developed , there were almost no instances of an installation moving to completion exactly as planned . “ When water couldn ’ t be pumped because of an unknown problem with the intake pump , I took the 40 kilogram pump back to the hotel and struggled for days in the bathtub trying to find the culprit ,” shares Okabe . “ We ’ d face unforeseen issues one after another , like if the plumbing got clogged , we ’ d head into the river with the locals to inspect it , or when working at high elevations in Ethiopia , we ’ d be battling altitude sickness together , and so on .”
All the memories that come to his mind are of dealing with problems , but his face speaks of the incredible fulfillment he gets from his job .
“ It ’ s because I ’ ve seen the big smiles of the villagers the first time clean water comes out of the faucet after all the struggles and hard work .”
And as they begin to rejoice , sing , and dance , Okabe maintains that it is a scene overflowing with Kando .*
Today , the storage tanks and other parts for YCW units are manufactured in Indonesia and exported to their destined countries .
“ But I feel to bring clean water to more people and communities , we need to set up a means for local production ,” admits Okabe .
In short , the local production of YCW systems is where he now has his focus trained on , i . e ., the next big challenge for the project .
Yamaha Motor ’ s initial concerns about clean water emerged in the 1970s . It all started when family members of Yamaha ' s employees stationed in Indonesia reported that they were having trouble with day-to-day life because the tap water was brown and muddy . In response , Yamaha began to develop household water purifiers and a group company began selling them to the general public in 1991 .
Yamaha ' s efforts today to bring clean water to those in need began nearly 50 years ago with this story , and in 2013 , the Yamaha Clean Water Supply System received Japan ’ s Good Design Gold Award , with the judges praising it as a model approach for international aid that understands the needs and situations developing countries face .
* Kando is a Japanese word for the simultaneous feelings of deep satisfaction and intense excitement that we experience when we encounter something of exceptional value .
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