by Fern Shaw | Sep 5, 2022 | aquaid, Charity, Christian Aid, water cooler, Water Coolers
Today is the International Day of Charity. As an organisation, AquAid, with our focus on giving back since our inception in 1998, acknowledging this day is immensely significant.
For over twenty-two years, AquAid has donated a portion of revenue to charities, predominantly to both Christian Aid and The Africa Trust.
Founded in 1941, the mission of Christian Aid is to eradicate the causes of poverty, striving to achieve equality, dignity and freedom for all, regardless of faith or nationality. AquAid have supported Christian Aid for more than twenty years, donating over £3.7 million to water and capacity building projects around the world.
Since its formation in 2010, The Africa Trust has worked tirelessly to create sustainable solutions that include establishing supplies of clean, productive drinking water and decent sanitation to thousands of communities in water scarce regions across Africa. Wealth creation is another important objective, with business skills training helping school leavers and villagers to start or expand profitable businesses.
This year’s International Day of Charity resonates even more so with all of us at AquAid as the company has recently reached donations exceeding £19 million. This amount has enabled us to provide life-changing assistance to more than 3 million people around the globe and predominantly throughout Africa.
We would like to dedicate this achievement to Paul Searle, AquAid’s Founder, Managing Director and Chairman, whose faith and unquenchable spirit was the driving force that kept AquAid growing and expanding for over two decades, all while never losing sight of the importance of contributing to charity.
Should you too wish to partner with AquAid in this continuing commitment to charity while keeping your organisation hydrated, please contact us – we will be happy to assist.
by Fern Shaw | Jul 6, 2022 | aquaid tyne wear, Charity, Christian Aid, water cooler, Water Coolers
By Fern Shaw
AquAid Tyne & Wear, operating since 2002, this year celebrates twenty years in the provision of an extensive range of innovative and high-quality water coolers and dispensers, along with a total commitment to offering superior services to their 2,000 customers.
Reaching this 20-year anniversary holds more than one reason for celebration though – it also marks an incredible achievement with the branch donating just under £500,000 to the charities AquAid have supported since our inception in 1998.
In view of this remarkable achievement, we spoke to Gordon and Emir Dobson, who own and operate AquAid Tyne & Wear and asked for their comment.
“We are absolutely delighted that our donations have reached this level: these small contributions we know have made a big difference to those who need it.
Here’s to the next £500,000!” ~ Emir Dobson, Owner Director – AquAid Tyne & Wear
Extracts below are from a letter to Emir and Gordon written by Ian Thorpe, CEO of The Africa Trust, in recognition of this milestone.
“Many congratulations as you approach your twentieth anniversary for the Tyne and Wear franchise of AquAid. I was astonished to learn that your franchise alone has raised such an extraordinary amount of money for charity during the last two decades. With a current donation figure of £487,915 I have no doubt that during your anniversary year, you will achieve the tremendous milestone of over half a million pounds raised.
Thank you for the part you and your colleagues at AquAid Tyne &Wear are playing in lifting people out of poverty to live healthier and more productive lives.
You have also raised over £240k for Christian Aid, and during the last three years alone, 3,321 people in Malawi have received entrepreneurial training (at a cost of £12 each) and assistance to start small businesses.“ ~ Ian Thorpe, Chief Executive – The Africa Trust
Should you too like to play a part in this phenomenal, philanthropic movement simply by keeping yourself and your company, organisation or school hydrated, contact AquAid today.
by Fern Shaw | Nov 29, 2021 | Charity, water cooler
‘And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity’
We are extraordinarily proud of our AquAid team, their hard work and commitment in providing their best to our customers. In turn, our customers’ support contributes immeasurably towards our ability to continue to donate to charities that implement life-changing clean water resources for people in need.
It is therefore, with much humility, we thank every single member of the AquAid team who continue to make sure that our customers: from remote working, cubbyhole home offices through to frontline medical facilities, frontline workers, schools, colleges and unis, to small, medium and large corporations, have had access to refreshing drinking water, whatever the work situation, wherever the location.
And thank you to all our customers, established and new, who continue their valued custom of our services, with whom we hope to continue a longstanding business relationship as your preferred drinking water, water dispenser and water cooler supplier.
As we head towards the close of another year, we begin to reflect on what the year held for us, highs, lows and in-between. All of which is why this announcement is certainly a high:
It is thanks to all, AquAid and customers alike, we are delighted to announce that as of October this year, we have passed the threshold of £18 million in donations to charity.
