Simon Cohen, a civil and environmental engineering graduate from the University of Edinburgh founded the charity Water Works in September 2008. He wanted to use his knowledge of engineering to provide aid to Africa in the most effective way. He chose to concentrate his work on providing clean water and sanitation in Malawi. In June 2009, three charity members (Simon Cohen, Caroline Lawrey and Mikael Ullero) traveled to Malawi to develop the charity’s modus operandi. After meetings and site inspections with Unicef, Water Aid and the Ministry for Water we discovered that over 40% of the existing wells are not operational. It was clear that there is a dire need for a more sustainable approach to water and sanitation.

We work with the Communities
The best people to help poor communities are community members themselves. At Water Works we work with the local community on projects that are most important to them. To ensure a successful development it is vital that the projects are community led so that the final ownership is theirs. We provide whatever assistance they request, sometimes funding is required, sometimes technical and management guidance, often both.

We work in Partnership with Local Organisations
Our partners on the ground know the in-depth water issues facing the communities, which approaches to hygiene and sanitation work best, and what water development techniques are suitable for their specific region. The first stage of all our projects is to meet with the Ministry for Water or the Ministry of Health to obtain official approval. Next, we undertake the work alongside one of the following local NGOs:

The Institute of Water and Environmental Sanitation (IWES)
The Institute of Water and Environmental Sanitation (IWES) is a local Non Governmental Organisation (NGO) in Malawi working on the provision of safe drinking water and adequate sanitation to the peri-urban and rural poor in the country. The NGO fulfills its mission through outreach programmes and associated capacity development initiatives in the Water and Environmental Sanitation (WES) sector.

Fresh Water Project
Fresh Water Project are an indigenous NGO that works with the community at the grassroots level. They are committed to the provision of water and sanitation services, food security and nutrition to the rural communities of Malawi, primarily through the construction of water points, latrines and promotion of kitchen gardens.

Pump Aid
Pump Aid predominantly works in Malawi and Zimbabwe. They provide lasting solutions to clean water provision and sanitation through innovative, cost effective and community-centred technology. They developed the award winning Elephant Pump, which is a low cost solution providing clean water to rural communities.