ITT Corporation, Black & Veatch and Water For People bring student water projects to life in Ghana

ITT Corporation, Black & Veatch, and Water For People have announced that they will be supporting the improvement, refinement and implementation of two award-winning student water projects that received national titles in the 2010 Stockholm Junior Water Prize competition, one of the world's most prestigious student competitions for water-related research.

With this support, national winners from Ghana and the Netherlands will ultimately be able to implement their projects, both of which provide new insights into ensuring access to safe drinking water in the developing world. Over the next year, the students will work with experts in the water field before the two projects are tested and implemented in Ghana in 2011.

"There is nothing that is more inspiring than working with young people on ideas that have the potential to change our world," said Ned Breslin, CEO of Water For People. "When implemented, both of these projects could help to solve some of the real issues Water For People sees every day in regions that lack access to safe drinking water."

The first of the two teams included, Bruno Andreas, Raymond Bentum, David Mclean and Theophilus Sagoe of Ghana, who created a simple, but extremely effective water treatment unit and an educational program that will inspire communities to take local actions to improve their health and environment.

The project will also help to diversify options for water supply in rural communities. The second team from the Netherlands included Lianne Siemensma, Wouter van der Wal and Evelien van Zwol, who discovered a way to use radical particles from hydrogen peroxide, chlorine and ozone to disinfect water being transported by contaminated water containers.

Over the next year, the teams will continue to improve their projects in their respective countries and participate in monthly training and reporting sessions with Jim Clark, vice president of Black & Veatch, to obtain additional guidance.

The teams will also work together on location in Ghana to fine tune their solutions and upon both projects' completion, both groups of students will meet in Ghana to implement their plans. The teams will present their findings at a special seminar session during World Water Week 2011 in Stockholm.

"The application of these two projects epitomizes the Stockholm Junior Water Prize - bringing together the next generation of water leaders to change the face of science," said Bjorn von Euler, director of corporate philanthropy at ITT.

"After sponsoring the Stockholm Junior Water Prize for the last 15 years, ITT is pleased that Water For People will help bring to life projects that are specifically designed to be implemented in developing countries. It marks one of the best opportunities for projects from the competition to become actual solutions that will help provide access to clean drinking water for those who need it."

"Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) and the Stockholm Junior Water Prize are pleased to welcome Water For People to our global community of sponsors and organizers.

Implementing these two projects is an important step for the Stockholm Junior Water Prize and demonstrates how students involved in the competition are working to make the world a more sustainable place for us all," said Anders Berntel, Executive Director of SIWI.