Sustainable Safe Water Project and Hygiene Education to 5 schools located in remote Trojes, Honduras

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Long-term Filter Performance

Charlie Huizenga of Agua Para la Vida (APLV)

First, thanks for your great work! I'm wondering what your experience is over the long term with the Sawyer filters. My experience is that these type of filters need consistent maintenance (back-flushing, cleaning) to maintain reasonable flow. Can you comment? thanks! charlie

First, thanks for your great work!

I'm wondering what your experience is over the long term with the Sawyer filters. My experience is that these type of filters need consistent maintenance (back-flushing, cleaning) to maintain reasonable flow. Can you comment?

thanks!
charlie
- Carolyn Meub of Pure Water for the World
  
  Hello Charlie, Pure Water has been conducting pilot projects in Honduras using the Sawyer filter for about the past two years. These studies do show that there needs to be a strong educational focus on back flushing and use of the filter. As we have made changes to our program, recipients of our most recent pilot projects see to better ...
  
  Hello Charlie,
  
  Pure Water has been conducting pilot projects in Honduras using the Sawyer filter for about the past two years. These studies do show that there needs to be a strong educational focus on back flushing and use of the filter. As we have made changes to our program, recipients of our most recent pilot projects see to better understand the importance of cleaning and how to do this. We are continuously monitoring and studying these projects ( we recently went back to a 2011 community for the second time) and will continue to evaluate this technology and its use in rural communities.
  
  In schools, we have been installing the Sawyer filters as they do not suffer from school break or other times when someone might not be there to maintain a bio sand filter. In Honduras, there are many times when school is out either because of school break, or teachers are on strike. With the Sawyer filter, they are able to resume use once everyone is back to school. We are continuing to study these as well.
  
  Hope this helps! Thank you for your encouragement!
  Jamin
- Charlie Huizenga of Agua Para la Vida (APLV)
  
  Sounds like you are on top of this issue - i'll look forward to hearing more about the long-term performance. thanks!
  
  Sounds like you are on top of this issue - i'll look forward to hearing more about the long-term performance. thanks!
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school questions

Rob Bell of El Porvenir

Nice to see PWW projects again. A minor comment first, in one place you talk of 3 schools, but in most places it is 5, I imagine it is a typo (Background). I just have a few questions. 1. When I last reviewed one of your projects a few years back, you mentioned you might be getting into some Circuit Rider things - did that ever pan...

Nice to see PWW projects again. A minor comment first, in one place you talk of 3 schools, but in most places it is 5, I imagine it is a typo (Background).

I just have a few questions.

1. When I last reviewed one of your projects a few years back, you mentioned you might be getting into some Circuit Rider things - did that ever pan out? We never really got anything going on that here.
2. The Sawyer filter is supposed be quite good, although my question is on the supply chain for that. If they break or need repairs, are they available locally in Troje? For our projects here, I would doubt the capacity of local community members to track down parts for them. What is the maintenance plan for them? No maintenance cost is mentioned, so I wonder what are the potential costs for the schools when things start to break down are?
3. The metrics mentioned are mostly activity or output indicators - have you planned any impact indicators?
4. There is no community, school, government or other contribution mentioned. I can understand sometimes that in school projects, this can be difficult (In Nicaragua, for example, it is illegal to ask the parents for money (for project or for maintenance)), but a local contribution helps ensure local buy-in and long term sustainability. What contribution are the parents' society and local government expected to make? Is the municipality contributing in any way?

Thanks, Rob
- Carolyn Meub of Pure Water for the World
  
  Hello Rob, Thanks for pointing that error out! I will make that change. Below are the answers to your other questions. 1.We somewhat changed the scope of the program and renamed it the “ Mobile Training Program.” The scope of the program was to return each village to conducted questionnaires, water testing and re-education. The val...
  
  Hello Rob,
  
  Thanks for pointing that error out! I will make that change. Below are the answers to your other questions.
  
