Akvo secures more funding, shows way to ‘new reporting’

Remember I posted the above video a week or so ago? The guy doing all the talking in the white T-shirt is Mark Charmer, one of Akvo’s founders. From the company’s website:

Many of you have followed the long journey we’ve taken since late 2006 to do the research, build the networks, create the business plan and raise the money needed to make our ambitious open source venture work. We don’t do formal press announcements very often (here’s our other one) but we wanted to share our latest news – we’ve now cracked the €2m funding barrier, one of our early goals, following a major new agreement with Rabobank. Thanks to everyone for their support in getting us this far (yes, that includes you) and we look forward to working with you all in the years to come. Peter especially wants to thank Frederik Claasen from Micro Water Facility who helped us develop the business plan and secure these funds.

The work Mark and his team undertake is important. It’s about the most precious thing any of us can have: clean water for life. What interests me though is the way Akvo is using new ways to communicate in order to build its reporting in these territories. Watch the video and then ask yourself: what can we learn from this? I have some ideas.

Rock on Mark.

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