by Fern Shaw | Jul 12, 2023 | aquaid, Christian Aid, water cooler, Water Coolers
As of April this year, AquAid has donated over £20 million to charity. This staggering amount is a culmination of charitable donations which began in 1998. This includes over £2.8 million donated to Pump Aid, which enabled half a million people to gain access to sustainable supplies of clean productive water and decent sanitation in Africa. This work was continued by The Africa Trust, which was founded by the Chief Executive of Pump Aid, together with Paul Searle, who was the founder and majority shareholder of AquAid.
To date, more than three million people use Elephant Pumps [pictured above middle] installed by The Africa Trust, largely as a result of over £10.2 million donated by AquAid. In addition, these funds have paid for entrepreneurial training [pictured above left] and loans, which have helped over 40,000 people to set up small businesses and support their families. With legacy projects in Liberia, Kenya and Uganda and ongoing major programmes in Zimbabwe and Malawi, The Africa Trust is using funding from AquAid to provide sustainable solutions to poverty for millions.
Ian Thorpe, Chief Executive of The Africa Trust said, “AquAid has achieved growth while incorporating an extraordinary level of charitable donations into their business model. Customers drinking pure chilled water from AquAid water coolers in the UK directly enable people to gain access to life saving clean water in Africa. The ongoing funding is helping to lift literally millions of people out of extreme poverty in a sustainable way. Many congratulations on reaching this £20 million milestone!”
AquAid donations of over £3.8 million to Christian Aid have funded water and capacity building projects in Ethiopia and Malawi, improving the lives of 370,000 individuals. The Malonda Project stands out for its provision of affordable loans and business training to entrepreneurs and pigeon pea farmers [pictured above right] in Malawi. The results are impressive: a perfect 100% loan repayment rate and household incomes increased. Inspired by the success of the Malonda Project, AquAid, The Africa Trust and Christian Aid decided to launch the £1,000,000 Rural Entrepreneurship Assistance Project (REAP). It aims to lift 5,250 households in Malawi out of extreme poverty by 2025.
Director of Fundraising, Nick Georgiadis said, “Christian Aid believes that poverty eradication requires innovative partnerships including with the private sector. Socially conscious business has a critical role to play in building a just and sustainable future for people and the planet. We are thrilled that AquAid embodies such a positive social purpose, we could not be happier to celebrate this important milestone with them. We extend profound gratitude to AquAid for their unwavering support”.
by Fern Shaw | Jul 5, 2023 | Water, water cooler
I know we keep on at you, dear hallowed reader of the AquAid posts, tweets and blogs, about how important it is to keep hydrated and it can get a bit much, but, here’s the thing – it IS important. As in possibly the most important thing that keeps the wonderful being that you are, alive and operational, not to mention functioning, lucid, thinking, your organs doing what they need to do, your skin all plumped up and your eyes shiny berry clear.
Here are some fast facts just to give you an indication of how true my mention of your organs needing water to function is:
- Your brain is 75% water.
- Blood is 92% water.
- Your bones are 22% water.
- Your muscles are 75% water.
As we can clearly see, maintaining good hydration is crucial aspect to our well-being.
Adverse effects from not drinking enough water include digestive, skin, bladder and kidney problems, fatigue and even headaches. We need water as much as the air we breathe in. Keeping your body and brain hydrated is vital.
Did you know that dehydration actually sets in just before you start feeling thirsty? Sipping water throughout the day is the best way to handle it. Always have a bottle or a glass of water handy. If you’re not a morning person, having two glasses of water right after you wake up will boost up your blood pressure to normal levels, and it’s way healthier than having your first coffee on an empty stomach.
Many of us believe that merely drinking fluids like sweetened juices, cool drinks or tea will hydrate you as well as water does. This is not true. It’s actually the opposite. To deal with the excess sugar and salt you are taking in your body wastes immense amounts of precious water just to clean it out from your system. In addition, if you love your coffee, make sure to drink one extra glass of water for every cup you have.
Drinking water regularly speeds up your metabolism and makes you feel more ‘full’. Not only do you eat less when you drink water more often, it’s one of the safest and healthiest ways to lose weight. Happy hydration!
by Fern Shaw | May 24, 2023 | aquaid, water cooler, water cooler, Water Coolers
This month of Mental Health Awareness, we have looked at how drinking enough water can aid our ability to reduce anxiety and boost our mental wellbeing. In this blog, we focus our attention to the effects dehydration can have on the brain and possible solutions.
*Almost every bodily function relies on water. Because 75% of brain tissue is water, dehydration reduces energy production in the brain and can change brain structure, causing the brain to slow down and not function properly.
At the molecular level, if water levels are too low, our brain cells cannot function properly, with the brain showing signs of working harder to complete tasks.
Our cells recognise a state of dehydration as a threat to survival, leading to a state of anxiety. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter (a chemical messenger between brain cells) that stabilises our mood and regulates emotions. During dehydration, we struggle to get the chemicals required to produce serotonin into our brain.
Being just half a litre dehydrated may also increase the stress hormone cortisol, which has been associated with a range of mental disorders, including anxiety.
