Valecia Sambo, a pioneering sustainable water management business builder empowering local communities in South Africa

April 13, 2025 Melanie Hawken

Valecia Sambo, founder, Daily Sambo Services (South Africa)

Startup Story

Valecia Sambo is the visionary founder of Daily Sambo Services, a South African-based company revolutionizing sustainable water solutions. With a proven track record as a seasoned entrepreneur, Valecia's business has been making waves in the industry since its inception in 2023. As a pioneering plumber, Valecia is breaking barriers in the male-dominated construction and plumbing sectors. Her commitment to empowering local communities is evident in her business, which employs seven individuals, including women from the surrounding areas.

Salma Bougarrani, a water management change-maker in Morocco

May 19, 2024 Melanie Hawken

Salma Bougarrani, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer GREEN WATECH (Morocco)

Lioness Weekender Cover Story

GREEN WATECH, a Morocco-based company with a low-tech solution for wastewater treatment and reuse for irrigating vegetables destined for human consumption

Salma Bougarrani is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of GREEN WATECH, a Social Enterprise founded in 2018, and specializing in decentralized sanitation. Salma holds a PhD in Advanced Water Treatment Process from Med V University (Morocco), and Leipzig University (Germany). She worked as a project manager for "Women in Water Field" at Peking International University. In 2015, Salma joined the Institute of Chemical Technology, Leipzig University in Germany, as a researcher. Salma has been involved in several international projects in collaboration with teams from Malatya University and NIBEC Institute. Salma is also a member of the Royal Society of Chemistry, and she works as an expert consultant at Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).

Stélia Dgedge, a Mozambican entrepreneur creating access to clean drinking water

October 8, 2023 Melanie Hawken

Stélia Dgedge, founder, Khuwana Water Filters Lda (Mozambique)

Startup Story

Stélia Dgedge is the founder of Khuwana Water Filters Lda, a Mozambican company dedicated to the production and sale of ceramic-based water purifying filters. She has a degree in Financial and Insurance Management from ISCTEM. Since very early on, she has always been interested in topics related to preservation, sustainability, and the environment. About five years ago Stélia was invited to be part of the Finance Department of a startup that operates in the Renewable Energy sector. It was a unique opportunity for her to demonstrate once again the knowledge obtained at the associated University and her professional experience, as she came from a company with over twenty years in the market and was well positioned in it. She discovered her purpose - a mixture of three words, “Entrepreneurship, Impact, and Sustainability”.

Esta van Heerden, a South African biotech leader in environmental clean-up

December 27, 2020 Melanie Hawken

Esta van Heerden, founder of iWater Pty Ltd (South Africa)

Startup Story

Many women entrepreneurs in Africa are driven to start their businesses because of an identified need. For Esta van Heerden, founder of iWater Pty Ltd in South Africa, she is passionate about the environment and wants to ensure that all citizens have access to clean water in the future. She also believes that companies that have contaminated the environment MUST clean it up! Her business is now offering companies a solution to this clean-up need, harnessing the best of technology solutions to aid the process.

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