Vitens Evides International and Plan Nederland entered into a structural partnership in water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) projects in developing countries.

Directors Marco Schouten of VEI and Monique van ’t Hek of Plan announced the joint start up and implement WASH projects during the Dutch celebration of World Water Day 2015 in Amsterdam on 20 March.

Through this partnership, VEI and Plan want to contribute to Sustainable Development Goal 6, which focuses on the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.

dws-vei-plan-malawi-350pxVEI assisted the Blantyre and Lilongwe Water Boards in Malawi in extending the water supply to low income area's by building 372 water kiosk.

Combination of expertise
The public-private venture is a continuation of a previous partnership in Malawi where both parties first joined forces in 2013. Here VEI, working together with the local drinking water company, has been mapping how much water is lost through leakages and has been repairing water leakages.

Plan works closely with local communities, providing information about the importance of good hygiene and sanitation.

"In this project, our qualities proved to complement each other very well. We therefore plan to combine our expertise and hopefully embark on many more sustainable projects," says Plan Nederland director Monique van ’t Hek.

More impact
Plan has long experience in water and sanitation projects, providing training in hygiene in local communities and strengthening the position of women and children. This fits in well with VEI’s activities.

Marco Schouten, director of VEI: "As WASH parties, we all have our own specialism. That’s why we must keep asking ourselves the question: what do we do best as a social venture, and Plan as an NGO? And what might others do better? If you work together on that basis, you can really have a sustainable impact and make a difference.”

About Vitens Evides International
Vitens Evides International (VEI) is an international water operator, helping water companies in developing and transition countries to improve their operational and financial performance in a sustainable way. To make progress in such areas as water safety, non-revenue water, financial and technical sustainability and asset management.

VEI is a cooperation between the two largest water companies of the Netherlands: Vitens and Evides.

About Plan
Plan International is a child-centred community development organisation: it works with children, their families, communities, organisations and local governments to bring about positive change.

The organisation works in 51 developing countries across Africa, Asia and the Americas to promote child rights and lift millions of children out of poverty.

Plan Nederland was founded in 1975 as one of the members of the global Plan International organisation with its headquarters in the UK.

This news item was originally published on the websites of Plan Nederland (in Dutch only) and Vitens Evides International.

More information
Vitens Evides International
Utrecht, the Netherlands
+31 88 884 79 91
www.vitensevidesinternational.com

Plan Nederland
Amsterdam, the Netherlands
+31 20 549 55 55
www.plannederland.nl