Document 521
PRE-ASSESSMENT REPORT
CHAPTER: University of Minnesota
COUNTRY: Uganda
COMMUNITY: Mulobere, Masaka
PROJECT: Water, Air, and Economic
Projects in Rural Ugandan Communities
TRAVEL DATES: January 5th – January 19th
PREPARED BY
Eric Hettler, Adam Both, Steve Hankey, and Amber
Koskey
November 14, 2009
ENGINEERS WITHOUT BORDERS-USA
Document 521 - Pre-Assessment Report
Chapter Name
Community, Country
Project Name
www.ewb-usa.org
Pre-Assessment Report Part 1 – Administrative Information
1.0
Contact Information
Project Leads
President
Mentor #1
Mentor #2
Faculty Advisor
(if applicable)
Health and
Safety Officer
Assistant Health
and Safety
NGO/Communi
ty Contact
Education Lead
2.0
Name
Eric Hettler
Lauren Butler
Matt Hansen
Frank Aramatis
Julian Marshall
Email
Hettl001@umn.edu
butle226@umn.edu
Phone
970-590-0616
847-345-7356
julian@umn.edu
612-625-2397
Chapter
EWB-UMN
EWB-UMN
EWB-UMN
EWB-UMN
EWB-UMN
Adam Both
afboth@gmail.com
206-484-9532
EWB-UMN
Eric Hettler
Hettl001@umn.edu
970-590-0616
EWB-UMN
John Mary
Lugemwa
Amber Koskey
jmlugemwa@gmail.com
320-363-3949
EWB-UMN
amaekoskey@gmail.com
715-570-1101
EWB-UMN
Matt.Hansen@goodrich.com
FrankArmatis@comcast.net
Travel History
Dates of Travel
Assessment or
Implementation
Description of Trip
Review the site for a rain harvesting
system, investigate the local cost of
supplies
August 2007
Assessment
6/07/09-6/24/08
6/01/09 – 6/30/09
Phase I Implementation Rainwater harvesting system
Phase II Implementation Groundwater supply and
distribution
3.0
Travel Team
Name
E-mail
Phone
Chapter
Eric Hettler
Adam Both
Steve Hankey
Amber Koskey
Hettl001@umn.edu
afboth@gmail.com
shankey1028@gmail.com
amaekoskey@gmail.com
970-590-0616
206-484-9532
612-599-2361
715-570-1101
EWB-UMN
EWB-UMN
EWB-UMN
EWB-UMN
© 2007 Engineers Without Borders – USA. All Rights Reserved
Student or
Professional
Student
Student
Student
Student
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Project Name
4.0
Safety
4.1
Travel Safety
4.1.1
State Department and International SOS Travel Warning
A travel alert regarding riots in Kampala was issued September 11,
2009 and expired November 10, 2009. The riots resulted from
conflicts between the central government of Uganda and the traditional
tribal leadership of the Buganda Kingdom. Fifteen people were killed
in three days of violence. Additionally, large crowds led to sporadic
road closures surrounding Kampala. The riots lasted three days and
ended around September 13th. Since that time, little unrest has been
see in and around Kampala. The team will be aware of the situation
but does not anticipate any problems because they will only be driving
through the outskirts of Kampala on their way from the airport to the
village.
4.1.2
Point to point travel detail
Before departing the United States, the travel team will work with our
partners at Hope Integrated Academy and Uganda Rural Fund to
arrange a driver to meet at the airport in Entebee. The driver will then
take the team directly to Hope Integrated Academy, which takes
approximately three hours. Groups who have previously traveled to
the communities have utilized this form of transportation with much
success.
4.1.3
On-the-ground phone number and email for travel team
The main on-the-ground phone number will be Hope Integrated
Academy. The number is 256-772-952136.
The travel team will have access to email. The on the ground email
address will be enhettler@gmail.com.
4.2
Site Safety – Health and Safety Plan
Safety Considerations
Day to day safety plans include only traveling in groups of at least two people. All
travel to the communities will be conducted with a guide from Hope Integrated
Academy. If groups are separated they will meet at the Hope Integrated Academy.
