A team of passionate water professionals from Hunter Water has been recognised on the world stage, taking out the Global Winnovators Award to help some of the poorest communities with access to clean water and basic sanitation.
Organised by international development charity WaterAid, the Winnovators challenge saw 32 teams from around the world participate.
Hunter Water registered three teams, who worked to solve real water challenges in Colombia, Eswatini and India.
Together Hunter Water’s teams raised almost $44,000 for the charity, with Team Mareiwa taking out both the Asia Pacific and Global awards.
Hunter Water’s Acting CEO, Graham Wood, offered his congratulations to Team Mareiwa on their hard-earned achievement, which involved a lot of commitment over the last few months.
“Hunter Water is really proud to be home to so many talented and dedicated professionals, who are passionate about making a difference to the lives of others,” Graham. said.
“All of the teams should be commended on their incredible fundraising efforts and on their work to solve real water challenges for these communities in need.”
Team Mareiwa’s Lauren Randall said their challenge involved coming up with solutions for Colombia’s La Guajira region.
“Winnovators has been an opportunity for us to make a real and lasting difference to the lives of the Indigenous Wayuu people of La Guajira, Colombia, where 84 per cent of the Indigenous Wayuu population doesn’t have access to clean water close to home,” Lauren said.
“Mareiwa’s solution is called Wise Water, which is a holistic and robust intervention inspired by the Wayuu deity Mareiwa – Goddess of water, creator of life and wisdom. It incorporates six key elements, designed to address the three major barriers to safe water access for the Wayuu people.”
Lauren said the team were thrilled to win both the Asia Pacific and Global challenges. They hope their work can continue to help change the lives of people in the community.
Winnovators is a signature global employee development programme, where teams compete from across the world to solve a real challenge.
The program helps to raise money, share ideas and develop new skills and leadership qualities along the way all in the name of Water Aid.
IMAGE | Hunter Water’s Mareiwa Team.
