Bremen Overseas Research and Development Association
Encyclopedia
The Bremen Overseas Research and Development Association (BORDA) is a non-profit international development organization headquartered in Bremen
, Germany
and regional offices in India
, Indonesia
, and Tanzania
. It began its work in 1977, starting with its first project, “Technology Transfer of Biogas India-Ethiopia.” Since then it has been active in the delivery of basic needs services across the developing world, from India, to Indonesia, to Southern Africa.
, including India and Afghanistan; Southeast Asia
, which includes China
, Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines, Laos, Nepal and Cambodia; and Southern Africa
, comprising the SADC
-region states of Lesotho, Sambia, South Africa, and Tanzania.
Currently, BORDA - South Asia (BORDA-SA) works in nine Indian states, as well as neighboring regions. In Nepal
BORDA co-operates with ENPHO. BORDA-SA and its partners have been contracted by international development organizations, including GTZ (Germany), AusAid (Australia), CEU, and InWent, as well as national and local governments.
BORDA-SA supports a development cooperation network of 13 partner organizations, and by extension over 100 development experts in providing basic needs services. Over 110 DEWATS projects have been implemented, together with more than 65 Decentralized Energy Supplies and 60 Water Supplies.
In Indonesia
, BORDA strongly emphasis on the enhancement of DESWAM as well as continuing the national program of community based sanitation (SANIMAS) through the dissemination of DEWATS. Best practices are transferred into technical and social implementation standard as well as improving the involved human resources capacity through trainings and certification. The working group on Indonesian's national policy on water supply and sanitation is co-operating with BORDA and its local NGO partners as the main supporting network for community based sanitation (CBS) with more than 500 implementations - including school based sanitation and 14 DESWAM until the end of 2010. Local NGO partners are Balifokus, LPTP (Lembaga Pengembangan Teknologi Pedesaan - Center for Community-Based Environmental Technology) and B.E.S.T.
In the Philippines
, BORDA is co-operating with BNS Philippines to introduce DEWATS as a viable option for waste water and environmental health problems in urban areas. Transferring know-how was conducted by Indonesian experts within the context of the BORDA south-south dissemination program. By now, BNS is a well known service provider for DEWATS in the Philippines.
In Cambodia, specialists on DEWATS from Indonesia have been facilitated by BORDA and its partner organization ESC (Environmental Services Cambodia) to support in enhancing its' capacity concerning DEWATS know-how. 3 DEWATS plants were inaugurated in 2010. Cooperations with national and international stakeholders will allow a start up of DEWATS as an application for waste water management in Cambodia mainly for communities, schools and hospitals.
In Vietnam
, the BORDA maintains a branch office. Indonesian specialists support the capacity building at the Vietname Partners at Vietnam Institute for Water Resources concerning DEWATS applications. In earlier years the Organization implemented the Hydraulic Ram
(HydRam) technology as well as the use of biogas
, energy-saving stoves, and solar panels, supported the introduction of HPC
's turbine
pumps and Decentralized Waste Water Treatment System (DEWATS) technology.
In Laos
, BORDA co-operates with LIRE (Lao Institute for Renewable Energy) to implement DEWATS projects in one of Southeast Asias least developed countries. Institutional cooperation takes place at national and local level as well as in between LIRE and international organizations (e.g. JICA) to improve basic needs services in the field of sanitation for communities and schools.
based NGO. In February 2010, a regional office was established in Dar es Salaam
, Tanzania
. The regional office coordinates the program activities, facilitates a constantly growing BNS network within the SADC region and links up with BNS networks in South and South-East Asia. Further more BORDA co-operates with the Water and Sanitation Association of Zambia
(WASAZA), based in Lusaka
. The BORDA BNS network develops and delivers the following service packages: Decentralized wastewater and urban sludge management, Community-Based Sanitation (CBS) with integrated wastewater treatment for community and public sanitation center and simplified sewer systems, School-Based Sanitation (SBS), Decentralized solid waste management (DESWAM), Biogas technologies, City Wide Sanitation Planning, Health & hygiene education (HE) and health impact assessment (HIA) and Quality management. All service packages are adapted to the conditions and requirements of the individual country and are supported by an adequate quality management system
(QMS).
In February 2009 a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between BORDA and the Department of Water and Sanitation of the eThekwini Municipality (EWS) in the province KwaZulu Natal, South Africa
for a demonstration and research DEWATS plant to be designed, constructed, commissioned and operated at Newlands-Mashu, Durban
. In October 2010 the biogas settler and the anaerobic baffled reactor (ABR) were seeded with biomass.