  1.We somewhat changed the scope of the program and renamed it the “ Mobile Training Program.” The scope of the program was to return each village to conducted questionnaires, water testing and re-education. The value of this program was that we learned lessons on how to improve our education package, training of Community Agents, to name a few. We have changed our program based on these findings. And as a result our, the usage rate has increased. We determined that the most effective use of this team was to combine the mobile training program with the installation aspect of the program. The major change was that instead of having a dedicated team to follow behind the installation team – we strengthened our installation program. Now the Trojes staff returns to villages 2-3 times in the first seven months after installation. The meetings held 1 month and 3 months after installation consist of our health promoters meeting with all the community agents and discussing any issues or questions that they might have. During the 7 month visit, our health promoters visit all the homes with filters along with the community agent. If there are any issues, they resolve them with the community agent so as to capture that learning experience. During this visit we also conduct a random monitoring survey in 15% of the homes. This “hands on support” is providing the communities with the tools and training that they need right off the bat- thus the needs and issues are not as minimized farther down the road. That being said, we are going back to the older communities that we have previously worked in and providing them with any training that they might need as well as any updated training materials or posters that we have.
  
  If you would like to continue this conversation on this, perhaps setting up a time to talk might be helpful, as we would be interested in learning about your experience.
  
  We will also be conducing longitudinal studies to continue to learn lessons and best practices.
  
  2.The filter is not available locally which is a downside. We did however try and address the issue of breakage by protecting the filter with an additional casing, which we produce ourselves (I can attach a picture). We are confident that will help to ensure longevity and sustainability. We do train the teacher, the parents and the director of the parent’s board on adequate usage and we put a community agent in charge to revise the filter frequently and assist in case there is are any problems. We always aim to intervene in schools AND the entire community simultaneously to maximize impact of our interventions. There is no maintenance cost mentioned as the sawyer does not require maintenance apart from simple backwashing. If the filter does break it is usually beyond repair and would need replacement. We have conducted, and are continuing to conduct, many studies and pilot projects using the Sawyer filter. We have found that increased education and adding the protective casing has greatly improve the success of this technology. It is also highly accepted in the communities in homes and in schools.
  
  3. PWW’s project in Trojes is now reaching the 5 year mark which many regard as the adequate timeframe to investigate into impact. We therefore are currently trying to partner up with US universities in order to instigate an in depth investigation into the impact of our project. In case we are not able to work with a university, a volunteer would be contracted to apply the research.
  
  4.It is not illegal in Honduras and therefore the parent’s society is asked to contribute to obtain the filter and latrines. We perceive this buy in as crucial for sustainability. It is also good to engage the community in providing labor for the latrines and hand washing station. While PWW is supervising the construction process, the locals provide 90 % of the required labor. The parents also agree prior to the start of the project to assist with ensuring that soap is available for hand washing and that the hand washing station and latrines are maintained and cleaned.
  
  I hope this helps. Thanks! Jamin
- Rob Bell of El Porvenir
  
  Jamin, It would be interesting to have a chat at some point and/or maybe even arrange an exchange session between a few staff members (even better) since we are not that far away, all things considered. I'll be swamped for the next month and a half with a major board meeting coming up, but after that we can look at it. 2. Yes, that ...
  
  Jamin,
  
  It would be interesting to have a chat at some point and/or maybe even arrange an exchange session between a few staff members (even better) since we are not that far away, all things considered. I'll be swamped for the next month and a half with a major board meeting coming up, but after that we can look at it.
  
  2. Yes, that is a downside about the supply chain.
  3. An evaluation is a great idea, we have students down here almost every year here. However, you might consider some metrics that your staff could collect regularly to help keep you informed as well. Even something as simple as Pathoscreen water testing and the average results per community over time. Rajesh will love it if you put the data up in PWX metrics. I am no metrics expert, and I am still trying to think of metrics right now for our latest Strategic plan...
  
  Rob
- Rob Bell of El Porvenir
  
  By the way, Jamin, in a meeting yesterday, I heard that Sawyer has a local Honduran distributor. I will try to get the contact info for you.
  
  By the way, Jamin, in a meeting yesterday, I heard that Sawyer has a local Honduran distributor. I will try to get the contact info for you.
- Carolyn Meub of Pure Water for the World
  
  Ok, that would be great. thanks!
  
  Ok, that would be great. thanks!
- Rob Bell of El Porvenir
  
  I emailed it to you directly Jamin. If anyone else needs it, you can look at their facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/sawyerHN
  
  I emailed it to you directly Jamin. If anyone else needs it, you can look at their facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/sawyerHN
4 participants | show more
Historical reports and cost of parasite treatment

Meera Hira-Smith of Project Well

Hello, Thank you and others for the above discussion. Project Well, from the very first year of implementation, is concerned on tracking their projects due to the fact that millions of currency gets funneled into needy populations around the world for better living unfortunately these very same countries show negligible improvement in th...