To prevent EWB team members from contracting diseases such as malaria and
typhoid, measures were taken to insure all team members were correctly
vaccinated and had the correct amount of malaria medication for the duration of
© 2007 Engineers Without Borders – USA. All Rights Reserved
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Community, Country
Project Name
the trip. In the event that a team member’s malaria medication is lost, extra
medication will be brought along with to ensure proper medication.
Finally, the team is staying with a family who regularly prepares food for Western
volunteers. The family practices safe food handling procedures and ensures
everything is thoroughly cooked. On previous implementation trips, no member
from the team came ill with gastrointestinal sicknesses.
Nearest Hospital Contact Info
As required by EWB-USA, the two health point persons will be fully certified in
first-aid and CPR. In the case of a medical emergency, the injured or ill team
member will be transported to a clinic or hospital depending on the severity.
Doctors and nurses staff a clinic 3 km from the school. Two large district hospitals listed
below in Masaka city have US State Department approval. Each are a 45-minute drive
away from the assessment site. Transport will occur using the vehicle of an
administrator who lives at the school.
Kitovu Hospital P.O. Box 524, Masaka- Uganda Tel: 256-0481-20097
Masaka Hospital P. O.Box 18, Masaka, Uganda. Tel – 256-0481-20018
Nearest US Consulate Contact Info
Plot 1577 Ggaba Road
P.O. Box 7007
Kampala, Uganda
Tel: (041) 25-97-91 /2/3/5
KampalaUSCitizen@state.gov
https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/
Emergency Phone Numbers:
256 414 259 791/5
256 414 306 001
Walk in Hours: M – Th 7:30 AM – 4:30 PM, F 7:30 AM – 12:30 PM
5.0
Budget
5.1
Cost
Expense
Airfare
On Ground
Materials
Other
Total
5.2
Total Cost
$7,500
$1,500
$1,000
$10,000
$10,000
Hours
© 2007 Engineers Without Borders – USA. All Rights Reserved
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Chapter Name
Community, Country
Project Name
Names
# of Weeks
Project Lead
Eric Hettler, Steve
Hankey, Adam Both,
Amber Koskey
Mentor (Matt
Hansen, Kevin
Huselid, Andrea
Stransky)
Other Team
Members
5.3
10
Hours/Week
(per person)
5
Trip Hours
(per person)
120
10
2
0
60
10
2
240
640
680
Donors and Funding
Donor Name
Barr Engineering
Detalk LLC
Donations from individuals
Total Amount Raised:
6.0
Total Hours
Type (company, foundation,
private, in-kind)
Company
Company
Private
Account Kept
at EWB-USA?
No
No
No
Amount
$7,000
$2,500
$3,200
$12,700
Project Location
Longitude: 31o 22’ E
Latitude: 0o22’ S
7.0
Project Impact
Number of Persons directly affected: 150
Number of Persons indirectly affected: 2500
8.0
Mentor Resume
© 2007 Engineers Without Borders – USA. All Rights Reserved
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Project Name
Pre-Assessment Report Part 2 – Technical Information
1.0
INTRODUCTION
During the past two years, the University of Minnesota chapter of Engineers Without
Borders has been working closely with Hope Integrated Academy (HIA) in a rural area of
the Masaka region in Uganda. Previous projects at HIA have involved water supply and
sanitation. EWB-UMN plans to expand the work completed at Hope Integrated
Academy by collaborating with the communities surrounding the school. The
communities struggle with issues related to water supply, water quality, indoor air
pollution, and poverty. To address these issues, EWB-UMN will partner with the
communities to develop surface water and groundwater sources, provide point of use
treatment for households, construct modified cookstoves in individual houses, and
expand on agriculture and agricultural processing.