In June 2010 EWS, HERING South Africa, the Pollution Research Group (PRG) of the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) and BORDA agreed to co-operate to achieve transfer of technology and know-how transfer for planning, installation and operation of prefabricated community ablution blocks (CABs) to offer improved sanitation services to communities. Based on this Public-Private-Partnership-Project BORDA SADC established a new office in Shakas Head, in the north of Durban. The premises are shared with HERING South Africa.
• As mechanical supplies are scarce, water-lifting services by Hydraulic Rams provide a continuous water supply for essential sanitation & agriculture purposes.
• Appropriate capacity building measures ensure that villagers handle management tasks in co-operation with partner organisations.
• More than 1.200 project implementations facilitated.
• Technical options within DEWATS are based on a modular and partly standardized design. DEWATS projects are carried out in Indonesia, India, China
, Vietnam and the Philippines.
• More than 150 project implementations facilitated
• Cooperation with communities, NGOs, key-stakeholders and political decision-makers.
• Holistic project framework: Besides improving sanitation infrastructure, operation and maintenance systems must be developed with participating stakeholders that ensure the sustainability of measures to improve basic sanitation and community hygiene.
• More than 100 project implementations facilitated
• Good Practices of solid waste management are characterized by the 3 R principles: „Reduce – Reuse – Recycle“
• Cooperation of residents, local waste pickers and local government departments is essential to plan lasting for decentralized solid waste management solutions.
• More than 20 project implementations facilitated
• Partner organizations are trained to become „Micro-Utilities“ and act as vital service providers in marginalized regions.
• More than 100 project implementations facilitated
an early stage.
• Target groups and stakeholders need to be informed about different options in a systematic manner to ensure high participation during planning and management.
• Available technical and management options are adapted to
preferences of stakeholders and target groups
• Increased efforts are made to standardize products and services
in order to improve efficient dissemination.
, The Hindi, The Jakarta Post
, and a number of smaller local news sources.
Below is a selection of recent media coverage.
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and regional offices in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, and Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
. It began its work in 1977, starting with its first project, “Technology Transfer of Biogas India-Ethiopia.” Since then it has been active in the delivery of basic needs services across the developing world, from India, to Indonesia, to Southern Africa.
Regional Offices
BORDA's main areas of operation are South AsiaSouth Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
, including India and Afghanistan; Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
, which includes China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines, Laos, Nepal and Cambodia; and Southern Africa
Southern Africa
Southern Africa is the southernmost region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. Within the region are numerous territories, including the Republic of South Africa ; nowadays, the simpler term South Africa is generally reserved for the country in English.-UN...
, comprising the SADC
Southern African Development Community
The Southern African Development Community is an inter-governmental organization headquartered in Gaborone, Botswana. Its goal is to further socio-economic cooperation and integration as well as political and security cooperation among 15 southern African states...
-region states of Lesotho, Sambia, South Africa, and Tanzania.
South Asia
BORDA has worked in India since 1979, making it the oldest region to be served by the organization. Recently, BORDA also began limited aid work in Afghanistan. Programs implemented span the range of BORDA offerings, from Decentralized Wastewater Treatment (DEWATS) to Decentralized Energy Supplies.Currently, BORDA - South Asia (BORDA-SA) works in nine Indian states, as well as neighboring regions. In Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
BORDA co-operates with ENPHO. BORDA-SA and its partners have been contracted by international development organizations, including GTZ (Germany), AusAid (Australia), CEU, and InWent, as well as national and local governments.
BORDA-SA supports a development cooperation network of 13 partner organizations, and by extension over 100 development experts in providing basic needs services. Over 110 DEWATS projects have been implemented, together with more than 65 Decentralized Energy Supplies and 60 Water Supplies.
Southeast Asia
The main emphasis of BORDA SEA is DEWATS, in particular DEWATS CBS, SME's and the establishment of community based organisations to provide sustainable operation and maintenance of the facilities. For upscaling the DESWAM (decentralized solid waste management for low income urban communities) service package BORDA SEA develops in co-operation with IDRC (International Research Development Centre) a pro poor carbon financing scheme under the Kyoto protocol.In Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, BORDA strongly emphasis on the enhancement of DESWAM as well as continuing the national program of community based sanitation (SANIMAS) through the dissemination of DEWATS. Best practices are transferred into technical and social implementation standard as well as improving the involved human resources capacity through trainings and certification. The working group on Indonesian's national policy on water supply and sanitation is co-operating with BORDA and its local NGO partners as the main supporting network for community based sanitation (CBS) with more than 500 implementations - including school based sanitation and 14 DESWAM until the end of 2010. Local NGO partners are Balifokus, LPTP (Lembaga Pengembangan Teknologi Pedesaan - Center for Community-Based Environmental Technology) and B.E.S.T.