Hello,
Thank you and others for the above discussion. Project Well, from the very first year of implementation, is concerned on tracking their projects due to the fact that millions of currency gets funneled into needy populations around the world for better living unfortunately these very same countries show negligible improvement in the livelihood of target populations with few exceptions. Large numbers of people are still living under poverty line, uneducated, and have unsafe water supply and poor sanitation. The numbers printed in reports are different from the actual numbers in the field. Our objective of keeping a record was to know the problems of failures and fix them. To do so we have developed our internal tracking system followed by uploading reports on PWX that has developed even better system of developing graphs, uploading pictures and send text messages on daily basis. The objective is to see the status of the work, implemented by all of us: devoting our time, funds, care and concern, stands after several years. Does Pure Water for World have any plans to join this system? Your project ID 1690: Clean Water and Hygiene Education for Simonette at Haiti received a fund of $54,000 from an anonymous donor for what? What is the status of this project that was supposed to be completed by July 2013? A few pictures on this ongoing project would have been highly appreciated by us. There are some reports on your website but that is typical conventional type. This is 2013 the era of smart phone technology that can help the people living in remote villages to get uplifted through platform like PWX of Blue Planet Network via report of individual projects. I will be happy if you can direct me to some of your historical projects with the latest reports.

2. What is the parasite treatment? Can you explain the total cost of two parasite treatment is $ 324 if unit price is 0.65? What does this mean 0.9 (?) x 180 (persons) x 2 (months)?

Thank you in advance for your response.

Meera Smith
- Carolyn Meub of Pure Water for the World
  
  Hello Meera, Thank you for your questions. Pure Water is incorporating parts of this system into our tracking and reporting system. For those projects which have been funded through the PWX platform, we have reported and tracked those projects. Some other projects have been shared either due to interest by others on the PWX platform or...
  
  Hello Meera,
  
  Thank you for your questions. Pure Water is incorporating parts of this system into our tracking and reporting system. For those projects which have been funded through the PWX platform, we have reported and tracked those projects. Some other projects have been shared either due to interest by others on the PWX platform or because the project was submitted for approval but not funded through a PWX funder. The Simonette project was one of the projects that was shared due to interest not due to the need for funding. This project was recently completed on August 31st and was successful. Project reports will be sent out to the funders and I am sure that we will upload these to this platform. Our organization has considered implementing phone technology, however due to the areas we are working we are either not able to or feel that it is not the best option for our staff members. In Honduras, we are working in a extremely rural area where this technology will not work. In Haiti many of the areas we work in, including Cite Soliel, are too dangerous for our staff to carry advanced technology. It is something that we have considered, just not something we are readily able to implement. I am including links to some of our historical projects and reports on PWX.
  
  http://peerwater.org/en/projects/323-Clean-Water-hygiene-education-and-sanitation-for-two-communities-in-Trojes-Honduras-#summary
  
  http://peerwater.org/en/projects/481-Clean-water-and-hygiene-education-for-4-Trojes-Communities#summary
  
  http://peerwater.org/en/projects/325-Clean-water-hygiene-education-and-sanitation-for-three-communities-in-Trojes-Honduras#verification
  
  With regards to the parasite treatment, the unit cost for the parasite treatment is $0.65. With schools, our staff members make additional trips to the schools for the de-worming campaign so with that cost tied in, the cost of the treatment is $0.90. Sorry for the confusion.
  
  Thank you again and I hope this information is helpful.
  
  Jamin
- Meera Hira-Smith of Project Well
  
  Dear Jamin, Thank you for your response to my questions. And also thank you for the url’s of 3 of your projects in Honduras. PWX welcomes tracking of all the projects through their system irrespective of where the funds come from. The idea is to see the situation after few years of installation of each project. Good to know that your org...
  
