NDB Honors Ram Pump Trailblazer
Dutchman Auke Idzenga, founder and executive director of the Bacolod-based Alternative Indigenous Development Foundation (AIDFI), was one of the eight recipients of Outstanding Citizens of Negros awards presented in December.
Idzenga was honored for his innovative water technology - the Ram Pump - which is capable of making available water supplies from sources in the lowlands to the uplands of as high as 60 meters, benefiting thousands of small farmers and agriculturists, thereby boosting food supply and other agricultural pursuits.
The awards ceremony took place in Bacolod City in December, but Idzenga was back in his home country of Holland. He returned recently and the NDB, with assistance from fellow-awardee British film maker Hazel Stuart, wasted no time in organizing a celebratory lunch at the L’Fisher Hotel at which Idzenga received his award.
NDB Columnist W. Henry O. Streegan (2nd from left) with (l-r) NDB’s webman Jein “Batman” Pabalinas, Robert Harland and awardees Auke Idzenga and Hazel Stuart.*
Under Idzenga’s leadership, AIDFI won the recent BBC World Challenge, a competition that recognizes and rewards small businesses from around the world that tackle environmental and social issues. The foundation took home a US$20,000 grant from sponsor Shell. Idzenga was also the recipient of a 2011 Magsaysay Award for his work with the ram pump.*
