“Leadership Is the capacity to translate vision to reality”.

At International Transformation Foundation (ITF) the main belief is in growth either through youth development or community development .We strive to make a larger impact in the society. In accordance to this objective, after years of work that began in Kenya in the year 2010,the ITF dream challenge has become a reality through the establishment of ITF Rwanda in March 2018. The main office will be located in Muhanga District, Southern Province.

The registration process of this ITF Rwanda branch took about a year and we can successfully attest that this is a new location with many goals to achieve. The most important step was the signing of the MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) that was an agreement with the strategic plan of the Ministry of Education, Rwanda and International Transformation Foundation to help Improve quality and learning outcomes across primary and secondary education in the country. The agreement was made in 2017. The purpose of this MoU is to clearly identify the roles and responsibilities of each party as they relate to ITF registration in Rwanda for the implementation of two projects: (1) the Join the Pipe – A water kiosk at school and (2) STEM students Leadership and Entrepreneurship trainings.

The ITF Rwanda work commencement will be marked with the establishment of the water kiosk at Rubugurizo Primary School, in Shyogwe Sector. This is to ensure that there is the availability and accessibility of water in the rural areas. Moreover, the establishment of the water kiosk at a school is to assist in tackling issues such as children dropping out of school since they have to walk so many kilometers to get access to clean water, they can also barely attend classes because they spend most of the time getting water.

With this lack of education, there is extreme poverty in such areas therefore the water kiosk will be beneficial in more than one way. The school can also earn income by selling water to the community and can use the funds for expansion of the school or even equipping the school with better facilities. The students have business skills imparted to them at a very early stage and these skills may come in handy in the future. Waterborne diseases can be minimized since there is accessibility to clean water and sanitation facilities.

A WATER KIOSK AT A SCHOOL
A Water Kiosk At A School was created as a way to earn income for the school that sold the clean water. It is a simple yet efficient way to provide access to clean water for the communities. This project provides water carrying equipment for the children such as water carts and trolleys and these avoid physical injury that may be incurred by the children due to carrying things that are heavy. Through this model, the students are equipped with additional business skills besides the classroom skills this way they can be prepared to be independent in the future. It’s also a way to extra generate income for the schools.

HOW IT WORKS:
A water kiosk is set at school situated in a rural or a poor area with no working tap station. It is set to be the main source of water for the local communities around it. A water Kiosk is characterized by environmental friendly components developed in conjunction with Join the Pipe Foundation.

• WATER SAVING TAP STATION - Our water stations not only provide clean drinking water but also save water. No water is wasted with our auto-stop tap! They are also vandal resistant
• DRIP TAPS for HAND WASHING FACILITIES -We build toilets and hand washing sinks to prevent waterborne illnesses to spread. Drip taps technology reduces 90% of water usage!
• WATER BOTTLES - We provide refillable water bottles for the children to drink from. Our refillable bottles are are made of BPA-free plastic .
• JERRY CARRY KARTS - These Jerry Carry Karts reduce the physical injury from constant lifting and carrying heavy loads of water on heads of the children.

By pre-financing a school to set up the kiosk Within 24 months, the school earns enough money from selling water to community residents at affordable price and are able to repay the set up cost which is then redeployed to an additional school/community. Below are activities that are carried out (chronologically) in setting up A Water Kiosk at School:

- The school’s expression of interest to adopt A Water Kiosk at School. The expression is made by filling an application form documenting the school; community background and water situation in the school and around the community.
- The community involvement & cost estimation. ITF, the school and community residents work together to estimate the set up cost within community resources context. This way, the school will be able to sell water profitably, yet affordable to everyone in community and return the set up cost.
- Financing. ITF sources for funding to set up the kiosk. - Legally binding agreement. An agreement is signed allowing ITF to place the kiosk management to the school and community residents. In the case that the school violates the kiosk principles, the school is held liable.
- Permits & Licenses: The School requests and obtains kiosk construction and water connection permits and related licenses from relevant authority.
- Kiosk construction & water connection: An ITF technician with help from the community residents set up the kiosk at school.
- Kiosk launch. The kiosk is opened to the public after training students & teachers how to run the day to day operations of the kiosk.
- Monitoring & evaluation:
Day to day operations & records: A Water Kiosk at School is managed by 2 students per day with 2 roles. One receives money and does the book records. The other one is responsible for assisting customers at the tap. The book keeper records include time, buyer name, quantity purchased and paid amount . The book keeper also records any expense if any. At the closing of any business day, both kiosk operators sign and submit the records book to the responsible teacher.
Weekly and Monthly report: The information recorded every day in the records book is used to compile a weekly and monthly report prepared by students with support of a teacher. The report is sent to ITF and essentially contains information such as: The number of students and non-students that used the kiosk, the amount of water purchased and money spent, names and details of students that managed the kiosk, etc.
Monthly Kiosk Visit: The ITF project coordinator visits the school /kiosk to review the day to day book records.
User Survey: This is done every quarter to get user feedback.
Repayment: The school repays the set up cost on a monthly basis.

IMPACT:

The Water Kiosk at School is a school-based and students-managed business selling clean tap water to community residents at an affordable price. It is both an educational and profitable business teaching the students business and entrepreneurial skills, and generating much-needed income for schools. The multiple benefits associated with a water kiosk at school for students, school and community residents include:
Financially :
- The first microcredit project for schools with a sustainable business model, creating money for WASH activities in school.
- A repaid loan system that allows funds to be redeployed to additional schools in need, thus reducing the need for subsidies and dependency.
Improved Sanitation And Health :
- All sanitation facilities are improved around the school, the money from the water kiosk is used to purchase soap and toilet paper for the school children.
- Jerry carry karts reduce the physical injury from constant lifting and carrying heavy loads of water on the heads of the children.
Education And Capacity Development :
- Increased school attendance as children no longer need to absent themselves from school to secure water for their families.
- Work experience for students through the running the water kiosk. They learn about teamwork, commitment, leadership and responsibility.
Socioeconomic Opportunity:
- Children are able to transport water to their own homes straight from school.
- Increased safety as children do not have to go to remote and dangerous places to fetch water.
- A school kiosk saves time and waiting in lines at other water points.