  Dear Jamin,
  Thank you for your response to my questions. And also thank you for the url’s of 3 of your projects in Honduras. PWX welcomes tracking of all the projects through their system irrespective of where the funds come from. The idea is to see the situation after few years of installation of each project. Good to know that your organization is considering the use of mobile technology. In India, where we are working though there is capability of internet and cell phone use but there are many well sites in very remote, undeveloped areas, miles away from motorable roads. I would like to share one of the problems that I came to know yesterday through our nano-management program. This week ten staff, all are from the villages, are cross inspecting the wells, this means the monthly/quarterly reports submitted by dugwell assignee is being cross checked by two other staff. It has been found that three sites of one area, Gobindopur, three hand pumps are stolen and at one site the local government panchayet has installed a deep bore-well right beside the well using the well as soak pit. This sort of incident happened after many years gap. In the first few years of our project this happened. We cannot let it occur again. The question is why did the community allow this to happen? Supposedly this occurred in the last few days, soon after the last visit of the assigned staff. Now we need to move differently either expose this on the news (not a single report on the media has been ever reported about our work, wonder why?). Yes all this is driven by politics related to vote banks. PW-AWS are apolitical NGO hence never get support from the government. This kind of detail can be obtained only from nano-management system. PWX through their mobile texting method wants to empower members of the communities to directly send reports to PWX that would go to the implementer as ‘alert’ message so that action can be taken. It is true that to visit all the wells on monthly basis would need lot more funds. Hope that day will come when carrying mobile phone anywhere in Haiti will not be a problem.
  Best wishes
  Meera
- Rajesh Shah of Peer Water Exchange
  
  I looked at the 3 project reports provided by PWW above, but there is no reporting post-completion. Not in the 7 months after or 1 year later ... I can understand technology and people issues, but i hoped that even upon return from the field some documentation (an email, a phone call) would track visits and outcomes. Photos from sites a...
  
  I looked at the 3 project reports provided by PWW above, but there is no reporting post-completion. Not in the 7 months after or 1 year later ...
  
  I can understand technology and people issues, but i hoped that even upon return from the field some documentation (an email, a phone call) would track visits and outcomes. Photos from sites are clearly reaching for fundraising purposes.
  
  You mention that you have experienced breakage of filters and now you are trying out a new casing. Are the breakages documented? How many? Were they replaced? What was the additional cost? How are you trying to incorporate this cost in your future projects? This project is about $83/student. Is this reflected in your project?
  
  The sanitation project is only for school, so people getting sanitation should be 0. We can create a count of sanitation facilities at schools if people are interested, but the number we track is for those who get sanitation 100% of the time at home.
  
  I see no indicators you want to track post-completion? Can we not think of any at all to show how our work impacts the community? Or is the sector just not interested? It is important since we are investing resources to help the water sector across project lifetime, should all our focus shift to fundraising only? Not much interest in management and impact assessment almost universally.
  
  I would really like to see if the school projects have the impact we all seek. Is the health benefit worth it? Or do we have to also provide water and sanitation at home to generate the benefit we want to see?
  
  Or as mentioned in this proposal, the people have filters at home - is that true for the entire school population? Are those filter projects by PWW?
  
  I understand the risk if they also do not get safe water at school, but is there any data to support the described need? Many children (including mine) in Bangalore carry a water bottle to school, maybe that is a solution - water bottles to carry water from home, instead of a filter program.
  
  Regards,
  Rajesh
- Lynn Roberts of Agua Para La Salud (APLS)
  
  I have come to the conclusion after a number of years of attempting to determine if the work in the field of water and sanitation is really doing any good in terms of the only factor that to me has significance in improving health. That factor is a human factor which is did the technology or education result in a life long change of attitu...
  
  I have come to the conclusion after a number of years of attempting to determine if the work in the field of water and sanitation is really doing any good in terms of the only factor that to me has significance in improving health. That factor is a human factor which is did the technology or education result in a life long change of attitude in personal hygiene practices.
  
  This factor is most difficult to determine since most NGOs I have reviewed in this venue are small groups of dedicated people operating on a limited budget; limited personnel; and geographically challenged areas. They are very often not operating in a vacuum but are working in an environment of other organization doing similar hygiene and structural improvements. Under these circumstances no one group can give accurate measurements (metrics)for improving health and personal health attitude change.
  
