A humanitarian mission has implemented water fountains in rural villages as part of its global initiative to support communities in need. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has successfully provided safe and clean drinking water to 10,000 individuals residing in rural areas of Vietnam. This effort, known as Beyond2020, is a humanitarian endeavor that has received support from both local and international governments. The initiative has installed eight water filtration systems in order to serve five villages and three schools located in the Quang Nam Province of Vietnam. The primary objective of this assistance is to decrease the occurrence of waterborne diseases and improve overall health conditions. The Beyond2020 program was established by the Zayed Sustainability Prize of the UAE, with the intention of offering sustainable solutions to urgent challenges faced by vulnerable communities worldwide. The campaign in Vietnam is being led by the Agier Ensemble Foundation in France, a finalist of the Zayed Sustainability Prize, which has developed the Safe Water Cube. The foundation’s objective is to secure private and government funding in order to deploy water fountains in countries that lack access to clean drinking water.
The fountains operate by utilizing a manual hand pump and employ various filtration systems to purify water from microbes, viruses, and other impurities. These systems do not rely on harmful chemicals or electric energy.In the past, these pumps have successfully provided clean water to 8,500 individuals in Madagascar and 4,400 individuals in Cambodia.
Dr. Badr Al Matroushi, the UAE ambassador to Vietnam, stated, “The United Arab Emirates and the Republic of Vietnam share a strong determination and unwavering commitment to promoting innovative solutions that address the urgent sustainability challenges facing the world today.” He further emphasized that initiatives like these will empower communities to withstand the impacts of climate change.
Nguyen Manh Tuan, the Ambassador of Vietnam to the UAE, highlighted that providing access to clean drinking water for communities in Vietnam is a top priority for the country. He stated, “The Beyond 2020 initiative has made a significant contribution by providing clean drinking water to 10,000 local residents.”
UAE needs to recycle ‘every drop of water it has’, minister saysBeyond2020’s partners include the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, Mubadala Energy and Masdar.The organisation has already offered support to tackle water and food insecurity and health and energy challenges in 15 countries, including Nepal, Sudan, Uganda, Jordan, Egypt, Cambodia, Madagascar, the Philippines and Sudan.
The Zayed Sustainability Prize was established in 2008 as a tribute to the sustainability and humanitarian legacy of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the Founding Father of the UAE.
The prize recognises organisations in high schools that are delivering effective and inspiring innovations in the following categories: health, food, energy, water, global high schools, climate action.