Improving Water Quality in Rural Nicaragua
Self-Help International (SHI)
We are implementing a clean water project in partnership with two other organizations who work in the north of Nicaragua, so our target area is in the south near our training center.
In Nicaragua, the second poorest country in the Western hemisphere, water there is often seriously contaminated, causing severe diarrheic illnesses or death. Although diarrhea is preventable disease, it is the second leading cause of death among children under the age of five, and the leading cause of malnutrition.
Self-Help teaches farmers, predominantly men, to increase yields by planting naturally-bred Quality Protein Maize (QPM). Self-Help also works with women and offers financial education, family health education, and access to micro-loans to start up their own small businesses. However, poor water quality is compromising these efforts. Installing CTI-8 water chlorination systems is an affordable solution to improve water quality and overall health and well-being of thousands of Nicaraguans, especially mothers and children.
Self-Help International (SHI) builds and installs CTI-8 chlorinators,which is simple and affordable, in rural villages. The chlorinator system itself is made with locally available PVC pipes, valves, screen filter, and inserted chlorine tablets. Valves control water flow and the amount of chlorine disbursed.
Since the project inception in 2011, SHI has installed 40 CTI-8 chlorinators in Río San Juan, a district in southern Nicaragua, providing more than 33,000 people with access to clean water and preventing several kinds of water-borne illnesses such as diarrhea.
While these achievements are substantial, the need is great. Nicaragua has over 5,400 rural water systems that collect water from surface sources. Mostly contaminated, none of these systems feature filtration and purification devices to keep water free from bacterial contamination. CTI-8 chlorinators are present in just over 400 of the 5,400 systems.
SHI staff provide extensive training directly to Water and Sanitation Committees (CAPS) members so they can assemble, install, maintain, and troubleshoot the CTI-8 device, independent of SHI personnel after the initial installation and training sessions. As part of the training, SHI educates CAPS and other community members on the benefits of quality drinking water and matters related to proper health, hygiene and sanitation once they have access to potable water to eradicate the spread of waterborne diseases.
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SHI is asking other organizations to partner with them to improve the health of people living in this country. If this is something that our club could help with, or start a Rotary Humanitarian Project in the next fiscal year, now is the time to start discussing the issue. More information will be available if there is a desire to help.