  If local governments are providing vaccine programs; hospitals and health clinics are providing educational and front line health care; NOGs are providing water systems, filters,latrines,etc; then who can take credit for the improvement in health over time? Obviously all can take credit. Tracking a specific project over time in this environment will give an isolated inaccurate view of personal attitude change.
  Does installing a water system change personal hygiene habits? The tubing , tanks, and faucets will not change the habits but only provide the means to do so. The system will not dictate that a person will now wash their hands before eating.The system will ( in most cases) provide a cleaner water supply as opposed to mud holes or contaminated streams.
  The only metric that will give an accurate view of the impact of structural projects and educational programs will be the measurement of human activity as related to changing hygiene habits. This was brought home to me 15 years ago while observing the activity around a school hand washing station we had installed a year previous. A young boy from the school was approaching the hand washing station with what I thought was to wash his hands. He came to the hand washing station unzipped and took a pee on the side of the hand washing station and then zipped up and washed his hands. The instruction of his parents and teachers did reap some long term change in part of his habits, but their was still work to be done before this boy became a model parent!!
  Providing a filter for a school will reduce the numbers of pathogens in the environment of the students "IF" the cup they use is not contaminated; the student washed their hands after using the bathroom; the morning snack was prepared by a sanitary cook; the parents and teachers are a hygiene example for the student l; and the child has received their childhood vaccinations etc;
  Are any of the organizations in this review capable of measuring the long term hygiene changes from child to parenthood in individuals?
  Speaking for my country ,the US, we have been trying since the civil war in the 1850's to make this leap and have had limited success, but have seen improvement due to multiple efforts by many agencies and groups working in isolation at times from each other. No one can take credit for the improvements or measure their individual impact, but the net result has been positive by percentages less than 100%.
  Attempts to measure this success can be very difficult and expensive for NGOs with limited resources. Attempts to do so will by their very scope be inaccurate. Regional and country studies over time are called for if accurate information from metrics will be useful in understanding impacts from multiple projects and institutional contributions.
- Rajesh Shah of Peer Water Exchange
  
  Hola Lynn, Thank you for the conversation - these comments and exchanges are most meaningful to me. Sorry if my provoking it also ruffled feathers. On the fundraising side, we are quick to provide numbers (we have impacted XXX and it costs $YY/person for ZZZ). However, going deeper is needed, if not by funders, by peers. Many grou...
  
  Hola Lynn,
  
  Thank you for the conversation - these comments and exchanges are most meaningful to me. Sorry if my provoking it also ruffled feathers.
  
  On the fundraising side, we are quick to provide numbers (we have impacted XXX and it costs $YY/person for ZZZ). However, going deeper is needed, if not by funders, by peers.
  
  Many groups in this forum are led by passionate committed folks on the ground. Others are led by passionate people working remotely. They are closer to fundraising people and activities as is to be expected. The default mechanism of defending and bringing up the need - conversations with funders always involve phrases like "in our experience ... look at the need ..." is going to be hard to eliminate. In this forum, i hope that sharing and asking for help becomes a significant part of the conversation.
  
  Your observations make a for a great aspirational conversation. If we wanted to track our impact, how would we do it? This question appears to be deeply suppressed with only a handful of proposals able to list a few indicators that they want (or would like) to track long-term.
  
  It would be nice to see any requests for advice/help in tracking sales of medicines or growth in population (one village became water secure and attracted many migrants!) or school children staying in the area because of improved quality of life ...
  
  We all are working on small parts of a problem and often the system that creates the problem is untouched (many of us benefit by the system and don't want to rock it).
  
  Maybe by attempting to track our work and impact, we have to confront our fears. I know i am.
  
  Saludos,
  Rajesh
- Carolyn Meub of Pure Water for the World
  
  Hello Rajesh, I will do my best to answer your questions. To do so, will include the sections as they were asked: You mention that you have experienced breakage of filters and now you are trying out a new casing. Are the breakages documented? How many? Were they replaced? What was the additional cost? - So far no breakages ha...
  
  Hello Rajesh,
  
  I will do my best to answer your questions. To do so, will include the sections as they were asked:
  
  You mention that you have experienced breakage of filters and now you are trying out a new casing. Are the breakages documented? How many? Were they replaced? What was the additional cost?
  - So far no breakages have been observed in schools. Only one filter has been removed because the teacher did not use/maintain the filter adequately. With the schools project the cost per student will fluctuate- usually the same tools are needed whether there are 20 or 60 students.
  
  I see no indicators you want to track post-completion? Can we not think of any at all to show how our work impacts the community? Or is the sector just not interested? It is important since we are investing resources to help the water sector across project lifetime, should all our focus shift to fundraising only? Not much interest in management and impact assessment almost universally.
  
  - We have determined school indicators and have designed a school survey. However, we have only applied this to one school so far.
  
