General Support
to Rope Pump dissemination
Nicaragua
General support towards the international promotion and dissemination process, training activities and support towards feasibility studies and project planning.
Technology Transfer Division
Bombas de Mecate S.A. Nicaragua.
e-mail:
Website: www.ropepump.com
Technology Transfer Division
Bombas de Mecate S.A. Nicaragua.
Introduction.
Rope pump technology is a solution for water provision used at the family level as well as at the community level, and already covers more than 25% of the rural population in Nicaragua. The technology was disseminated in a very short period of time across the country and other parts of Central America, with more than 40,000 pumps in handdug and drilled wells now installed. Consumers appreciate the pump for its efficiency, reliability, low cost and availability in the local market. The sustainability of the product is closely related to its INCOME GENERATING capacity. The consumer cares for their property.
Since the first publications with respect to the development of the rope pump in Nicaragua, over a thousand letters and E-mails has been received from countries or organisations all over the world asking for details. The Technology Transfer Division of the rope pump firm Bombas de Mecate S.A. has responded over the years by providing information, literature and technical documentation.
At national level the Nicaraguan Water Institute considers it the most appropriate pump for rural areas and uses it as a means to improve the water supply. This view is shared by all organizations involved in rural development programs
At international level first initiatives are now supported by local country organizations. Through the organization of several international activities, including rope-pump conferences and workshops, the attention has been drawn from important players such as the WSP (World Bank Water and Sanitation Programme) and UNICEF (Water, Environment, and Sanitation Section) resulting in the inclusion of the rope pump as an additional option in rural water supply policies. This however did not result in concrete actions, leaving the initiative in hands of the Nicaraguan private sector. Apparently the bureaucratic structures of our multilateral organizations are not equipped to respond to the demand of the population and capitalise the capacities of the private sector in order to resolve the rural water constraints of so many people.
At this moment the Multilateral Organizations are looking from the sideline how Bombas de Mecate from Nicaragua is supporting with its own very limited means grassroots organizations all over the world in their intentions to make this a better world. Despite all our efforts the multilaterals don’t manage to get involved.
Proposal
This proposal intends to overcome one of the bottle necks by helping grassroots organizations to initiate introduction initiatives by first supporting these to perform the required feasibility studies, followed by the defining of an introduction strategy and project proposal.
The three basic components of this strategy are to be:
• Providing information and creating of awareness within local organisations.
• Giving support to local feasibility studies.
• Giving support to formulation of project proposals
Through a public tender persons and organizations will be invited to send proposals to perform feasibility studies. A selection of 10 feasibility studies will be financed. Subsequently, if feasibility has been shown, the formulation of project proposals will be supported.
At the same time a basics structure is required to continue these efforts from Nicaragua.
This includes:
• Keep the rope pump on the international agenda through articles, participation in discussion sites etc.
• Respond to and keep the international correspondence going.
• Maintain and expand the international contacts.
• Keep Website updated
• Keep technology transfer manuals updated.
• Build up a historical archive of the rope pump development and its international contacts.
• Give follow up to the already started technology transfer activities.
• Technical assistance through correspondence to former and new initiatives.
• Elaborate technology transfer proposals for countries of interest
A Project Portfolio with Country Proposals from several countries e.g. Kenya, Ethiopia, Cambodja, etc. is available on request.