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.
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