most viable and appropriate solutions for populations earning less than $2 a day, including the poorest of the poor in rural and peri−urban areas in Ghana. 

“The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation’s partnership with Safe Water Network builds on our long-term water commitments in Ghana and will advance our understanding of market-based Water, Sanitation and Hygiene solutions, which can be adapted to benefit impoverished populations throughout West Africa.” 
Steven M. Hilton 
President and CEO  
Conrad N. Hilton Foundation 

The initiative includes a review of commercial water enterprises in Ghana and the long-term challenges to sustainability. We will evaluate alternative technologies and the most effective funding models, including subsidies, to encourage community ownership. 

“The Hilton Foundation’s strategic investment in Safe Water Network is vital to our commitment to meaningful and lasting impact in Ghana and the region. Our partnership will help improve our approaches to better serve community needs.” 
Kurt Soderlund 
CEO 
Safe Water Network 

We also will involve key sector experts and stakeholders. A final report will provide recommendations for scale-up strategies of commercial models and identify markets most conducive to these solutions. To inform the recommendations, Safe Water Network will implement two field pilots in parallel with the assessment and disseminate findings at the conclusion of the study. 

Currently, our safe water sites in Ghana provide more than 35,000 people in rural and peri-urban areas with access to safe drinking water. Our partnership with the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation will help to further advance our objective to determine effective, sustainable and scalable demand-driven approaches for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) solutions for impoverished populations.