Drinking water, maintaining good hydration habits is proven one of the simplest methods to counteract low mood, anxiety and other stresses associated with insufficient water intake.
If you are concerned about the health and well-being of your staff at your establishment or organisation, speak to us at AquAid. From the smallest office space and staff contingent to multinational companies that employ hundreds of staff, AquAid have a drinking water solution tailor-made to suit your requirements.
source* Nikolaij Travica – article at The Conversation
by Fern Shaw | Apr 26, 2023 | water cooler
With the radical changes we have all experienced in the last three years, which have influenced how we live our lives and as we continue on – we ask:
What does a Work / Life Balance mean?
On the surface, the concept of a work/life balance is self-explanatory. There are, however, substantial depths around this balance. The balance has shifted and evolved as times changed. In the 20th Century, workers fought for the right to work an 8-hour day. This brought the first shift in favour of an increase of after work hours. In the dawning of the 21st Century, the balance shifted again, with the advent of the mobile phone and in particular, the Blackberry. It became easier to continue working after hours and adversely harder to disengage when not at work.
There was yet another shift in the 2 000s, especially in the tech industries, where work hours could be brutal but where the workspace changed significantly to create a more holistic work environment.
Work relocation?
With the pandemic, there wasn’t much balance of which to speak – for obvious reasons – however, in itself, this period shifted the balance in another quite drastic direction. Aside from the forced remote work, work was at the home, in the home, with no possibility of separating home/work life. What this did do, though, was have workers create a virtual separation between work and home/life.
Has the Work / Life Balance changed?
Fortunately and unfortunately, it has. For many, there is no balance. Others, there is a balance but this is more forced than chosen. Others still, the balance has shifted due to circumstances and of their choosing.
What remains the same? Does anything?
There is one constant though. Whether you work from an office at home, have returned to an office, never left work due to being an essential worker, the necessity of having access to drinking water is vital. Maintaining good hydration habits have proven to aid one’s well-being, cognition and ability to make better decisions and life choices.
by Fern Shaw | Apr 19, 2023 | water cooler, Water Coolers
It seems as it was just yesterday that we were all in the icy grip of winter and then lo and behold, we’re in our second month of Spring – not even time to catch our collective breath as we watch the seasons rollercoaster past.
Now that we’re in this burgeoning season, we thought we’d have a look at dispelling a few myths about the Spring Equinox. According to an article in the Farmers’ Almanac:
Myth: You Won’t Have A Noontime Shadow
Reality: Technically, this myth is somewhat true. However, conditions have to be incredibly precise for this to happen. It’s all about being the right place at the right time. Since the Sun is always at an angle to you, you always cast a shadow. In order not to cast a shadow, the Sun needs to be directly overhead. Because the Sun is situated over the equator at the equinox, you’d have to be standing at the equator precisely at noon on the day of the equinox for this to happen.
Myth: The Equinox Is A Day-Long Event
Reality: An equinox doesn’t take all day – it’s only a moment in time! The true equinox an exact moment in which the Sun passes over the equator—blink and you’ll miss it.
Myth: The Spring Equinox Can Alter Your Mood
Reality: This is another one of those myths based partly in truth. In actuality, the Sun moving across the equator has no real effect on emotions. But, seasonal changes can and often do play a big part in moods. So while the moment of the vernal equinox itself isn’t responsible for changes in your emotions, it’s likely that around this time of year you’re experiencing at least a little bit of spring fever, or leftover effects of the winter’s shorter days.
The equinox’s significance centres on the Sun’s position relative to the equator. It’s the astronomical start of spring, which means longer days for those of us in the northern hemisphere.
Speaking of mood and now we’re perking up due to the current season; let’s look at one of the simplest and easiest routes to improving your mood and outlook. That is to keep you properly hydrated.
Speak to us at AquAid for all your water requirements (we have something for all seasons). We offer a range of hydration stations, be those water dispensers for the little ‘uns at schools, or for drinking water at work, whether in warehouses, building sites, medical facilities, events, theatres or the hospitality industry – the list goes on.
by Fern Shaw | Mar 13, 2023 | water cooler, Water Coolers
With the onset of and phenomenal expansion and growth of social media, it probably doesn’t come as any surprise that the water cooler – the original real-life social chit-chat gathering station – may have had its amount of drinking water gatherers significantly reduced.
According to Statista, as of January 2023, the most popular social networks worldwide ranked by number of monthly active users are:
Facebook remains the most popular, with 2.9 billion users monthly.
YouTube ranks second, with 2.5 billion monthly users, with WeChat and TikTok ranked fifth and sixth respectively. However, one must take into consideration that it is Meta Platforms that owns four of the biggest social media platforms, all with over one billion monthly active users each: Facebook (core platform), WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Instagram.
Although I am well immersed in the world of social media, these stats did jostle me out of my little neck of the woods comfort zone. Luckily, considering human needs and behaviour, it’s probably unlikely that online digital socialising will ever replace the need to replenish one’s drinking water, all while having an enjoyable catch up with colleagues at the water cooler at work, the office and play.
