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.

A Progress Report for the Blue Planet Run Foundation Safe Water for a Healthy Life

Background

Communities in Yemen have long struggled with limited water supply, but in recent decades, water shortages have reached extremes. Increasing demand and population growth have outstripped available resources in many areas. A lack of water and sanitation infrastructure puts families at high risk for disease

In response to this challenge, CARE launched a broad effort across three of the Yemen’s 21 governorates to improve: access to clean water; the sanitation of private and communal water points; sanitation and hygiene practices; and the overall health of the community, with an emphasis on children. The Blue Planet Run Foundation’s most recent contribution of $10,000 is supporting CARE’s Safe Water for a Healthy Life project in one community in the western governorate of Al-Mahweet. This interim report for the Blue Planet Run Foundation describes project accomplishments over the past six months.

Project Activities

During this phase of the Safe Water for a Healthy Life, CARE aims to establish household water connections in one community in Al-Mahweet and to ensure that the infrastructure is maintained by residents in a sustainable manner. To achieve this goal, the project’s central components include:

• Establishing household distribution networks;
• Rehabilitating water supply systems;
• Conducting awareness campaigns to promote good hygiene and water conservation; and
• Training community members to manage and maintain the water systems in the long-term.

Activities

? Output 1: Establishment of household distribution networks.

CARE has successfully established a water distribution network connecting 42 households in the community and benefiting 482 people. The network has been implemented and financed with support from community members.

? Output 2: Rehabilitation of water supply systems.

By the end of May 2008, CARE had rehabilitated the community water supply system, including a well, pump and generator. The system pumps water from the source to the water tanks that supply households. The original well was 20 meters deep, and CARE extended it down three meters further in order to guarantee enough water for 24-hour access. The generator for the water pump was replaced with a new one with the capacity to pump the water more than 150 meters above the pump itself.

? Output 3: Awareness campaign on safe water handling, public cleaning, and water hygiene.

The education campaign has not yet started, but will begin shortly (see the table below for a schedule of activities over the next six months).

? Output 4: Capacity building training for the water management committee.

During the reporting period, one training event has been given to community members by the project engineer about water supply system maintenance. This will be complemented by additional trainings in the coming months.

Activities Planned for the Next Six Months

Activities Schedule (in Months)
6 7 8 9 10 11
Conduct hygiene and water conservation awareness campaigns for the community. *
*

Conduct water committee management training. *
Monitor water management committee performance. *
*
* * * *
Provide committee with technical support for water infrastructure maintenance and financial management. *

*

* * * *