By February 2024, Solidarités International had already deployed 545 ORISA® water purifiers in Lebanon out of the 1,340 units ordered. The water purifiers were distributed to help Syrian families who had fled their country and settled in refugee camps in the north of the country.

Projects in Lebanon since 2013

In 2013, Solidarités International began setting up projects in Lebanon in collaboration with UNICEF. More than 60,000 beneficiaries in 6 different regions of the country have been helped through water, sanitation, shelter and hygiene projects.

Through its hygiene services, the NGO aims to avoid and prevent disease. Members of the beneficiary communities are involved in these services and participate in decision-making to find sustainable solutions to the environmental problems they suffer in the refugee camps.

Opting for innovative, sustainable solutions to ensure the long-term future of projects

There are a number of solutions for providing beneficiaries with access to clean water. Wells, for example, may only be used for a few years before the water drawn from them becomes contaminated again. Boreholes, on the other hand, may break down after several years of intensive use and need to be rehabilitated. Water trucking is a widespread solution, but it is both very expensive and only for the short term.

Solidarités International used to use water trucking in Lebanon. However, following an increase in the cost of this solution, the NGO decided to test different alternative solutions in order to limit the cost of this practice. That's why it looked into the ORISA® water purifier. This was evaluated by the WASH team in northern Lebanon to understand how it worked and its effectiveness. The results of the water filtration tests were satisfactory, so 30 purifiers were deployed in small refugee camps as a pilot phase.

‘Access to drinking water is a fundamental need. In this context, the ORISA® purifier has played an essential role in meeting this crucial need, as well as preventing the spread of epidemics such as the cholera epidemic. By effectively removing impurities and contaminants from the water, this filtration system has delivered a range of benefits to beneficiaries, impacting on health, sustainable development and overall quality of life.’

©Solidarités International

ORISA® deployed on a large scale following successful pilot project.

Of the first 30 ORISA® units deployed in Lebanon, 90% are being used by beneficiaries who have been trained in the use and maintenance of the purifiers. This is a success story for Solidarités International, which has therefore decided to order a further 250 ORISA®s and then a further 1,000 units.

The organisation's aim is to ensure comprehensive coverage of northern Lebanon in order to improve the ability to obtain clean water on a permanent basis, while reducing the number of camps dependent on water trucking. A total of 2,892 shelters housing 13,760 families have been identified

©Solidarités International

An advantage for beneficiaries...

545 water purifiers have been distributed to date, covering the needs of 3,392 refugees. In total, more than 700 units will be deployed in the north of the country. The beneficiaries interviewed by the NGO say they have become more independent thanks to ORISA®. They appreciate the quality of the purified water, and save money because they no longer have to buy their own water. As one user put it: ‘It's a magical solution. The water went from black to white in just a few seconds, and we're reassured because ORISA® is a high-quality filter, there were no malfunctions during use.'

Sustainable access to quality drinking water has freed the refugees from the constant stress of relying on NGOs for their clean water supply, while improving their health by eliminating impurities and reducing water-borne diseases. The use of the ORISA® purifier has not only reduced water stress by facilitating access to necessary water, but has also enhanced the refugees' autonomy and dignity by enabling them to meet their basic needs independently. This adaptable device, which is particularly useful in temporary shelters, also encouraged the creativity of the families, who were able to optimise the filtration process by modifying buckets to make them perfectly suited to the size of the ORISA® purifier.

...and a step forward for Solidarités International

A ce jour, 250 sites n’ont plus à être approvisionnés par des camions citernes grâce au déploiement des purificateurs d'eau ORISA®. Cela permet à l'ONG d'affecter les membres des équipes à des tâches plus variées, comme la formation des bénéficiaires, le suivi et la maintenance des purificateurs par exemple. Enfin, d'un point de vue économique, les équipes de Solidarités International confient avoir déjà économisé 13 250$ en remplaçant l'approvisionnement par camion citerne par des purificateurs d'eau ORISA®. A terme, ces économies vont encore augmenter.

Le développement des compétences a été stimulé par l'introduction d'ORISA®, encourageant le personnel à concevoir des flyers et à créer des contenus vidéo pour diffuser efficacement les instructions d'utilisation. Cela a renforcé leur capacité à communiquer et à sensibiliser les utilisateurs. En parallèle, la facilité d'utilisation, le poids léger et la taille compacte d'ORISA® ont facilité la mobilité des familles, leur permettant de se relocaliser facilement et rapidement tout en conservant un accès fiable à l'eau potable.

En fournissant une source fiable d'eau propre, les filtres ORISA® ont permis à l'équipe d'engagement communautaire d'organiser des sessions sur les pratiques d'hygiène personnelle, couvrant la consommation d'eau, la cuisine et l'assainissement en toute sécurité. L'ONG a également pu intervenir sur de nombreux sites avec des sources d'eau biologiquement contaminées, renforçant ainsi la résilience des bénéficiaires et améliorant la gestion de la quantité d'eau disponible.

Solidarités International looks back at the deployment of ORISA® in Lebanon

Solidarités International agreed to answer our questions about this deployment. Find out why the NGO chose the ORISA® solution.

  • Solidarités International customer testimonial - 545 ORISA® deployed in Lebanon

Find out more about our humanitarian experiences

‘Access to water remains a major problem. We provide autonomy to people whether they are in emergency or humanitarian development situations’.

David Monnier, former humanitarian, Chairman and co-founder of Fonto de vivo, your point of contact for humanitarian programmes dedicated to access to clean water.

‘Adapting filtration technologies to individual needs and making them affordable, to meet the social and environmental challenges of our time’.

Anthony Cailleau, French representative for projects in Colombia, Managing Director and co-founder of Fonto de vivo, contact for development aid and international cooperation.

Humanitarian contact

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