Mwangala Maunga captured the imagination of the world when, at the age of 12, she invented a solar water purifier to provide clean potable water to both rural and urban areas in and around Lusaka, Zambia. She displayed such an amazing charitable spirit and kind-heartedness that at her tender age she could harness the power of STEM to address a profound and pressing social challenge. Her feat certainly deserves a mention or maybe even a chapter in the annals of science history books.
Water purifier built from a shoe-string budget
Her water purifier prototype was built from simple and cost-effective materials; a combination of wooden and metal sheet enclosures, black paint for insulation, heat-absorbent black trays, reflective materials, sheets of glass, glue and catch troughs. During an interview with Planet Forward, young Maunga said: “The main reason I developed the water filter was because I wanted to provide clean and safe water in the simplest way possible, as opposed to a complicated water purification system.” The idea of Maunga’s invention came about after she realised the prevalence of waterborne diseases not only around her locality but also hit many African countries. Some of the common diseases associated with contaminated water range from diarrhoea, and dysentery, to typhoid fever, e-coli infection, and salmonellosis.
Reducing reliance on fossil fuel
Maunga’s water purifier was launched just a few months before the Zambian government declared a cholera outbreak in October 2023 in the province of Lusaka. More significantly, her initiative, which relies on solar energy, aligns with the broader global idea of using clean and sustainable energy sources. In addition, it promotes the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 6 – the provision of clean water and sanitation. Governments across the globe are called upon to concretise the UN’s Goal 6 by ensuring consistent provision of clean water to their citizens.
Clean drinkable water
According to the African Union Development Agency (AUDA), access to clean drinkable water is a basic human need and right for all African people as they cannot survive without water. The African Union Agenda 2063 and the UN have highlighted access to water as a critical component of socio-economic development. Based on the latest statistics from AUDA, over 418 million people still lack access to even the most basic level of drinking water service. In addition, approximately 779 million people need access to basic sanitation services and 839 million people lack access to basic hygiene services.
List of awards
Mwangala says the idea for her solar water filter dates back to when she was in Grade 5 but only got in motion when she was in Grade 8. She has received a string of awards and recognitions for her innovative and pioneering invention.
These include, among others, being the:
- Youngest STEM Change Maker Award at the 2021 Genius Education Zambia Awards.
- Youngest and only Zambian speaker at the 2020 virtual International Youth Day.
- The youngest recipient of the Brenda Muntemba Award in 2019 as an (Emerging Young African Leader) at the Push Women Awards.
- Best inventor in the Science and Tech category at the DStv Africa MultiChoice – Cartoon Network Power puff Girls’ Awards. winner of the best Inventor in the Science and Tech category in 2018 at the DStv Africa MultiChoice – Cartoon Network Power puff Girls’ Awards.
Impacting lives of young girls Maunga uses her success and influence to inspire and impact the lives of other young girls across Zambia and the continent. She founded the Girl Power Platform as a vehicle through which she exposes and assists young girls, mostly in rural areas, to access opportunities within the STEM field. To date, she has been able to interact with and inspire over 600 girls in her school through STEM and climate advocacy activities.
But it has not been all plain sailing for her as she has to battle stereotypes in terms of age and gender. Some doubted and dismissed her dream simply on the basis of her age and the fact that she is female. But she never allowed these to distract her from her bigger mission. Mwanga wants to use her initiative not only as a lasting legacy and a timeless inspiration for other young girls to stop at nothing in fulfil their dreams.
Her immediate goal is to mass produce her water filters, whose prototype has already gone through a battery of rigorous scientific tests, and ensure it is patented. Maunga’s success will undoubtedly inspire many young girls to dream big and never view age as a barrier. She is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Copperbelt University.
