Enhance ReadabilityPaseka and WHC attended the 2012 Unreasonable Institute. If you want to read more and connect with him click here to see his Unreasonable Profile.
I wanted to contribute but I didn’t know how
Paseka Lesolang: Born in August 1988, South Africa, Paseka spent most of his childhood in boarding school because his mother was working 3 jobs. At the age of 18 Paseka discovered his passion – solving problems. As a result, he founded WHC [Water, Hygiene, Convenience]. Paseka has been selected as 1 of the 30 candidates to be part of The Innovation Hub Business Incubation among over 400 applications from all over Africa, 1 of 10 Entrepreneurs chosen to represent South Africa at the Tshwane International Trade Infrastructure & Investment Conference in 2009, selected to represent South Africa at the EXPO 2010 in Shanghai, and 1 of 4 University of Pretoria’s Entrepreneurs of the year 2010. He has also been invited to speak at the Global Entrepreneurship Day 2010 where he was also program director, and at the African Leadership Academy’s first Ideas Festival themed Entrepreneurial Leadership: Empowering the Youth. Paseka is the Winner of the 2012 Junior Chamber International Social Entrepreneur Best Business Plan Competition.
We could be saving 72 Billion Gallons of water per year- the equivalent of 10,000 Olympic swimming pools
WHC [Water, Hygiene, Convenience]: Water is a scarce commodity that is quickly diminishing. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), South Africa’s water consumption will exceed availability by 2025. WHO has also identified a direct link between HIV/AIDS and poor sanitation. The recovery period for someone with advanced HIV who contracts a water-borne disease is longer, and his health outcomes could diminish. As a result, water, sanitation and hygiene education is key to combatting HIV/AIDS, as is empowering communities to manage water and sanitation. Water is the substance focus, Hygiene represents the Green Economy being served, and Convenience represents the innovative technologies and services WHC provides.
*Update*: Using Unreasonable Institute Mentor Tom Chi‘s Rapid Prototyping lessons that he shared with Paseka while he was at The Unreasonable Institute and further ongoing guidance since, WHC decided to focus on one feature they call “The Leak-Less Valve”; which is a patented water control mechanism that saves 70% of water that is lost through toilet leaks. Paseka says, “This strategy assures us business growth, sustainability and brand loyalty.”