In the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, BORDA is co-operating with BNS Philippines to introduce DEWATS as a viable option for waste water and environmental health problems in urban areas. Transferring know-how was conducted by Indonesian experts within the context of the BORDA south-south dissemination program. By now, BNS is a well known service provider for DEWATS in the Philippines.
In Cambodia, specialists on DEWATS from Indonesia have been facilitated by BORDA and its partner organization ESC (Environmental Services Cambodia) to support in enhancing its' capacity concerning DEWATS know-how. 3 DEWATS plants were inaugurated in 2010. Cooperations with national and international stakeholders will allow a start up of DEWATS as an application for waste water management in Cambodia mainly for communities, schools and hospitals.
In Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, the BORDA maintains a branch office. Indonesian specialists support the capacity building at the Vietname Partners at Vietnam Institute for Water Resources concerning DEWATS applications. In earlier years the Organization implemented the Hydraulic Ram
Hydraulic ram
A hydraulic ram, or hydram, is a cyclic water pump powered by hydropower. It functions as a hydraulic transformer that takes in water at one "hydraulic head" and flow-rate, and outputs water at a higher hydraulic-head and lower flow-rate...
(HydRam) technology as well as the use of biogas
Biogas
Biogas typically refers to a gas produced by the biological breakdown of organic matter in the absence of oxygen. Organic waste such as dead plant and animal material, animal dung, and kitchen waste can be converted into a gaseous fuel called biogas...
, energy-saving stoves, and solar panels, supported the introduction of HPC
HPC
HPC may refer to:* Handheld PC* Hasty Pudding cipher* Health Professions Council* Hemangiopericytoma* Hematopoietic progenitor cell* High-performance computing** Windows HPC Server 2008, an operating system for high-performance computing by Microsoft...
's turbine
Turbine
A turbine is a rotary engine that extracts energy from a fluid flow and converts it into useful work.The simplest turbines have one moving part, a rotor assembly, which is a shaft or drum with blades attached. Moving fluid acts on the blades, or the blades react to the flow, so that they move and...
pumps and Decentralized Waste Water Treatment System (DEWATS) technology.
In Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
, BORDA co-operates with LIRE (Lao Institute for Renewable Energy) to implement DEWATS projects in one of Southeast Asias least developed countries. Institutional cooperation takes place at national and local level as well as in between LIRE and international organizations (e.g. JICA) to improve basic needs services in the field of sanitation for communities and schools.
Southern Africa
In September 2006, BORDA started the SADC BNS program through co-operation with TED (Technology for Economic Development), a LesothoLesotho
Lesotho , officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a landlocked country and enclave, surrounded by the Republic of South Africa. It is just over in size with a population of approximately 2,067,000. Its capital and largest city is Maseru. Lesotho is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. The name...
based NGO. In February 2010, a regional office was established in Dar es Salaam
Dar es Salaam
Dar es Salaam , formerly Mzizima, is the largest city in Tanzania. It is also the country's richest city and a regionally important economic centre. Dar es Salaam is actually an administrative province within Tanzania, and consists of three local government areas or administrative districts: ...
, Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
. The regional office coordinates the program activities, facilitates a constantly growing BNS network within the SADC region and links up with BNS networks in South and South-East Asia. Further more BORDA co-operates with the Water and Sanitation Association of Zambia
Zambia
Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
(WASAZA), based in Lusaka
Lusaka
Lusaka is the capital and largest city of Zambia. It is located in the southern part of the central plateau, at an elevation of about 1,300 metres . It has a population of about 1.7 million . It is a commercial centre as well as the centre of government, and the four main highways of Zambia head...
. The BORDA BNS network develops and delivers the following service packages: Decentralized wastewater and urban sludge management, Community-Based Sanitation (CBS) with integrated wastewater treatment for community and public sanitation center and simplified sewer systems, School-Based Sanitation (SBS), Decentralized solid waste management (DESWAM), Biogas technologies, City Wide Sanitation Planning, Health & hygiene education (HE) and health impact assessment (HIA) and Quality management. All service packages are adapted to the conditions and requirements of the individual country and are supported by an adequate quality management system
Quality management system
A quality management system can be expressed as the organizational structure, procedures, processes and resources needed to implement quality management.-Elements of a Quality Management System:# Organizational structure# Responsibilities# Methods...
