The News

Armenia CEWP Project Features Innovative Technologies

• Solar Water Heating – a passive solar water heating system collects solar energy and transfers it—via a heat exchange system—to a water tank, thus providing warm, comfortable water for washing or bathing all year round.

• Radiant Heating – employs infrared rays to heat the objects and surfaces in a room directly, instead of heating the air in the room in order to indirectly heat objects. The system provides an excellent solution for large spaces that need to be heated quickly, and has been shown to save 20-50% on fuel consumption when compared with traditional forced air heating systems.

• Polyethylene piping – offers a corrosion free and leak free alternative to metal piping in water networks. Installation of polyethylene piping in rural water networks significantly reduces water loss and the potential for contamination, thus improving both energy efficiency and safety.

• LED Efficient Lighting – provides an alternative to traditional incandescent lighting that significantly improves the efficiency, longevity, and quality of lighting systems. LED bulbs also contain no environmentally harmful substances and can be recycled.

ME&A Team Joins SID 2014 Conference

Again this year, ME&A was pleased to be among the sponsors of the Society for International Development (SID) Annual Conference held in Washington, DC, on May 20, 2014. The theme of the 2014 Conference was "Delivering Results in a Changing World." ME&A team members hosted a booth in the exhibition hall, and had the opportunity to talk with many SID members.

Some 900 development professionals participated in this year's conference along with multiple exhibitors including ME&A. Dr. Rajiv Shah, the Administrator of USAID, delivered the keynote address.

USAID Program Brings Safe Water to Rural Armenia

ME&A through the USAID-funded Clean Energy and Water Program (CEWP) currently sponsors safe water supply projects in four rural Armenian communities. The projects are being implemented by USAID's CEW Program and the Armenian Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Assets (FPWC).

An event to launch the projects was held recently in the community of Lukashin, where one of the four water supply projects will be implemented. The inaugural event was attended by USAID Mission Director Dr. Karen Hilliard, VivaCell General Manager Ralph Yirikian, and Lukashin Mayor Karen Mkrtchyan.

The four projects will address issues of dated infrastructure and limited water access in the communities. By laying new piping, installing pumping and reservoir stations where needed, and adding water metering systems to the water networks, the communities' water safety, efficiency, and access will be significantly improved from two to three hours of access a day to 24-hour access.

USAID Launches “Water and Development Strategy Implementation Field Guide”

Working under USAID’s Water Sector Communications and Knowledge Management (WS/CKM) Program, the ME&A CKM TEAM recently managed the launch of USAID’s  first ever Water and Development Strategy Implementation Field Guide, which will provide the framework for Agency-wide programming on water through 2018.
 
The overarching goal of the Water Strategy is to save lives and advance development through improvements in water supply, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), as well as through sound management and the use of water for food security. To achieve this goal, the new strategy sets two strategic objectives: 1) focus on water for health, and 2) focus on water for food.

ME&A was awarded the WS/CKM Program Task Order under USAID’s Water II Indefinite Quantity Contract (IQC).