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About Us

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Kynarou, created in 2004, takes its name from the Tamil word «Water Well»

The Kynarou association is a development association, recognized as being of public interest, promoting access to drinking water, sanitation and hygiene for underprivileged populations.

The main mission of Kynarou is the design and implementation of development projects, especially the establishment of sustainable access to drinking water, hygiene and health in underprivileged villages of the South.

Creationof the association

Kynarou was created following a first humanitarian mission, where we worked in India with the untouchables people who were suffering from lack of water and sanitation, due to the persistence of the caste system.

At the same time, the demand of local populations and partners (NGOs, SHG, social workers, local authorities) to assist them in setting up drinking water supply and sanitary structures has strongly motivated our action. It was therefore necessary to respond to this request urgently and effectively.

The Water and Development Initiative includes projects carried out since 2008. Its purpose is the standardization of drinking water supply networks and sanitation facilities in underprivileged areas of South India to improve the living conditions, hygiene and health conditions of populations. Indeed, the “health and hygiene” vectors can be considerably improved thanks to quality water and adapted hydraulic and sanitary installations.
 

Why Water?

Water, an increasingly rare commodity, is a common good of humanity, to which we should all have access. Yet, in the world, more than 2 billion people do not have access to quality water. Kynarou is committed to providing its beneficiaries with daily access to quality water in sufficient quantity.

of the population consumes hazardous water
of the populatin does not have access to drinking water
of human beings use water that is not safe
of people have no other choice but to defecate in the open air

Principlesof action

Improve access to essential services by standardizing hydraulic and sanitary structures in villages.

Standardization

Improve access to essential services by standardizing hydraulic and sanitary structures in villages.
Promote self-management of populations by creating management committees in each village.

Self management

Promote self-management of populations by creating management committees in each village.
Raise awareness and support people to good hygiene practices and water management.

Awareness

Raise awareness and support people to good hygiene practices and water management.

The projects of the Kynarou association are part of a precise logic that is essential to the feasibility and sustainability of our actions.

Thus, we pay special attention to realize our projects with the greatest possible objectivity. In India, for example, we must take into consideration in our reflection and actions the unequal system of Indian caste; however, our primary goal remains access to safe drinking water and sanitation for all without any distinction of caste and religion.

We wish after each project that the local populations are autonomous and can ensure the management of the works put in place. The formation of village management committees and the establishment of awareness programs throughout the duration of the projects and during post-project phases ensure the sustainability of the actions and make it possible to measure their impact from the beneficiaries.

TheKynarou method

Planning of development actions in collaboration with local populations and partners.
Planning of development actions in collaboration with local populations and partners.
Education of children and sensitization / support of the population in water management and basic hygiene.
Education of children and sensitization / support of the population in water management and basic hygiene.
Creation of management committees for each action component to ensure the proper functioning of hydraulic structures.
Creation of management committees for each action component to ensure the proper functioning of hydraulic structures.
Construction of water supply networks, drinking water and community health systems.
Construction of water supply networks, drinking water and community health systems.
Support and training management committees to ensure self-management of populations to new hydraulic structures.
Support and training management committees to ensure self-management of populations to new hydraulic structures.
Strengthening partnerships with local structures.
Strengthening partnerships with local structures.

Ourexpertise

Water, sanitation and hygiene

Kynarou has been working in the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sector since its creation in 2004. The projects implemented aim to improve the daily life of the beneficiaries, through the implementation of several actions

  • Construction and rehabilitation of drinking water networks (boreholes and distribution)
  • Construction of family latrines and community toilets
  • Distribution of water filters in schools and nurseries
  • Access to menstrual hygiene

Waste management

In the villages where we work, we also implement activities to reduce waste. In India and West Africa, waste, especially plastic, is piling up on the streets and in natural areas. This phenomenon has major consequences for the environment and the health of populations: pollution of natural resources and soil, destruction of biodiversity, unhealthy living areas, spread of diseases, etc. To complement the water and sanitation component, our projects also include activities related to waste management:

  • Implementation of integrated waste management systems
  • Waste recovery (production of compost, biogas and fuel briquettes) and creation of income generating activities
  • Capacity building of stakeholders in faecal sludge management in Burkina Faso

Family farming

Our teams work closely with the beneficiary populations and the local authorities, which allows them to listen to the demands and needs that emanate from the field. In a quest for constant improvement and in order to make our projects ever more impactful, we have over the years developed intervention components that complement our main actions. Following a local initiative in India, Kynarou added a family farming component to its projects in 2018. This new component, which is inseparable from water, has taken its place in Kynarou projects:

  • Setting up organic family vegetable gardens
  • Reuse of treated wastewater
  • Training women in agro-ecology techniques (fruit, vegetables, medicinal plants) and creating income-generating activities

Accompanying and strengthening the capacities of local populations and actors

The populations are involved from the design phase and throughout the project, in order to guarantee good ownership of the project and its sustainability. We organise training and awareness-raising programmes that continue beyond the implementation of the project. We accompany the political and technical actors and the beneficiary populations in order to ensure an effective relay of our actions. The outcome of our projects aims at the autonomy of the populations in the long term.

The team

The association is composed of a Board of Directors and three operational offices: in France, in India and in West Africa (Burkina Faso). It is present through its head office in Paris but also through its branches in the Occitanie and Pays de la Loire regions.

The operational team in France is based in the Hérault region. In total, 22 employees (1 in France, 6 in Burkina Faso, 15 in India) work in these 3 territories.

Board of Directors

The Kynarou team: Francesca

Francesca

President
The Kynarou team: Thomas

Thomas

Vice President
The Kynarou team: Brice

Brice

Secretary General
The Kynarou team: Lisa

Lisa

Treasurer
The Kynarou team: Yves

Yves

Alternate Treasurer
The Kynarou team: Camille

Camille

Engineering, technical
The Kynarou team: Annie

Annie

Pays de la Loire Branch Office

France Team

The Kynarou team: Sophie

Sophie

Director

India Team

The Kynarou team: Radja

Radja

Director India
The Kynarou team: Arumugam

Arumugam

Local partner director CSD
The Kynarou team: Venkatesan

 Venkatesan

Chief Accountant
The Kynarou team: Vaidhegi

Vaidhegi

Accountant
The Kynarou team: Neelakandan

Neelakandan

Field Coordinator India
The Kynarou team: Rajkumar

Rajkumar

Site coordinator
The Kynarou team: Meena

Meena

Educator
The Kynarou team: Veeramani

Veeramani

Site supervisor

West Africa team

The Kynarou team: Christian

Christian

Director Burkina Faso
The Kynarou team: Faiza

Faiza

Field Coordinator Burkina Faso
The Kynarou team: Rebecca

Rebecca

Head of studies and partnerships Burkina Faso
The Kynarou team: Louis-Pascal

Louis-Pascal

WASH Project Manager Burkina Faso
The Kynarou team: Oumar

Oumar

WASH Project Officer Burkina Faso
The Kynarou team: Misbas

Misbas

WASH Project Officer Burkina Faso
The Kynarou team: Yawo

Yawo

General Coordinator Togo
The Kynarou team: Bruno

Bruno

General Coordinator Benin