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RWU Expansion: Bringing Safe Water Closer, Cheaper, and Smarter

Posted on by chelseahodgkins

At Saha Global, our mission is simple yet ambitious: to bring safe, affordable water to every last-mile household. That mission is coming to life through the ongoing expansion of our Rural Water Utility (RWU) model across communities in Northern and Savannah Regions in Ghana.

Previously, these communities – Chandanyili, Nyeshila, Jarayili, Zolizogu and hundreds of others – operated under our Legacy Model, where trained women entrepreneurs treated and sold water stored in Safe Storage Containers (SSCs) provided by Saha. While this model made a difference, people in the communities were not drinking enough clean water to impact health. Saha water was treated more like luxury good, than the basic necessity that is it.  We saw the need to go further—improving access, lowering costs, and encouraging daily use of safe water.

Saha’s field officer, Amenyeku Dzorsah, talking to some community members in Chandanyili about the RWU transition.

Under our upgraded utility model, safe water is sold at highly reduced rates, making it more affordable for every household.  While the use of SSCs is still encouraged, households are now empowered to fetch safe water directly into their own clean containers. The goal is clear: boost consumption of safe water across the board.

We have also brought water closer to home. In many rural areas, women and children have had to walk over an hour just to fetch water. With Saha water treatment centres now located inside communities, that burden is now lifted—saving time, improving school attendance, and giving families a better quality of life.

Dzorsah and some operators in Jarayili in the Savannah Region

Our female water entrepreneurs—now called operators—are under formal contracts, receive allowances, and are monitored through KPIs and performance plans. Those who excel receive bonuses and recognition. All of these changes ensure that safe drinking water is available whenever people need it, in a convenient location, at a price all can afford 

So far, 268 water treatment centers been upgraded to the utility   model. We aim to upgrade all 454 communities by the end of 2025. With your support, we’re getting closer every day.
#WaterCloser #WaterCheaper #SafeWaterNow #SahaGlobal #RWUModel