The Rainmaker Enterprise

James launched the Rainmaker Enterprise at the One Young World Summit in Ottawa, back in 2016, supported by his award from the Resolution Project. The initiative installs clean water systems in rural South Sudan to tackle health-related and economic problems resulting from poor sanitation and hygiene.

Rainmaker Enterprise provides water systems for communities without access to clean water, and additionally provides education for community members to become leaders on sanitation and hygiene. The systems provide the remedy, and the education makes the project more sustainable as it teaches members of the community to support and maintain the installations.

The first installation was completed in June 2019, and serves over 3,000 people with clean and safe drinking water. The project’s installation also benefited the community in terms of labour, as it provided employment for 50 people within the local economy. The initiative has instantly born fruit, as the walking time to collect water has reduced from two and a half hours to 15 minutes. This heightens productivity of agriculture, and allows children more time for school. There has also been a reduction in resource conflict.

A second installation has provided the same solution to a further 4,000 people in a different local community. In both these projects a selection of women in the communities have been educated in good hygiene, and taught to be community leaders to ensure best practice and prevent the degradation of the installations.

The next stage for Rainmaker Enterprise is to install solar-powered water pumps to support local agriculture and improve food security, beginning in Spring 2020.

The initial funding which James received at the Summit has since been supplemented by substantial support from the UK government’s Department for International Development through the Humanitarian Grant Challenge Fund. He has also received priceless mentorship from, and access to the network of, Lord Michael Hastings, One Young World Counsellor.