More than four decades ago, the president of Food for the Hungry became frustrated as the organization attempted to provide disaster aid to citizens in Guatemala and Bangladesh. Returning to the United States, he was determined to start a community of “like-minded organizations.” In 1977, twelve Christian agencies came together in Wheaton, Illinois, to brainstorm how they could diminish competition and instead collaborate together learning from each other, and the Accord Network began.
Additional Christian relief organizations were invited to join through the years. The Accord WASH Alliance was created to bring together Christ-centered organizations with the common goals of providing safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH).
The partnership with WASH Alliance and Water Mission, another ministry partner, allowed SonSet Solutions engineers to collaborate with other like-minded ministries as they developed the platform now known as SonSetLink™.
According to the Accord WASH Alliance, nearly a billion people lack access to improved drinking water. SonSet Solutions pioneered a remote monitoring technology for clean water systems. Using tailored edge devices and onboard sensors, SonSetLink collects pump-performance data from hand pumps and solar-powered pumps. It then transmits the data via satellite to a web server accessible via mobile app or web-based dashboard. Customizable notifications share data that allow for predictive maintenance. This minimizes pump downtime, allowing communities to have unbroken access to clean water.
SonSet Solutions and SonSetLink allow the streamlined monitoring of water pumps with fewer man hours. What previously required hours or longer traveling to remote locations, sometimes through dangerous territory in order to check on a pump, is now done remotely. The Accord WASH Alliance strives to serve the world’s poor by sharing the resources needed to provide clean water while also extending the hope of Living Water, Jesus Christ. SonSet Solutions is honored to be a part of this vital endeavor.
(Photo courtesy of Harvesters International Ministries)
Written by Christy Stephens, January 2021