Port-au-Prince, Haiti, May 13, 2013
– IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, is helping dloHaiti, a new
water distribution company, build a network of kiosks to provide underserved
Haitian communities with access to affordable, safe drinking water while
also creating job opportunities.
In Haiti, access to piped water systems
is generally very limited, serving only about a third of Haiti’s urban
poor and fewer than a third of its rural poor. The alternatives provided
by water delivery companies are often unreliable and expensive. By establishing
kiosks where water is purified on site and distributed to nearby communities,
dloHaiti can provide a cheaper, cleaner water source that is more convenient
to consumers. In addition, dloHaiti is expected to create, approximately
600 direct and indirect jobs for Haitians who will be employed both at
the kiosks and as distributors and delivery agents.
“DloHaiti is installing its first 40
water kiosks, which will provide filtered water to more than 145,000 people,
mainly in small towns and rapidly-growing peri-urban areas,” said Jim
Chu, founder and CEO of dloHaiti. “Access to safe drinking water has been
one of Haiti’s most critical public health problems. Our vision is to
address this need with a market-based solution that is both sustainable
and efficient.”
Following an initial two-year pilot
phase, dloHaiti plans to establish a 300-kiosk Haiti-wide network that
could serve more than one million Haitian consumers and create more than
4,000 direct and indirect jobs.
IFC’s $820,000 equity investment in
dloHaiti is provided by IFC InfraVentures, an early-stage equity investment
fund which supports infrastructure projects in the world’s poorest countries.
It helps address constraints to private investment in infrastructure projects,
including the limited availability of funds and experienced professionals
dedicated to private infrastructure project development.
“The risk of disease from untreated
drinking water is often borne by those who are most vulnerable. Across
Haiti, poor communities are struggling with intermittent water service,
rundown infrastructure, and unreliable water treatment. Some must walk
for miles for a bucket of clean water,” said Ary Naim, IFC’s Representative
in Haiti. “DloHaiti offers a solution for those who are currently living
beyond the limits of public infrastructure or water trucking.”
IFC’s portfolio in Haiti amounts to
$52 million, including $13 million mobilized from other partners. We operate
in sectors such as hospitality, energy, access to finance, and manufacturing.
Our strategy focuses on creating jobs, access to basic infrastructure,
and income opportunities for Haitians.
About IFC
IFC, a member of the World Bank Group,
is the largest global development institution focused exclusively on the
private sector. We help developing countries achieve sustainable growth
by financing investment, mobilizing capital in international financial
markets, and providing advisory services to businesses and governments.
In FY12, our investments reached an all-time high of more than $20 billion,
leveraging the power of the private sector to create jobs, spark innovation,
and tackle the world’s most pressing development challenges. For more
information, visit www.ifc.org.
About dloHaiti
DloHaiti is led by a team of Haitian
and Silicon Valley entrepreneurs with experience in the water business,
including water kiosk operations in Haiti. Investors include the International
Finance Corporation (IFC), the Leopard Haiti Fund, the Netherlands Development
Finance Company (FMO), Miyamoto International and its CEO and Founder,
Jim Chu. In March 2013, dloHaiti was named a finalist and runner-up in
Imagine H2O’s annual international competition recognizing the world’s
most promising water start-ups.
Stay Connected
|