PROJECT SUMMARY:


The village of Patriensa, Ghana is located in the south central region of the country.  There are about 4,000 residents in the village and it is mostly a farming community. In Ghana, sachet water is the main source for drinking water. Sachets are one-time use, disposable bags that can be manufactured hygienically and filled with well water. Sachet water is used by 85% of the village, but currently, the people of Patriensa must travel to a neighboring village in order to purchase these sachet waters. This is both a time and money cost. 


Through discussions with the community leaders about the true needs and desires of the people, the sachet water project was conceived. This project will establish a sachet manufacturing facility in Patriensa, creating a sustainable income generating business. Because it is individually packaged in sanitary bags, sachets help prevent water contamination that otherwise could occur by drinking the water from unclean containers. It is estimated that in Ghana, waste produced from plastic packaging amounts to 270 tons per day, adding up to 22,000 tons in one year. It is common in Patriensa, for community members to simply throw the used sachet packages on the ground with no regard for the impact this has on the environment. In order to counteract this social and environmenatl issue, our team will attempt to educate the community on the importance of recycling, but the people of the village need another method to dispose of these bags to prevent contamination of their community. Our project will help to meet this need by partnering with Trashy Bags, an established company out of Accra that repurposes used sachets in order to create fashion merchandise. We will help to set up teams of 10 women to create these bags and add another profitable aspect to the enterprise through training provided by Trashy Bags. By creating a business enterprise and recycling and repurposing initiative, our project is responsive to the needs of the community in a holistic manner. 


This project will provide the village with a local source of clean drinking water, a sustainable income generating business, and education and employment for the village, while promoting the health and well-being of the people and protecting their natural environment.