NEXUS Nepal - Dropforlife

Three Nexus Centers Based on Social Entrepreneurship

Nexus Centers Gochhada, Sauraha, Basantapur – all in the district of Chitwan, Nepal

Investment size:

CHF 225’000 from 2016-2023

Impact:

Creation of social start-up businesses
Clean drinking water

Application:

Local entrepreneurs

Technology:

Mix between basic technology of the Swiss company Trunz Water System AG and local suppliers

Implementation:

Weconnex AG and Nexus Technology Pvt. Ltd.

Financial partner:

Symphasis Fonds Rainbow

* Restructuring in 2019 due to external factors in the regulatory environment (change of legislation), which lead to the unfortunate fact that it is economically not viable to continue as planned. Together with our project partner, we could ensure a continuation of the positive impact by using the technology without a requirement to amortize the loan.

What is the project all about?

Large parts of Nepal’s rural areas are contaminated with unhealthy high levels of arsenic and iron. With the support of Symphasis foundation, dropforlife finances three Nexus Centres in the Terai region of Nepal. The Nexus Centre concept was developed by the Swiss company Weconnex. The Nexus Centre concept follows the principles of social entrepreneurship. We pre-finance the creation of local water businesses by granting an interest-free loan over a period of six years. The repaid amounts can be re-invested into the dropforlife business model and create more impact.

Our objectives

The ultimate goal is that we can support the people in the generation of a stable income and becoming more independent by selling safe drinking water to the community.

With this project we create impact on three levels.

Economy

Creation of local jobs

Lower health costs, less loss of wages

Repayment of investments and operational costs

Modular approach adapting to local needs

Society

Access to safe and healthy drinking water

Education and training of adequate water- and hygiene practices

Increased standard of living and higher quality of living

Mutual commitment of all parties

Ecology

Clean water through clean energy

Sustainable management of water resources

Reduction of CO2 emissions

Reduction of logistic costs

Technology

At the core of the water purification technology is the proven technology of the Swiss based company Trunz Water Systems. The solar-energy driven technology has been successfully tested by EAWAG and applied in over 40 countries with more than 800 installations. The technology has been considered adequate for the arsenic and iron contamination in the Terai region.

Monitoring and Reporting

Our local partner Nexus reports results on a half-year basis, following defined Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) providing information on the success of the program. In addition, we aim for annual visits on site.