Progress/Status Report | Final Report - Safe Water for a Healthy Life

Over the last year, the Safe Water for a Healthy Life project has worked in Al-Mahweet to address the lack of clean drinking water. The goal of this phase of the project was to improve access to clean water, the cleanliness of private and communal water points, household sanitation and hygiene practices and the overall health of the community, with an emphasis on children.
This report for the Blue Planet Run Foundation, which supported the project with a generous contribution of $10,000, describes activities over the past year.

Healthy Life project was to establish household water connections in one community in Al-
Mawheet and to ensure that infrastructure is maintained by residents in a sustainable manner.
With this goal in mind, CARE has achieved the following results:
Output 1: A water distribution network was established
By the end of May 2008, CARE had completed construction on a water distribution system that
connects 42 households in the community, providing a total of 482 people with reliable access to
safe water.
Output 2: A water supply system was rehabilitated
By the end of May 2008, the water supply system, including the well, pump and generator, was
completely rehabilitated. CARE deepened the well by three meters to ensure constant access to
clean water. The old generator was replaced with a new one of higher quality that has the
capability to pump water more than 150 meters above the pump itself. Water is now flowing to
every house.
Output 3: An awareness campaign on safe water, sanitation and hygiene was conducted
In addition to infrastructural improvements,
behavioral change strategies in sanitation are
very important to ensuring long-term
improvements in the health of residents. To
promote this change, CARE hired a hygiene
specialist who stayed in the community for 10
days and trained residents on safe hygiene
practices. Both men and women participated
in the training, which consisted of three days
of instruction and a week-long clean-up
campaign in the village. During the
campaign, men, women and children cleaned
their homes, collected garbage from public
areas and learned about safe water handling,
food preparation and other important hygiene
practices. Additionally, 70 water filters were
distributed and recipients were trained on how to use and maintain them. The community formed
a committee for follow-up activities and set a schedule for a two-day clean-up each month. A
common fine was agreed upon as a penalty for anyone who did not act in accordance with the
new environmental practices.

Output 4: Water management committees were established and trained
During the course of the year-long project, CARE completed the following five training courses
in Al-Mawheet:
???? Three women, three men and two
systems operators attended a
training course about the water
supply system and generator.
???? An external qualified consultant
gave a training course to six
members of the project
management team about water
supply management.
???? 26 women and 16 men in the
community were trained to
maintain and operate water filters.
???? Five men and five women were
trained to use the DelAgua water testing system, which monitors water turbidity, PH
values and bacteria levels. Participants were trained to use the two kits to conduct regular
water tests.
???? The water management unit organized an exchange visit to the Addahabisha village,
which benefited from a donation from the Blue Planet Run Foundation in 2007. The
purpose of the visit was to learn from a village that already had experience in managing
and maintaining their water supply. The group also went to Bajil to learn about their
water management techniques, as well as their tariff and by-law system, which they later
adopted and implemented.