  I would really like to see if the school projects have the impact we all seek. Is the health benefit worth it? Or do we have to also provide water and sanitation at home to generate the benefit we want to see?
  - In our studies, especially in Haiti where we had a schools only program, we have learned that a total community project is the best option for achieving a sustainable project. While water can be brought from home to school or vice versa, if the same hygiene lessons, or habits are not enforced at both locations, then it is less likely that the hygiene habits taught will truly take hold and become part of their every day actions. Communities where we have already intervened in schools, will be prioritized to follow with the provision of filters and latrines.
  
  Or as mentioned in this proposal, the people have filters at home - is that true for the entire school population? Are those filter projects by PWW?
  - Yes, PWW has either worked in these communities or will be working in them shortly. All homes that request a filter receive one.
  
  I understand the risk if they also do not get safe water at school, but is there any data to support the described need? Many children (including mine) in Bangalore carry a water bottle to school, maybe that is a solution - water bottles to carry water from home, instead of a filter program.
  - In the few cases where the community homes have already received filters but the schools have not it is exactly what we encourage and observe to be practiced. Children carry filtered water in small bottles to consume during class.
  
  If local governments are providing vaccine programs; hospitals and health clinics are providing educational and front line health care; NOGs are providing water systems, filters,latrines,etc; then who can take credit for the improvement in health over time? Obviously all can take credit. Tracking a specific project over time in this environment will give an isolated inaccurate view of personal attitude change.
  
  - It is also difficult to turn to health clinics for data since this area is very rural, there are few clinics, and there is no way of knowing if people go to the clinic when sick for many reasons- too far, no resources or do not feel it is necessary.
  Our Trojes Supervisor was talking to the director of the local health center last week and the director stated that he, as many of their health promoters, have testified that data very clearly indicates that communities which have benefited from our program have reduced diarrhea cases, especially in children under 5. In a study one could compare this data against data from communities we have not intervened in but receive the same services from the health center (vaccinations etc). The results could verify PWW's impact quite accurately.
  Measuring in how far hygiene habits have been part of this and been changed for the long term is however very difficult as outlined by Lynn.
  
  Our response to measuring human impact:
  
  - This is true. Even in the US, where we have been told to wash our hands since we were little, there are reminders in public restrooms, etc. These life style changes need to be effective, consistent and constant. Thus one of the reasons to promote proper hygiene habits at the school, family and community levels. Our monitoring indicators not only include technology indicators, but education indicators including how they maintain their clean water bucket, wash their hands, etc.
  
  Are any of the organizations in this review capable of measuring the long term hygiene changes from child to parenthood in individuals?
  
  -That would firstly require information from a project which has been running a long time, which PWW unfortunately cannot provide.
  Even if an organization would have such a project, continuous data collection would be challenging, as costly and time intensive.
  
  I hope this is helpful- let me know if there are any other questions.
  
  Thanks,
  Jamin
3 participants | show more
Designs

Lynn Roberts of Agua Para La Salud (APLS)

Would you be able to add the designs for the hand washing stations and latrines that are planned for construction to your proposal? A list of specific materials would be helpful. Gracias I have visited a number of rural Honduran schools and it is not a pretty sight. Thanks for getting into the field.

Would you be able to add the designs for the hand washing stations and latrines that are planned for construction to your proposal? A list of specific materials would be helpful. Gracias

I have visited a number of rural Honduran schools and it is not a pretty sight. Thanks for getting into the field.
- Carolyn Meub of Pure Water for the World
  
  Hello Lynn, Sure, I can add the design for the hand washing station. I don't have the designs handy for the school latrines however I can upload some photos. I have the material lists for both the latrines and the hand washing station and will share those in the document section as well. Thanks! Jamin
  
  Hello Lynn,
  
  Sure, I can add the design for the hand washing station. I don't have the designs handy for the school latrines however I can upload some photos. I have the material lists for both the latrines and the hand washing station and will share those in the document section as well.
  
  Thanks!
  Jamin
- Lynn Roberts of Agua Para La Salud (APLS)
  
  Hola Jasmin, I see from your pictures that there are some concrete structures with pvc pipes coming out the top behind the "latrines". Are these structures seepage pits for pour flush toilets or do they have some other function? I noted that the hand washing stations have all pvc water supply fittings.We have found that in schools pvc...
  
  Hola Jasmin,
  I see from your pictures that there are some concrete structures with pvc pipes coming out the top behind the "latrines". Are these structures seepage pits for pour flush toilets or do they have some other function?
  