(QMS).
In February 2009 a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between BORDA and the Department of Water and Sanitation of the eThekwini Municipality (EWS) in the province KwaZulu Natal, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
for a demonstration and research DEWATS plant to be designed, constructed, commissioned and operated at Newlands-Mashu, Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
. In October 2010 the biogas settler and the anaerobic baffled reactor (ABR) were seeded with biomass.
In June 2010 EWS, HERING South Africa, the Pollution Research Group (PRG) of the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) and BORDA agreed to co-operate to achieve transfer of technology and know-how transfer for planning, installation and operation of prefabricated community ablution blocks (CABs) to offer improved sanitation services to communities. Based on this Public-Private-Partnership-Project BORDA SADC established a new office in Shakas Head, in the north of Durban. The premises are shared with HERING South Africa.
Decentralized Water Supply
• Remote mountainous villages in Asia are often located far above streams and rivers.• As mechanical supplies are scarce, water-lifting services by Hydraulic Rams provide a continuous water supply for essential sanitation & agriculture purposes.
• Appropriate capacity building measures ensure that villagers handle management tasks in co-operation with partner organisations.
• More than 1.200 project implementations facilitated.
Decentalized Wastewater Treatment (with DEWATS)
• DEWATS projects support micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises, institutions as well as public administrations in planning, designing and constructing effective, reliable, cost efficient and custom-made wastewater treatment systems.• Technical options within DEWATS are based on a modular and partly standardized design. DEWATS projects are carried out in Indonesia, India, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Vietnam and the Philippines.
• More than 150 project implementations facilitated
Community-Based Sanitation (CBS)
• Improved public health and reduced water pollution.• Cooperation with communities, NGOs, key-stakeholders and political decision-makers.
• Holistic project framework: Besides improving sanitation infrastructure, operation and maintenance systems must be developed with participating stakeholders that ensure the sustainability of measures to improve basic sanitation and community hygiene.
• More than 100 project implementations facilitated
Decentralized Solid Waste Management
• A regular and environmentally friendly collection & disposal of solid waste is demanded by residents and local governments of Asian cities.• Good Practices of solid waste management are characterized by the 3 R principles: „Reduce – Reuse – Recycle“
• Cooperation of residents, local waste pickers and local government departments is essential to plan lasting for decentralized solid waste management solutions.
• More than 20 project implementations facilitated
Decentralized Energy Supply
• Decentralized power generation by MicroHydro Turbines that are powered by the flow-energy of mountain streams is a proven method to provide remote villages with electricity for productive and household purposes.• Partner organizations are trained to become „Micro-Utilities“ and act as vital service providers in marginalized regions.
• More than 100 project implementations facilitated
Knonwledge and Quality Management
• To achieve high quality standards of measures and services, local implementation capacity, competence and expertise must be built atan early stage.
• Target groups and stakeholders need to be informed about different options in a systematic manner to ensure high participation during planning and management.
• Available technical and management options are adapted to
preferences of stakeholders and target groups
• Increased efforts are made to standardize products and services
in order to improve efficient dissemination.
Achievements
- BORDA's efforts in wastewater management have helped to improve the lives of over 1,000,000 people.
- Training efforts have resulted in over 2000 engineers and technicians being successfully schooled in construction of low-cost sanitation measures.
In The News
BORDA has garnered press coverage in The Christian Science MonitorThe Christian Science Monitor
The Christian Science Monitor is an international newspaper published daily online, Monday to Friday, and weekly in print. It was started in 1908 by Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of the Church of Christ, Scientist. As of 2009, the print circulation was 67,703.The CSM is a newspaper that covers...
, The Hindi, The Jakarta Post
The Jakarta Post
The Jakarta Post is a daily English language newspaper in Indonesia. The paper is owned by PT Bina Media Tenggara, and the head office is in the nation's capital, Jakarta....
, and a number of smaller local news sources.
Below is a selection of recent media coverage.
- Saqaf, Syed Muthahar. Exnora to provide technical help to install two more water treatment systems in Musiri. The Hindi. July 9, 2007.
- Chopra, Anuj. Pay as you go: clean-toilet program for India's towns. The Christian Science Monitor. February 15, 2007.
- Repe, Syril G. Hopes high for future clean waters off boulevard. Dumaguete Sun. Star. September 24, 2006.
- Bremer Tsunami-Hilfe. taz.de. June 7, 2005.