Born out of the water industry, clean water charity WaterAid is well known for its innovative partnerships. Team lead for corporate partnerships Kate Holme says that Yorkshire Water in particular, has gone further with its strategic partnership, and is sharing expertise with the charity’s partners in Ethiopia.
The company became the first water business in the UK to provide technical training on water quality, leakage and asset management to 20 utilities in Ethiopia, all delivered by Yorkshire Water colleagues who travelled to the country.
‘It’s very much peer-to-peer and it works both ways in terms of solving water issues, as they have found in many cases that there are similar things they are facing,’ Holme says, adding that the creative solutions in Ethiopia have helped Yorkshire employees to solve issues at home as well, specifically those surrounding climate change and drought, which are becoming an issue for the UK.
The second phase of the partnership will focus further on this issue, informing Yorkshire Water’s Drought Management Strategy for the future.
Richard Flint, chief executive of Yorkshire Water, says the partnership focuses on six key areas: volunteering, education, fundraising, campaigning, capacity building and increased public awareness. ‘It’s about being part of the solution, not just funding it,’ says Holme.