2.0
PROGRAM BACKGROUND
The Hope Integrated Academy (HIA) is supported by the Uganda Rural Fund, a
registered 501 © (3) non-profit in Mulobere, Uganda. The Uganda Rural Fund is an all
volunteer organization whose mission is to develop productive and sustainable
communities by empowering children who are orphaned, needy, or marginalized. The
Hope Integrated Academy currently serves students from nearby community but would
like to expand its facilities to support orphaned and marginalized children. The school
will eventually serve as a secondary school, vocational school, computer center, and
health clinic for over 500 children and community members. Within the next five years,
HIA Hopes to also provide overnight residence for 300 of the students, mainly AIDS
orphans, and for school staff. A map and picture of the school location are provided in
Figure 2.1
Figure 2.1. Hope Integrated Academy location and picture
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When the school was first constructed, the only water sources near the school were
turbid, contained bacteria, and fluctuated with the seasons. URF confronted EWB-UMN
in February 2007 to address the issue of water supply. EWB-UMN has since
implemented a rainwater harvesting and groundwater supply and distribution systems at
the school. The project team hopes to expand the efforts to the community at-large
during future assessment and implementation trips.
Phase I Implementation: Rainwater harvesting for HIA
In August 2007, two EWB-UMN students along with a professional mentor, traveled to
the newly constructed Hope Integrated Academy to perform the project assessment. The
following June, six students and two professional mentors returned to Uganda to
construct water and sanitation systems with the school. The group implemented rainwater
harvesting with collection, storage, and distribution systems. In addition, a dry
composting eco-sanitation system with hand washing facilities was installed.
Phase II Implementation: Groundwater for HIA
In June 2009, a group of EWB-UMN students and a professional mentor returned to
Mulobere to implement the second phase of the project. The second phase included a
borehole with submersible, solar-powered pump and a modification of the existing
sanitation system. Group members, including two public health students, performed
community outreach in the form of community health assessments, community health
education, point of use water treatment, and a malaria prevention initiative. The
groundwater and rainwater harvesting systems will generate enough water to
accommodate the future expansion of the school, and the sanitation modifications will
enable students to better utilize the dry compositing sanitation facilities. In communities
surrounding the school, insecticide treated mosquito nets were distributed. Community
health assessments were conducted to obtain a better understanding of water sources,
water treatment methods, hygiene and sanitation practices, and incidences of diarrhea.
Phase III Assessment: Expanding to Communities
For the dozen communities surrounding Hope Integrated Academy (HIA), the nearest
water source is often a half a day’s walk away. The burden of water collection occupies a
significant portion of one’s day and falls disproportionately on women and children. The
few water sources that are available fluctuate with the seasons and are contaminated with
harmful pathogens. The water sources used by some communities are shown in Figure
2.2. Without a means to treat this contaminated water, many individuals, especially
young children, fall ill with waterborne diseases such as diarrhea and dysentery. In
addition to water scarcity and contamination, many households experience health risks
associated with indoor air pollution from inefficient cookstoves. The University of
Minnesota chapter of EWB (EWB-UMN) is developing cohesive, locally sustainable
solutions to address the air, water, and health concerns.
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Project Name
Figure 2.2. Water sources for community members
During the previous visits and the community health assessments, the community
members identified a great need for water source and water treatment interventions. In
addition, the community women’s groups formed by by URF identified a number of local
hand pumps out of commission for one reason or another. In the summer of 2010, the
team plans to address the water and health burdens that many of the community members
face on a day-to-day basis. Current ideas include well remediation, surface water
development, and implementation of point of use water treatment methods. In addition to
the water related projects, the team will address the health effects associated with indoor
air pollution by improving cookstove design and increasing household ventilation
3.0
OBJECTIVES OF SITE ASSESSMENT TRIP
During the fall of 2009, the project team has worked to identify and study potential
interventions for the water quantity, water quality, indoor air pollution, poverty, and
public health issues in the communities. The main objective of the assessment trip is
evaluating the feasibility of the numerous options. Objectives for each of the following
areas of focuse are listed below.
1) Water Quantity: To evaluate water quantity, the team will determine the
current water uses and water sources for the various communities
surrounding the school in which URF works. The team will investigate the
conditions and issues surrounding the hand pumps in these communities.
2) Water Quality: The project team will quantitatively analyze the quality of
the current drinking water sources used in the communities URF works in
using various methods for water quality testing. The team will also
investigate the feasibility of different point-of-use water treatment methods.