  I noted that the hand washing stations have all pvc water supply fittings.We have found that in schools pvc only lasts about one years session before they are broken in use. We have replaced dozens of these failed stations with galvanized pipe. The government here uses exclusively pcv in school faucets and nearly all of the schools I have visited in the last 15 years have their pvc piping broken. Do you have any information about the use of pcv and it´s life span in school situations in Honduras? Do you have problems with vandalism or use by neighbors?
- Carolyn Meub of Pure Water for the World
  
  Hello Lynn, Yes, those are the pits covered with concrete and PVC pipe for ventilation. We recently started including WASH stations during school interventions about 1.5 years. As of yet we have not had any issues with the PVC, apart from one school where the kids managed to break the pipes. We revised our design and made sure to lay o...
  
  Hello Lynn,
  
  Yes, those are the pits covered with concrete and PVC pipe for ventilation. We recently started including WASH stations during school interventions about 1.5 years. As of yet we have not had any issues with the PVC, apart from one school where the kids managed to break the pipes. We revised our design and made sure to lay our pipes within the blocks, reducing the overall access to pipes and therefore the chance of breakage. In regards to faucets we did find a few broken ones in our early stages and therefore upgraded to the more expensive version of faucets in Honduras (entirely of metal) and they are working adequately so far.
  
  Thanks!
  Jamin
- Lynn Roberts of Agua Para La Salud (APLS)
  
  Hola Jamin, I sent a couple of photos of our current hand washing station (lavamano) to your web site. We have found that this design eliminates most of the maintenance and damage problems. Let me know if you would like more info....Lynn
  
  Hola Jamin,
  I sent a couple of photos of our current hand washing station (lavamano) to your web site. We have found that this design eliminates most of the maintenance and damage problems. Let me know if you would like more info....Lynn
- Charlie Huizenga of Agua Para la Vida (APLV)
  
  Jamin- The text describes pour-flush latrines but the pictures look like pit latrines? can you comment on your experience with pour-flush latrines in the area? two concerns i have are appropriate soil permeability and the availability of water. I'm also not clear how the water gets to the schools. is there an existing system of some...
  
  Jamin-
  
  The text describes pour-flush latrines but the pictures look like pit latrines? can you comment on your experience with pour-flush latrines in the area? two concerns i have are appropriate soil permeability and the availability of water.
  
  I'm also not clear how the water gets to the schools. is there an existing system of some sort in each school?
  
  thanks for your good work!
  charlie
- Carolyn Meub of Pure Water for the World
  
  Hello Charlie, The photos with the toilet seat made out concrete and the other made out of wood are old dry pit latrines built by the community or school. The old latrines are buried by the community members, so they can no longer be used. We do use any material that can help us build the new latrine. For example the wood can be used fo...
  
  Hello Charlie,
  
  The photos with the toilet seat made out concrete and the other made out of wood are old dry pit latrines built by the community or school. The old latrines are buried by the community members, so they can no longer be used. We do use any material that can help us build the new latrine. For example the wood can be used for the frames to pour the concrete slab. The PWW latrines have a metal superstructure, a ceramic bowl or toilet seat that can be flushed with a liter of water, a concrete slab for the superstructure and concrete slab for the pits.
  
  Our experience with the pour flush latrine has been good. The beneficiaries prefer this type of latrine because is easy to clean, doesn't smell or attract insects. Most of the homes have access to running water ( water from the source coming through garden hose into an overflow bucket or pila). Most of the schools use the same method with their water flowing into a pila. This latrine is also good for the schools as it is easy for the children to use.
  
  Most of the soil in Trojes is clay. This means it has a slow permeability. Before we install a latrine we check the surrounding area to make sure that there are no water sources near or below the installation site.
  
  The Trojes region does not have issues with water quantity but with water quality. Thus many homes and schools have water at their respective location. Most of the communities have access to a river or stream. If a house doesn't have water it is mostly because they haven't connected a hose to the water source. The schools also use this method for obtaining water. If they do not already have a pile for water collection, we build a WASH station so they have water for the latrine, to clean their school and most importantly there is a section to wash their hands.
  
  Hope this helps. Thanks!
  Jamin
- Charlie Huizenga of Agua Para la Vida (APLV)
  
  Very helpful, thank you. Nice to have such plentiful access to water. We often encounter clay soils in Nicaragua - I was wondering whether there is sufficient drainage in the pits to support the flush and prevent the pit from filling with water and overflowing...
  
