The NGO that won the BBC World Challenge was from the Philippines, specifically from Bacolod City. The local Philippine nongovernment organization won the top prize at the BBC World Challenge 2010 for its perfected model of a hydraulic ram pump that has brought water to remote villages in the Philippines and other parts of the world.

The Alternative Indigenous Development Foundation Inc. (AIDFI) based in Barangay (village) Mansilingan, Bacolod City, won the top prize of US$20,000, according to Hazel Stuart, a British national based in Bacolod City.

The awarding ceremonies for BBC's World Challenge was held in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on Monday. Auke Idzenga of AIDFI won the whole thing out of 800 projects worldwide. It got down to 60, then 12, then the final three. What an amazing achievement for our Philippine NGO!

About World Challenge:

Now on its sixth year, the BBC World Challenge is a global competition aimed at finding projects or small businesses from around the world that have shown enterprise and innovation at grassroots level.

Other recognition/s:

Last November 18, AIDFI's entry "Running Water Uphill" also won the Community Initiative Award of the Energy Institute Awards held in London.

AIDFI has so far installed 170 ram pumps for about 50,000 beneficiaries. The AIDFI program centers around the locally perfected model of the old hydraulic ram pump, a device that can pump water to very high elevations without the use of electricity or fuel.

The awards ceremonies was broadcast last December 4 on the BBC World News and announced on the website on the same day. Visit the BBC World Challenge Site. Or see my campaign post for them HERE!