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Project Name
3) Indoor Air Quality: Cooking habits of community members and the
incidences of indoor air quality will be documented. Methods for improved
cookstoves and improved ventilation will also be presented to communities.
4) Economic Development: The current economic status of the communities
will be evaluated. Additionally, different ideas for agriculture, food
processing, and food storage will be discussed with the communities.
5) Public Health: Simple interventions regarding sanitation, hygiene, water
quality, safe water storage, and water treatment methods will be discussed
with community members.
Other aspects of the communities including the social and political structure, economic
status, priorities, and value system will be documented during the assessment trip.
Ultimately, the design team will utilize the information about the community structure
and the specific areas of focus to plan for the implementation of various projects.
4.0
COMMUNITY INFORMATION
4.1
Description of Community
The area surrounding the school is drier than other areas in Uganda and the Masaka
district. Local water engineers stated that only 25 percent of the population in the
Lwengo sub-county (which contains the school) has access to clean water. In addition,
many of the wells in the area are relatively shallow and do not provide water during the
dry season. During an implementation trip in June 2009, a survey of the region was
completed to compile population and water supply data. The following list provides an
overview of approximately half of the local villages and communities surrounding the
school. Children from these communities currently attend the after school programs at
Hope Integrated Academy (HIA). The kids will attend HIA full time as the resources
expand.
•
Mulobere lacks a year-round water source. The village consists of approximately
50 houses and 500 people. The school is located in Mulobere, but the village is
small and not well known outside of the immediate area. A wealthy landowner in
Mulobere does have an extensive rainwater harvesting system, but he does not
share any of this water with the community.
•
One kilometer to the north is Kamutuza, with 30 houses and approximately 300
people - all without clean water.
• One kilometer to the northwest is the trading center, Kyawaggonya. This small
•
trading center of approximately 30 houses and 300 people has no water.
One kilometer to the south along Mbarara Road, which passes immediately to the
north of the school property, is the large trading center Keytume. Keytume has a
primary school, two secondary schools, a nursery and a bore well. Approximately
© 2007 Engineers Without Borders – USA. All Rights Reserved
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Project Name
•
4.2
1000 people live in Keytume, but more come to buy and sell agricultural products
and collect water from the shallow well.
On the west side of Mbarara Road of Keytume is another community, Kalisizo.
Kalisizo has a primary school with rainwater harvesting system with a 5000-liter
polytank. This water is only for the school and is locked with a key. There is also
a shallow bore well.
Community/NGO Resources and Constraints
Uganda Rural Fund (URF) is a registered 501 © (3) non-profit that was founded in 2005.
URF’s stated mission is “to empower orphans, impoverished youth, and women in
Uganda’s rural communities, through educational and sustainable development
opportunities.”
Since its inception, the organization has increased educational
opportunities by constructing and staffing Hope Integrated Academy (HIA), provided
childcare for orphans, empowered men and women, worked, improved access to water
and sanitation for HIA, and opened cultural exchange between western volunteers and
rural Ugandan communities.
More information about URF can be found at
www.ugandaruralfund.org.
URF has three administrators who live on the Hope Integrated Academy site. Two of
these administrators, Adrian Ssemukasa and Fred Ntale, are primarily responsible for the
operating of the school. The other administrator, Maureen Nakalinz, is the Women’s
Empowerment Program Direction. In a little under a year, Maureen has established
strong women’s groups in the communities surrounding the community. Maureen and
the women’s groups will provide a major resource for the sustainability of the next
project phase. Additionally, the other URF administrators at HIA are native to the region
and will provide invaluable insight and guidance throughout the next phase of the project.
Community members also have much to contribute to the project. On previous
implementation trips, the community members have expressed interest in the projects
being completed at the school. This interest along with interest from women’s groups in
the communities indicates the communities will be willing to commit time and labor to
implement various projects. Unfortunately, people in the communities do not have
extensive monetary resources to contribute to the project. The goal of the economic
development projects is to create a sustainable source of income to help operate and
maintain any systems implemented. Until a more defined economic structure is in place,
however, the sustainability of a project will require low operation, maintenance, and
replacement costs.
