In December 2021, EFE released the announcement and invitation to apply for The Velaj Foundation Alumni Community Service Award. The Award is designed to fund up to 1,000 USD for projects or initiatives proposed by EFE alumni that will have a positive impact on their communities. The purpose of The Velaj Foundation Alumni Community Service Award is to promote leadership, teamwork, and innovation among EFE’s alumni while having a positive impact on communities in the MENA region.

The selected alumni community service project in Algeria aimed to provide clean water access to nomadic populations and endangered wildlife in Tamekrest, a desertic and underserved community in the southern Wilaya of Tamanrasset, through a low-cost hydraulic pump and maintenance training to local residents. After project approval, a coordination meeting was held between the project team and a university physics teacher to facilitate the construction of the prototype in terms of calculation. The meeting was facilitated by EFE and also included the incubator #Tek2hub, who generously offered to support the project.


With the Tamekrest Waterfalls being a protected site, it was decided to organize a presentation of the project to the executives of the National Office of the Ahaggar Park, as well as to the Director of the Wilaya of Agriculture and the Conservator of Forests of the Wilaya of Tamanrasset. Following this meeting, the Directorate of Forests and the Directorate of Agriculture agreed to support the project and to provide trees that could be watered by the project system. The funds provided by The Velaj Foundation have made possible the following activities: Rethinking the design of the ram pump using exclusively HDPE pipes to reduce the impact of metal elements on the waterfall water the natural environment; Procurement of equipment; Preliminary assembly of the pump and conducting of water quality tests; Design, manufacturing, and construction of a terracotta waterfall basin; Installation of the pump on site; Carrying out on-site tests; Planting of trees on site; and, training of residents on site..


Read a summary of the report: Summary of EFE Tamekrest TTP Project

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