Combating water scarcity and securing interventions

It is estimated that by 2024, over a million people in France will have no access to drinking water. These people live in precarious housing (squats, shanty towns, camps, etc.) with no access to water or sanitation facilities in their homes.

The NGO Solidarités International, which previously only worked abroad, has been addressing this issue since the Covid crisis. With the support of the Veolia Foundation, the NGO carried out operations to provide temporary access to water in unhealthy camps. Since then, it has developed operations in six areas of France, becoming a key non-governmental player on the issue of access to water for ‘unconnected/precarious’ groups.

The issue is becoming all the more pressing as regulations have been tightened and, over the next few years, will force water service managers to take action to help these vulnerable groups. Against this backdrop, Solidarités International is determined to strengthen its French division and become a key partner for the water industry. The NGO is supported by the Veolia Foundation in two related areas.

Capitalising on experience to strengthen future actions

Solidarités International has increased its number of interventions since 2020. It now intends to capitalise on these missions to define a methodology and produce a technical directory of solutions. This catalogue will list specific technical features, costs and feedback.

Making operations safer by training staff 

Solidarités International's Mission France is a young organisation that needs to develop its skills in the area of workplace safety. The work carried out in precarious habitats confronts the NGO's staff with environments marked by hazards.

The Veolia Foundation is offering support, mainly in the form of skills sponsorship, to characterise the risks present, measure how dangerous they are and train Solidarités International staff in how to manage them properly. Veoliaforce experts in workplace safety are made available to organise training sessions after accompanying the NGO in the field. The aim is to mitigate the risks associated with the operating environment and to ensure that Solidarité International's future missions take place in a context that is better understood.