4.3
Community Relations
During previous assessment and implementation trips, the project team has had quality
interactions with the communities surrounding HIA. Since most of the time on previous
trips was spent at the school, the majority of interactions have been with the children at
the school. Interactions with the students provided not only an enjoyable break from work
but also provided insight into the African culture. Team members have also engaged in
© 2007 Engineers Without Borders – USA. All Rights Reserved
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Community, Country
Project Name
many different events that allowed them to interact with the members of communities
surrounding the school Events included participating in soccer games, attending church,
traveling to larger towns for supplies, and visiting different communities to conduct
health surveys.
The people of the surrounding communities have been very accepting of the members
and very supportive of the work being done for the Hope Integrated Academy. While
walking through the towns, people often offer a friendly wave and smile, and the children
are fascinated with the international visitors. Overall, most community members have
welcomed the team into their lives and have allowed them to get a closer look into their
lifestyle. Maintaining this positive relationship with the communities is essentially for the
future of the project because it provides insight into the routines, values, and challenges.
Being integrated into the community displayed the community’s willingness to
collaborate on this project and possibly projects in the future.
4.4
Community Priorities
Every person in the region is affected by the lack of an adequate water supply. On
previous trips, the communities have indicated improving access to clean, reliable water
sources is a major priority. Their desires have been also expressed to the administrators
of URF.
Adults in the communities are very concerned about the children of the region receiving
adequate education. They have a clear understanding that education is the most important
factor affecting a child’s ability to escape a life of poverty. The establishment of HIA
was the first step in addressing this priority. Education, however, is affected by various
other factors. Some children are unable to attend school because they must collect water,
farm, or work to help support their families. To ensure all children have an equal
opportunity to attend school, the underlying issues must also be addressed.
Recently, access to fuel for cooking has become a concern in the communities. The
majority of people in the region use wood or agricultural scraps as their fuel for cooking.
Fuel sources have slowly been depleted, and the task of acquiring enough cooking fuel
has become much more time-consuming and labor intensive.
The project team has passively observed the community priorities listed above, and
Uganda Rural Fund has verified the priorities. Nonetheless, a more detailed assessment
of the community needs and priorities would provide the project team insight when
evaluating the appropriateness of any project. The assessment will be completed with
assistance from Maureen who has a strong relationship with the women’s groups located
in the communities.
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5.0
DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
5.1
Site Mapping
Previous project teams have completed detailed elevation surveys of the Hope Integrated
Academy site, but details about the specific location of communities are not well known.
Administrators at HIA have attempted to acquire maps identifying communities the
region, but the maps have not been found. The administrators at HIA have explained
maps are not common in the region, and the only maps for the region are generally
created by westerners. The only map of the area the team has access to was created in
1960.
For the purposes of the project, the assessment team will need to determine the locations
of the various communities in which we plan to work. Most roads leading the
communities are unmarked so GPS coordinates will be recorded at different landmarks in
each community. Additionally, GPS coordinates will be recorded at the different water
sources utilized by the communities. GPS coordinates will be compiled in GIS to
generate a detailed map of the region for future project members to utilize.
5.2
Technical Data Collection and Monitoring and Evaluation Data
During the four-week stay at Mulobere, Uganda in June 2009, the implementation team
began compiling information about the communities by conducting community
assessments at six of the tweleve communities surrounding Hope Integrated Academy.
The six communities assessed include Bugonzi, Kajalubanda, Gankanga, Lwempama,
Kyetume and Kalisizo. The assessments evaluated community demographics, available
water sources, water treatment methods, hygiene and sanitation practices, and personal
health. The initial assessment indicates drinking water sources are scare, often an hour’s
walk away or more, and the available water is contaminated with high sediment loads and
harmful pathogens. The assessment also illustrated that boiling is the standard means of
water treatment in all of the communities surveyed. A summary of the data is included in
Table 5.1.
