About Us

Kynarou » About us

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

Standardization

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

Self management

Promote self-management of populations by creating management committees in each village.

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.

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.

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.

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.