If you would like to know how you, too, can remaining refreshed and hydrated, all while contributing charitable donations, simply by partnering with us at AquAid, do get in contact. We are here to assist.
by Fern Shaw | Jun 4, 2018 | Africa Trust, aquaid, Charity, Water Coolers
Begun in 2010, the Africa Trust is an AquAid founded charity that works on the principles of wealth creation and sustainable solutions to poverty.
Since our rather humble beginnings in 1998 as a home water cooler supplier, until now, as one of the UK’s leading water cooler suppliers, helping people in need has always been an integral aspect of the AquAid ethos.
Now, in our 20th year of operations, we look back at the annual milestones that evidence the successes of our commitment to charity.
2017 IN REVIEW:
The total number of beneficiaries at the start of 2017 was 2,192,435 and 209,908 new beneficiaries were added by the end of the year. A total of 683 new pumps were installed in 2017 compared to 607 in 2016. Most of these pumps were installed in Zimbabwe with five pumps built in Tanzania and one built in Kenya.
The Africa Trust’s Elephant Pump programme is having a major positive impact on the lives of over a million Zimbabweans who collect clean drinking water and water for productive use every day. Aside from 683 new pumps installed last year, the Africa Trust continues to implement sustainable wealth creation projects. Examples are an income generating farm project which now provides a sustained and growing income stream that helps towards the cost of emergency relief. A dairy project and the bananas for fees projects continue to grow with 510 new beneficiaries added.
The Africa Trust also implements wealth creation and sustainable relief projects in:
Kenya: A business skills training programme continues to grow. One such new business started under the programme (a maize mill) now employs over a dozen HIV+ widows who would otherwise have been in desperate poverty following their husbands’ deaths due to AIDS.
Liberia: Positive feedback received about the pumps and toilets installed in previous years. A school was helped to become self-sufficient by starting a project to raise ducks and chickens.
Mozambique: The ‘Baby’ Elephant Pumps installed for use by smaller family communities are doing well.
Tanzania: Elephant Pumps; Elephant Toilets; Business Skills Training.
Uganda: Business skills training; job creation; retirement planning (thus helping break the cycle of poverty).
Contact us at AquAid to find out how becoming an AquAid customer equates to ensuring sustainable solutions to poverty and the provision of safe drinking water to those who need it most.
by Fern Shaw | Mar 30, 2017 | Charity, Christian Aid
The donation figures from AquAid to Christian Aid over the last two years were very encouraging, with £107,093 being donated in 2015 and £111,132 donated in 2016, meaning an additional £4,039 donated last year.
Christian Aid’s focus for the next three years will be on two specific projects in Malawi and Ethiopia. With AquAid’s trip to Ethiopia last year already documented, in this issue we highlight Christian Aid’s projects in Malawi.
Malawi is among the world’s most densely populated and least developed countries. Around 55 per cent of people live on less than US$1 a day. Ninety percent of the Malawi population in rural areas are smallholder farmers.
Small-scale farmers in the Salima District are facing a crisis. Despite being a lakeshore district, communities face a shortage of portable water and prevalence of water borne diseases is high. Farmers struggle to make a living in feeding their children and paying for basics such as soap and school uniforms.
Using donations from AquAid, Christian Aid are supporting farmers to enhance their resilience to the impacts of climate change by provision of water for irrigation and household use; implementing conservation agriculture technologies, diversifying crops to include those that are moisture stress tolerant.
Steps have been initiated to improve production at two state of the art irrigation schemes powered by solar energy.
With AquAid’s support, Christian Aid is continuing with supporting communities in Malawi so that more people can benefit from clean and safe drinking water.
Please contact AquAid should you like to find out more about how becoming an AquAid customer translates into ensuring sustainable water provision to those that need it most.
by Fern Shaw | Mar 30, 2017 | Charity
AquAid donations to the
Africa Trust in 2015 increased from £807,457 to a phenomenal £847,309 in 2016. This meant that last year an additional £39,852 was donated to the Africa Trust.
In Kenya, Tanzania and Malawi, this involves training and small loans for some of the poorest people in Africa.Aside from 607 Elephant Pumps built last year, providing water to 203,100 more people, this funding has helped thousands of people to start small businesses, which has lifted them and their families out of poverty.
In Zimbabwe, cooperative dairy businesses have been established along with a banana production project, which is currently helping around 2,000 orphans and vulnerable children to pay their fees and stay in school.
In Uganda, the business skills training programme, which AquAid funds, continues to thrive. 2,063 people were trained last year resulting in 618 new businesses being started. 825 businesses reported that they were able to improve their performance after training. 639 new jobs have been created.
These continued successes from both Christian Aid and the Africa Trust, which are making a significant difference in other’s lives, are made possible thanks both to our customers and the hard work from everyone at AquAid.
If you’d like to find out more about becoming an AquAid customer, please do get in contact.