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Project Name
Table 5.1 Summary of information gathered from six community assessments
Community
Primary water source(s)
Average distance/time
to source(s)
Water treatment
method
Bugonzi
Swamp
Chazanga
(during dry season)
½ mile
Takes entire day
Boiling
---
Kajalubanda
Swamp
Borehole (spoiled)
Rainwater harvesting
(at household level)
7 miles/half a days walk
-----
Boiling
-----
Gankanga
Swamp
Swamp
4 hours
1 mile
Boiling
---
Lwempama
Ponds
Chazanga
(during dry season)
1 kilometer/1 hour
5 miles/7 hours
Boiling
---
Kyetume
Swamp
Swamp
Borewell
(no water present)
5 minutes
5 miles/4 hours
---
Boiling
-----
Kalisizo
Dam
3 km/2 hours
Boiling
The next phase of the project will expand on the initial survey conducted during the
implementation trip. The EWB-UMN project team has used the existing data to refine
the topics to be addressed for the assessment trip. The topics include water supply, water
quality, indoor air quality, economic scarcity, and public health. Each of these areas of
focus will require detailed data so the feasibility of each can be evaluated. The following
sections describe tasks and data collection techniques for each area. Descriptions of
technical data collection and monitoring and evaluation data have been combined since
they are closely related for this assessment trip.
5.2.1 Water Supply
As previously described, the communities surrounding the school have to walk long
distances to collect water from sources that sometimes go dry. Community members
have indicated a desire for improved access to water. To address these concerns, the
assessment team will map current sources of water, identify problems with broken wells,
quantify water use per household, and quantify who collects water.
Map Current Sources of Water
Communities generally collect water from surface water sources. Various sources are
located throughout the region, and each community utilizes different water sources. The
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location of water sources for the different communities and the path taken to collect the
water will be documented on the assessment trip. The information will be used to
determine the time and effort required by individuals collecting water. If more accessible
water sources are identified in the future, the baseline data will provide a means of
comparison and show quantitative improvements.
Routes from the various communities to their specific water sources will be measured
using hand-held GPS units. The GPS units have the ability to track paths taken by the
user. Members of the assessment trip can track the paths by following community
members who are collecting water. Additionally, community members could be trained
in the use of the GPS system so the information can be gathered. When the team returns
from the assessment trip, the GPS data will be uploaded in a GIS program to
quantitatively determine the distance required for water collection.
Identify Problems with Broken Wells
Previous attempts to alleviate the water supply issues involved drilling or digging shallow
wells in the communities and installing hand pumps. The government sponsored many of
the wells. Little or no follow up accompanied the projects, and most of the wells
throughout the communities are not operational. The assessment team plans to identify
the wells, document their location, and determine the reason they are no longer
operational. Information about the existing wells will help the design team determine the
practicality of developing ground water to help address water scarcity issues.
Community members and URF administrators will help the project team identify and
locate the well locations. The specific location of the wells will be documented using a
GPS unit. To determine the reason wells are no longer operational, the existing hand
pumps will be removed. A well sounder will be placed in the well to determine whether
or not water is present in the well, and the depth to the water will be documented. If a
well contains water and the well does not produce water, the pump will be inspected for
broken parts.
Quantify Water Use per Household
Community members and URF have indicated water quantity is scarce. The volume of
water used per household per day, however, has not been well documented. Determining
the volume of water is important to understand the severity of the problem. Additionally,
quality data regarding household water can be used in the future to easily quantify the
effectiveness of different water supply projects.
On a previous implementation trip, data regarding household water usage was collected
on a previous assessment trip by using a door-to-door survey. The surveys provided
preliminary quantitative data, but the surveys were time consuming and required an
interpreter at all times. The assessment team is working with Maureen from URF to
determine a less time and labor intensive method to collect data. Initially, we are
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Project Name
planning to have a sample of 10 households per community to track their daily water
usage by document the number of 20L jerry cans they use per day.
Quantify Who Collects Water
Collection of water falls disproportionately on women and children. Currently, this
statement is only qualitative and based on observations by URF and the project team.
The assessment team hopes to quantify who is collecting water in the communities. If the
demographic of people collecting water can be quantitatively described, the benefits of
future water projects can be better understood.
