: Blue Heart Charity

Blue Heart Charity location and contact information?

By Bank-On-Rain Posted on Wed 30 Mar 2011, over 13 years ago

As Mark Steele related, your website is expired. The PWX affords the opportunity for small, all volunteer groups to partner with similar organizations, but we need more information on your mission statement, objectives and strengths.

I am particularly interested in learning of the on-going performance of the wells that have been installed. Any maintenance issues, who is responsible for repairs, are there periodic reports from the communities served?

Thanks,

Blue Heart Charity location and contact information?

By Blue Heart Charity Posted on Fri 01 Apr 2011, over 13 years ago

Hi Michael,
We are changing web service providers at this time. (Poor timing I guess)
The first wells were installed in 6/2009. The last time I was there and inspected the wells, was 6/2010. At that time all wells were working just fine with the exception of one. When we installed that well in 6/2009 it pumped clear water right away but after that it began to suck sand. So on my second trip in 11/2009 we dug it deeper. In 3/2010 I received word from my contact in Siem Reap that the well was sucking sand again so we added it to our work list in 6/2010 and we pulled it and moved it. I will inspect it when I return this May and hopefully it will finally be pumping reliably. In general I get updates from my contact in Siem Reap and I return and inspect the wells usually twice a year and repair as needed.
Thank you.

What education has been required for the ongoing use and maintenance of the wells?

By Bank-On-Rain Posted on Wed 30 Mar 2011, over 13 years ago

Welcome to the wonderful screening process of PWX. We all learned so much from it.

My focus is education, as we have heard so many stories of wells being given to similar villages, and after the charity leaves, the wells fall into disrepair.....and are no longer used...... this maybe part of Mike's question above, if so please feel free to answer in either place :-)

I also noticed in your video, there does seem to be some pipes from the roofs into some sort of storage containers and I am interested to know if they are collecting rain? Off topic, maybe but I am interested.

What education has been required for the ongoing use and maintenance of the wells?

By Blue Heart Charity Posted on Fri 01 Apr 2011, over 13 years ago

Hi Caroline,
I understand. I have observed this myself and it is one of the reasons I chose to take charge of my charitable contributions and form the BHC. My original plan / commitment was to continue to return and maintain the wells myself even if we did not have the funds to install new wells. However I have been more successful than I had expected and we are able to produce more wells than I expected. Our goals are to install 16 new wells this year. Because we are continuing to work in the same area it is physically possible for me maintain the wells but someday the number may be too great.
Yes they do collect rain water. Sometimes they just put a piece of corrugated metal in a large cement pot to do this. I worry about the way they store the water as they usually have no lids for these containers. RDI filters (clay pot style) can be purchased in the area for ~$20 but I don’t see anyone using them.
Thank you.

What education has been required for the ongoing use and maintenance of the wells?

By Bank-On-Rain Posted on Tue 05 Apr 2011, over 13 years ago

I am interested what the cell phone use/penetration is in the areas where you are installing wells? If not today, down the road this may be the means of educating and sending maintenance reminders to remote villages where you have installed a well, or where we work on a rain collection and storage initiative. I have been working in this space and see a great deal of potential, so I do look forward to your reply?

What education has been required for the ongoing use and maintenance of the wells?

By Blue Heart Charity Posted on Thu 07 Apr 2011, over 13 years ago

They seem to have great cell phone coverage in that area. In fact I have been from Siem Reap to the southern coast and many people use cell phones reliably. My understanding is that the phones do not cost much and they purchase chips that enable the phones to operate for some time, (sort of pay as you go) and the chips also do not cost much.
I like the idea of using cell phones to educate and track maintenance.
Thanks
Eugene

Sustainability and synergy

By Blue Heart Charity Posted on Mon 25 Apr 2011, over 13 years ago

It often amazes me how much a small organization such as yours can make such a difference. What you have achieved is truly amazing.

But when I read that you were returning to repair wells and the infrastructure, that worried me. Ideally, this should be something that members of the local community should be doing. Unless you can find a way of getting the community to carry out the servicing and repairs, none of your projects will be sustainable - they will always be dependent on you returning to make repairs.

Of course it is not always easy to raise capacity of community members who have been deprived of education to the level where they can fix or repair well equipment. But if you do not achieve this, you will find yourself devoting more and more time to repairs and eventually you will not be able to achieve this when enough wells have come on line.

To make the scenario more sustainable, the has to be some way of funding the remuneration of the persons who can service the wells and equipment. Ideally, that should be self-funding. But this is hard to do if all you are providing is well water that is not filters and that still has to be carried to each house. If you were providing water that is cleaned and piped to homes, the possibility of imposing a small monthly charge would be more feasible. The charge could be used to pay for the servicing of the equipment.

To achieve this would be impossible for your organization as it is currently constituted. However, it should be possible for your organization to team up with other NGOs. It seems to me that your organization has a specialty, which is to dig wells, bring wells on line using basic and appropriate technology (from what I understand, you are using hand-pump technology) and to teach locals how to maintain wells and well equipment. Why not team up with an organization that is also involved in clean water provision? You could provide the wells and well equipment and educate a local person in well maintenance and they provide the water cleaning/filtering methods and the pipe bringing the water directly to houses. In combination, this would allow for a sustainable solution as the locals would be prepared to contribute both in terms of labor and monthly payments.

Yes, there are bound to be lots of problems. Pumping water requires electricity which is sometimes not available and usually very expensive in Cambodia. However, new solutions are available, such as solar panels that are produced by Sunlabob, a company based in Laos that provides such solutions to clean water projects.