  Very helpful, thank you. Nice to have such plentiful access to water. We often encounter clay soils in Nicaragua - I was wondering whether there is sufficient drainage in the pits to support the flush and prevent the pit from filling with water and overflowing...
- Carolyn Meub of Pure Water for the World
  
  Good morning, Below is one option that our staff uses to determine drainage: To test your soil drainage rate, there are a few steps: 1. Dig a hole 18” deep and 6” wide 2. Fill the hole with water, and let it drain overnight 3. Now, fill the hole again on the second day and record the time 4. Check the hole about every hour, until...
  
  Good morning,
  
  Below is one option that our staff uses to determine drainage:
  
  To test your soil drainage rate, there are a few steps:
  1. Dig a hole 18” deep and 6” wide
  2. Fill the hole with water, and let it drain overnight
  3. Now, fill the hole again on the second day and record the time
  4. Check the hole about every hour, until the water drains out for the second time
  If the water drains out of the hole in three hours or fewer, you soil drains quickly. If it takes four to six hours for the water to drain, you have optimal drainage. If the water takes more than seven or eight hours to drain, you have poor drainage.
  
  Thanks!
  Jamin
- Lynn Roberts of Agua Para La Salud (APLS)
  
  The method of determining soil absorption (perk test) was used in the US for many years to determine drain field capability for septic systems that had drain-field trenches no more than 3 feet deep. One should be careful with this method for latrine pits or seepage pits since they are often 3 meters or more deep. It is not uncommon to find...
  
  The method of determining soil absorption (perk test) was used in the US for many years to determine drain field capability for septic systems that had drain-field trenches no more than 3 feet deep. One should be careful with this method for latrine pits or seepage pits since they are often 3 meters or more deep. It is not uncommon to find good soils to a depth 1 meter that have developed over centuries of microbe and worm activity , but are some times over a layer of clay or less permeable soils. The preferred method in the US now is to dig a pit at least 3 meters deep ( back hoe or hand dug) to see the soil profile for the total distance.

Rating: 9

review by Agua Para La Salud (APLS)

Schools and school children are the most under served populations in developing countries. Whenever to opportunity arises to assist in this area it should be encouraged. Care should be taken to ensure that the facilities are well built and have designs that will last for generations of students since it may be the only opportunity the school will have for assistance.

Hygiene education is a excellent investment in the future of children since they will be the hygiene instructors of the future when they are parents and mentors.

Pure Water For the World is in the beginning of their development to provide the above mentioned support to schools in geographically challenged areas of Honduras and any concerns I have about the longevity of their designs and long term hygiene education is over ridden by PWW´s initiative to enter this field.
Rating: 8

review by Agua Para la Vida (APLV)

This looks like a well thought out and cost effective project. I have some concerns about the long-term effectiveness of the filters, but it looks like they have experience with them and will be watching that carefully.
Rating: 4

review by Blue Planet Network

I see no previous effort to track filter sustainability. This project wants to add a case to protect the filter. Does that mean in previous projects filters broke, stopped working? If so, where is that documented?

It seems that these school projects supplement projects that provide filters and sanitation facilities to the home. It would be good to be able to see the results of the first projects and link these school projects to them, if they were PWW projects and mentioned if it was another organization's work.

Its not clear that the learnings, including changes in the community (increased health, increased population, ...), are being captured for internal use.
Rating: 8

review by El Porvenir

Good luck with the project. Even with a local contact for Sawyer, I still worry a touch on the supply chain in bringing parts from the US or farther...
Rating: 6

review by Tanzania Mission to the Poor and Disabled (PADI)

The project is good to be funded though the impacted group is very low
Rating: 7

review by Project Well

Insufficient reports of historical projects.
Not Reviewed

by Team Blue

plan 547Sustainable Safe Water Project and Hygiene Education to 5 schools located in remote Trojes, Honduras

by Pure Water for the World in Honduras

Status: Rejected

Peer Review

Summary

Background

Location

Attachments

Focus

People Getting Safe Drinking Water: 180

School Children Getting Water: 175

People Getting Sanitation: 180

People Getting Other Benefits: 180

Start Date: 2013-10-01

Completion Date: 2014-01-17

Technology Used:

Phases:

Community Organization:

Government Interaction:

Ancillary activities:

Other Issues:

Maintenance Revenue:

Maintenance Cost:

Metrics:

Cost: $14,931

Co Funding Amount:

Community Contribution Amount:

Fund Requested: $14,931

Attachments