NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Thursday, March 24, 2016

In cooperation with Water.org, the IKEA Foundation will enable 300,000 people to access clean water and sanitation over the next four years through a micro-finance loan program, foundation CEO Per Heggenes said during a discussion in Jakarta.

Around €4 million will be allocated to Indonesia and will see the construction of water wells and pipe connections to the homes of underprivileged communities in rural areas in Java and Sumatra, Heggenes said.

He said Water.org had created a model that would enable poor families to take out loans at a low interest rate.

The families currently spend a lot of money to buy water from vendors and by investing in installing pipes to connect their homes by availing of a one- or two-year loan would enable them to have permanent access to water and change their lives, he added.