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Warka Water Inc is a 501(c)(3) registered nonprofit focused on innovative, and truly sustainable solutions, to some of humanity’s most enduring issues.
Through the fusion of local traditional knowledge, natural indigenous resources, and cutting-edge technologies, innovative, eco-friendly, biodegradable infrastructures, are created to serve the basic needs of disadvantaged populations located in remote rural locations. Inspired by nature, visionary design solutions are realized involving the locals in all the stages of the project.
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"Visiting rural communities up on the high plateau in the North East region of Ethiopia, in 2013, I witnessed this dramatic reality: the lack of potable water. The villagers live in a beautiful natural environment but often without running water, electricity, toilets. This is how the Warka Tower project was initiated and ever since, to bring safe water has become our mission.”, said Arturo Vittori.
In 2015 the first Warka Tower pilot has been constructed in Dorze, a rural community in south Ethiopia. After this successful initiative, we have founded the “Warka Water Inc.” non-profit, based in the USA, as a platform for our social actions.
With the experience acquired working with rural communities, we realized that above the water scarcity there were other important issues we could help with. This is why additional projects have been developed, for integrated and sustainable aid, always adapting the philosophy of involving the locals, using indigenous materials and traditional construction techniques. The Warka Solar, Warka Garden, Warka Sanitation, Warka House, and Culture a Porter projects have been developed, and the Warka Village started.
The name ‘Warka’ comes from the Warka Tree (Ficus vasta), which is a wild large fig tree, endemic to Ethiopia and Yemen. It has an important symbolic value, it is the center of the local community, fundamental for the local ecosystem by providing Nutrition (fig fruits are edible eaten by people but also sheep, goats, monkeys, and birds.), Health (the leaves are used in traditional medicine), Shade (micro-climate formed under the tree), and offering a gathering place. Moreover, it has also a spiritual meaning, where to pray for God.
“Our work finds inspiration from nature. Like the Warka tree, we aim to serve the physical and spiritual needs of the community. Insects, animals, and plants develop specific strategies to live in a specific environment. Some of them are capable of collecting water from the air and to and store it to survive in the most hostile environments on earth. We also study the local culture, the craftsmanship and construction techniques, vernacular architecture, and ancient, forgotten traditions”, said Arturo Vittori.
Beyond potable water, we aim to empower the local ethnic groups and to restore the natural ecosystem. To bring a positive impact on the community by invigorating the local economy and providing women and children opportunities to invest their time in care, education, and other cultural and productive activities..
Decrease infant mortality. Support food security. Improve health conditions. Improve safety in the living environment. Give women more time to care for children. Empower local economy. Preserve local community culture. Preserve and restore the local natural ecosystem. Teach children basic health education. Diffusion of sustainable construction methods. Increase in school attendance. Increase incomes generation.
After the construction of the first Warka Tower pilot in Ethiopia , in 2015, we rapidly realized that similar issues were unfortunately present in other communities in different geographical areas. Currently, we are active in Cameroon where we are constructing the Warka Village. We are also undertaking the first steps to bring help to some rural isolated communities in Haiti, Togo.
The main activities we undertake to develop our projects can be summarised in 3 steps:
PREPARATION R&D / Analysis / Founding / Communication / Sites Selection / Proposals
PROGRESS Training / Construction / Supervision / Implementation
RUNNING Education / Training / Monitoring & Maintenance / Economy / Environment
Our Action meets the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals and it is addressed to the implementation of some of the 17 global challenges we are facing including poverty (1), clean energy (7), inequality (10), sustainable communities (11), climate change (13), environmental degradation (15), clean water and sanitation (6), etc.
