Aquassistance Organization

The latest issue

October 2008

 Revue Actions Aquassistance mars 2009.pdf

Lisette Provencher has left Aquassistance to assume new responsibilities within the Suez Environnement Group. For over six years, she has embodied our association and has been the main actor of its development: large increase in the number of projects, affirmation of the reputation of Aquassistance with partners and donors, increased external funding, obtaining and renewing the quality management certificate, increased mobilization of Suez Group employees for the organization of the Aquassistance days resulting in a significant increase in membership ...

Everyone has appreciated her effectiveness, her organizational skills, her technical competence, her knowledge of the projects and countries in which the association operates and her availability, her even temper, her kindness and … her delicious accent. We wish her much success and satisfaction in her new job.

Jean-Claude Clermont, who was vice president of the association, has left GDF SUEZ to succeed her. With his long knowledge of the association, his diversified professional experience and our support, Jean-Claude has everything in hand to lead our association and I wish him much satisfaction in this new stage of his career.

After earning an engineering degree, Jean-Claude Clermont has spent most of his professional career in the management of public services in drinking water and sanitation.

After a first posting in the Société des Eaux de Marseille, he joined Lyonnaise des Eaux in 1989 as Director of Operations in Great Britain and then in Italy before becoming Director of Operations at the Directorate of International in Lyonnaise des Eaux Dumez. In 1996, he joined the Department of Water France as Director of the Regional Centre of Lyonnaise des Eaux in Bordeaux.

In recent years, he has been at the Headquarter of the Suez Group, in the Direction of Performance and Organization.

Jean-Claude Clermont has been a member of Aquassistance since its inception and has been Vice-Chairman of the Board since 2000.

  After almost seven years in the management team of Aquassistance, the time has come to step down, not without a pang of sadness. I will not present a report of my actions, only speak directly to you:

Interview with Jean-Marie Battarel (Part 1) 

  He is one of the members who has carried out the largest number of missions (almost thirty-five just for Aquassistance), from Mali to Afghanistan via Sudan, Sri Lanka, Haiti or Mexico. His profession, hydrogeology, which he exercised for SAFEGE, is a key skill for many projects. We thought it would be a good idea to ask him some questions about this rich experience of helping humanity.

Interview with Jean-Marie Battarel (Part 2)

  He is one of the members who has carried out the largest number of missions (almost thirty-five just for Aquassistance), from Mali to Afghanistan via Sudan, Sri Lanka, Haiti or Mexico. His profession, hydrogeology, which he exercised for SAFEGE, is a key skill for many projects. We thought it would be a good idea to ask him some questions about this rich experience of helping humanity.

Village water systems in Kolokani - Genesis of a project

by Jean-François Bost

The Kolokani Circle is located between 60 and 80 km north-west of Bamako. It has approximately 200 000 inhabitants in 285 villages, grouped into ten districts covering an area of 14 380 km2. Kolokani, the capital, is a small town of 10 000 inhabitants. The region is among the poorest of Mali in the South Sahel area affected by drought.

 The Town of Viroflay (Yvelines) and the Kolokani Circle have developed cooperative relations over the last 25 years. This partnership, was completed by the German town of Hassloch (Rhineland-Palatinate) which has been twinned with Viroflay for more than 40 years and a partnership agreement was signed between the three parties in March 2003

Providing water is not only a technical problem

by Alexia Giroud

  In the project for the Kolokani Circle, Aquassistance provided its hydrogeological and managerial expertise in the form of Jean-Marie Battarel and Alexia Giroud. But this is not enough to ensure the sustainability of the project. For this, the population concerned has to share the same objectives and has to take charge of its future.

  It is through a contribution of 600 000 CFA to be provided by the beneficiaries for the purchase of pumps that the project emphasizes the responsibility of the population to preserve its watering points. 

  The programmes revolve around several axes all with the aim of ensuring the sustainability of the water supply projects. Beforehand, socioeconomic studies were conducted to better understand how each village functions and establish an inventory of the existing state of affairs for each of them. The programmes also constituted a support for dissemination of information on the ins and outs and conditions of the funding of project.