It is a tough choice - whether to remain small but independent and volunteer based or whether to scale up by partnering with another organization that will not likely be volunteer based and has a different philosophy from yours.

Sustainability and synergy

By Team Blue Posted on Wed 27 Apr 2011, over 13 years ago

Dear Eugene,

It has been wonderful to get a glimpse of your work via PWX. I greatly appreciate the openness and introspection in your replies.

Just as Dan commented, I too am inspired by the size and dedication of your efforts. Likewise, I'm also concerned about the technical sustainability of your inspiring work.

In your reply to Rajesh's question on "Need and Long-Term Plan", I am very happy that you openly expressed, "As for fostering local structure for maintenance etc, I have not done this. I need to start doing this and could really use some advice as to how to start a program and what kind of program is most likely to work in what situations / conditions."

(THANK YOU for being open about both your accomplishments and need for improvement. I have come across very few groups who openly share what they need to improve upon!)

Dan has given great ideas with regards to a service delivery model which could both help maintain the units and also create some sort financial sustainability/incentive for local to maintain the units. A seemingly successful example/analogy of Dan's point is Husk Power: http://www.huskpowersystems.com/

Albeit Husk Power's focus is electricity and not water (and for profit versus non profit), their service delivery model encompassing of local talent is what keeps the quality, technical, and financial sustainability of their projects in tact.

Because my inspiration during last 7 years has been empowered local experts that implement and sustain rural infrastructure projects, I would like to offer more ideas on involving local talent to ensure technical sustainability:

1. Instead of being the direct implementor, have you thought about eventually facilitating a group of locals to implement projects?

2. As you know, most rural communities have wonderfully dedicated youth who may not have been formally educated but can absorb anything taught to them with a hands-on approach. (In my experiences, there is often much to learn from the robust rural talent pool!) Have you thought about creating a basic curriculum to help knowledge exchange between you and the benefiting communities?

3. Would you like to meet others in the water-related work who have focused on knowledge transfer? If so, I would be glad to introduce to you to those that I know. (I have in mind several experts from Sun Energy Power: http://www.sunepi.org/mission.html)

Thank you.

Sustainability and synergy

By Bank-On-Rain Posted on Wed 27 Apr 2011, over 13 years ago

Eugene,
To the excellent comments/suggestions from Dipti Vaghela I would like to add the possiblity to encourage implementation and maintenance at the local level through training followed by financing of future installations via microlending programs. This could also provide a force-multiplier, expanding the benefits of safe drinking water to many more homes while providing a business opportunity to members of the community . . . sustainability, synergy and grassroots economic development. Microlending is not an area in which I have any expertise, but it certainly seems like a complementary concept.
Thanks.

Sustainability and synergy

By Blue Heart Charity Posted on Thu 28 Apr 2011, over 13 years ago

Hi Dipti,
I have given this some thought but still don’t have not tried to implement. Here is the situation. I travel to Cambodia to fund, coordinate and oversee the projects but I use local contractors to drill the well and build the base and install the pump. The labor is inexpensive. The pump and one of the valves is the greatest single expense. The equipment used is fairly simple but it does require gas powered water pump and air pump that is fairly expensive for Cambodians. If I provide the equipment and training, the people I serve would still not be able to afford the parts. That said I am always interested in meeting people that can help me understand more about this. 
My situation with understanding maintenance is that I haven’t found the best fit for my circumstance. Here is the situation. Once the well is completely installed, if it fails shortly after installation, it is usually because the foot lacks a thick gravel base and it begins to suck sand up the well pipe. If that happens we blow the foot again and if that doesn’t work we have to move the well. This has only happened to me once and I don’t look at that as a maintenance issue but an installation complication. (That has only happened once out of 19 wells) Assuming the installation is successful, general maintenance consists of just cleaning the inside of the pump cylinder and the top valve so no expense. Eventually the rubber on upper valve deteriorates and needs replaced but that can be years and the expense is not significant. If the bottom valve fails we have to break and replace the concrete base, (a bit more expensive) but this also takes years and it starts as a slow loss of pump efficiency. Eventually the concrete base will fail and need replaced. (Not the biggest expense but it does cost some money to replace) In short if the install is good the well should work without money for maintenance for 10+ years. When a situation occurs that requires money for maintenance it usually isn’t a great deal of money but it does require some experience with masonry and potentially a fuel powered water\air pump. Originally I thought I would just continue to revisit the wells and as they aged I would spend some of the funds I raise for repairs and give then another 10 years of service. I realize that if I install hundreds of wells over time I will have difficulties with that plan. However I can always visit the wells that are 1 or 2 or even 3 years old and make sure the installation was good. I usually look for a working male in the area and ask them if they understand how to care for / clean the well for regular operation. They usually do as these pumps are very common in the area and are even used in the city of Siem Reap.
What I don’t know is how to begin a community savings plan that will be viable for years given that it may not be needed for years and that the people around the well sites may come and go. Further exacerbated by their financial condition, it is difficult for me to imagine anyone saving or holding even $10 dollars for 1 year. Actual money in the villages is scarce and desperation can make people do things beyond reason.
I want to thank everyone for the time you take to help me understand this better and for all of the offers to help and the many different creative ways to approach this problem. If nothing else I am smarter to have gone through this process and definitely encouraged by all of your offers to help!!
Thank you!
Eugene Nelson