The water purification and desalination project, devised by two Paraguayan students from the National Technical College, which was a past winner of the prestigious Solve for Tomorrow contest, continues to have repercussions. Last December, the international chain CNN launched a report in which they documented how young people, using technology, can help the most disadvantaged communities.
Jasmine Florentin and Diego Fernandez are the creators of mbaretics“a combination of the words mbarete that it would be strong in Guarani and tics which means innovation technologies for science and society”, explains Jazmín. Both were winners of the innovation contest for young people in secondary education Solve for Tomorrow.
Thus, in 2020, competing with more than 600 projects from Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina, Mbaretics, a water desalination and purification device that works both with electricity and solar energy, took the top prize. Last December, he was once again selected among numerous winning projects of said contest to be part of a series of reports launched by the international network CNN to make visible the importance of technology in solving future problems.
“The recording experience was great, not only due to the fact of appearing in a prestigious international medium, but also because they were able to learn about the importance of projects of this type to solve basic problems. The Access to clean and drinkable water is an essential and inalienable right of every human being.”, expressed Jazmín Florentín, who is now focused on entering the university and continuing to specialize to contribute to the country.
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For his part, Diego indicated that “being elected globally to recording a documentary with CNN means that a young Paraguayan can achieve what he wants. This documentary shows how young people today look for solutions to challenges, leaving their comfort zone to help their community. So we also hope that this material can inspire other young people in the country to carry out actions of impact and innovation”.
In terms of sustainability, Jazmín said that the device can be an alternative for areas where the water is salty or impure, due to its low cost and easy implementation. In the creation process, the students agree that there were several challenges; however, the biggest hurdle was finding a way to power the prototype. The best solution was the use of solar energy, even improving the performance of the mechanism.
For the moment, young people hope that the CNN report has an impact and attracts the attention of an investor in order for the prototype to become sustainable; while they remain focused on continuing their university studies.
Spot of the project: https://vimeo.com/774964540/bd3302df7c
