Monrovia, Liberia – The United Methodist University (UMU) has concluded a two-week program for five universities nationwide aimed at educating students about water, sanitation, and solar installation. Twenty-eight students from different colleges around the nation came together for the installation instruction.
Stella Maris Polytechnic University, United Methodist University, Harbel College, AMEU, PSI, and BTFS are among the universities that took part in the program.
The training’s goal, according to Dr. Dorothee Spuhler, WASH Specialist, Global Coordinator, was to educate students on the value of water safety, sanitation, and hygiene for human life.
He stated that the training’s main goal was to create a simple and dependable procedure, and that gravity-driven membrane (GDM) filtration was one of the technological options.
He also said that a prototype was created to show the technology’s layout and functionality during the training.
By forcing water through a unique membrane with the pressure generated by a water column in the tank, it is mainly intended to eliminate microorganisms. The modular design of the prototype allows it to be expanded for greater capacity or coupled with multiple pre-post treatment phases. Despite the potential high initial cost, membrane technology is intended for low-maintenance everyday operation. But to keep the system operating, periodic cleaning is still necessary,” he added.
According to Dr. Spuhler, they will support the SDGs in the global south through collaboration initiatives that span a variety of topics and expertise areas through the multidisciplinary platform for Cooperation for Global Sustainable Development Contribute (GS@OST).
The goal, according to the WASH Specialist, is to provide the tools and solutions necessary to boost economic growth and resilience in order to better the lives of people who reside in areas with little resources.
“We accomplish this through interdisciplinary collaboration, partnerships, knowledge transfer, and development,” Dr. Spuhler stated.
The organization’s thematic approach and technology development encompasses water, renewable energy, recycling, construction, health, and spatial planning, Dr. Spuhler added. The organization’s goal is to create strong solutions for the global south, where resources are often limited and the framework conditions are complex and challenging, which also makes the solutions appealing in Switzerland.
He said, in order to build technically, socially, and economically appropriate solutions, the methodologically depend on basic engineering methods and integrate them with fields from community development and health care.
“We develop equal partnership, co-creation, action research, and the participation of academic and non-academic stakeholders from the communities directly in all of our projects,” he disclosed.
The platform is hosted by the Department of Technology’s institutions UMTEC and SPF, Dr. Spuhler said, adding that initiatives are carried out in collaboration with partner institutions from different university departments.
He said that registration is available from March 18 to April 1st, 2025, and will be publicized individually. He also stated that the next training, which is accessible to all OST students, will take place during the week of September 9th to September 14th, 2025.
According to the WASH Specialist, they concentrate on finding solutions that enhance the quality of life for those who reside in areas with restricted access.
The initiatives are broken down into three thematic categories, he added, with the first one taking relevant technology into consideration.
“In order to assist long-term systemic sustainable development, we are also working on planning support and capacity building,” Dr. Schuhler continued.
Reported by: Prince Saah
Contact: +231778239813
Email: saahprince119@gmail.com