To determine who is collecting water, members of the assessment team will passively
observe water collection. One or two members will sit at a water collection site during
the busiest times and count the number of people in various demographic categories. The
categories will include young children (<5 years), children (5 yrs – 13 yrs), adolescents
(13 yrs – 18 yrs), and adults (>18 yrs). The gender of people collecting water will also be
recorded. Since the counting will be done by passive observation, the results will rely on
the opinion of the person counting. Nonetheless, this method provides a quick, efficient
way to collect a large amount of fairly accurate data.
5.2.2 Water Quality
The most common water source in the region is surface water, which is highly turbid and
appears to be contaminated. The water may be associated with high incidences of
gastrointestinal illnesses also indicate the water being consumed by the communities.
Currently, boiling is the only practice used to treat water. The assessment team will
address the water quality issues by quantifying water quality at sources and households,
determining acceptance to PSI/Uganda products, testing and measuring the impact of
various interventions, and collecting information about the cost and availability of
materials.
Quantify Water Quality at Sources and Households
To verify the assumptions about water quality, bacterial water quality testing will be
performed on various water sources in the region. Data from the water quality tests will
be used to define the prevalence of water contamination and to determine the
effectiveness of any future interventions.
On-site microbiological assessment of water will be performed following the Technical
Guidelines provided by EWB-USA. Specifically, the assessment team will use 3M
Petrifilm E. Coli/Coliform Count Plates.
Previous implementation teams have
successfully utilized these films to quantify the water quality of various sources at the
school. The E. Coli/Coliform tests will be conducted directly at community water
sources and at the different households.
Determine Acceptance to PSI/Uganda Products
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Community, Country
Project Name
Maureen from URF has previously worked with PSI/Uganda. PSI/Uganda is a global
health organization that works with rural communities throughout Uganda. Although
they offer a wide range of services, the assessment team is specifically interested in their
work with water safety. PSI/Uganda distributes liquid chlorine, powdered chlorine, and
Pur Packets to improve water quality. The assessment team and URF hope to establish
contact with PSI and get samples of the various products. The products will be presented
to the communities at community meetings, and the feedback will be recorded.
Test and Measure the Impact of Various Interventions
The team has identified possible water quality interventions, and a few of the ideas will
be tested on the assessment trip. First, the team hopes to measure the acceptance and the
performance of simple interventions such as filtering water through a folded cloth. The
products supplied by PSI/Uganda will also be demonstrated and tested. Information from
the pilot testing will help the team make decisions about appropriate interventions before
the implementation of any projects.
To measure the impact of various interventions, water quality tests will be performed.
The quality of untreated water will be compared with the quality of treated water. The
microbiological tests will be performed using the methods described above.
Collect Information about Cost and Accessibility of Materials
Water quality interventions initially considered by the project team include ceramic
filters, sand filters, natural coagulants (Meringa plant seeds), chemical disinfectants, and
flow-through water pasteurizers. The various interventions require specific materials,
and the cost and accessibility of the materials must be determined. Data about materials
will be used to evaluate the feasibility of the interventions.
A complete list of required materials will be compiled for each device. Previously
collected data about material cost and availability will be used initially. If information
about specific materials is not available, the assessment team will travel to Masaka to
locate the materials and document the costs.
5.2.3 Indoor Air Quality
Indoor air quality was not studied during previous assessment or implementation teams.
Nonetheless, many women spend hours inside cooking over open fires generated by
wood and agricultural waste. Continuous exposure to the byproducts of combustion
leads to both acute and chronic respiratory conditions. To address indoor air quality, the
assessment team will document existing cooking practices, test the effectiveness of a
pilot stove, and collect information about cost and availability of materials.
Document Existing Cooking Practices
URF has indicated the majority of families use wood or agricultural waste to make fires
for cooking. For the team to evaluate improved cooking methods, existing cooking
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Project Name
practices must be evaluated. Cooking practices include not only how the food is cooked
but also what type of fuel is being used to generate heat for cooking. The information
about cooking practices will be utilized by the project team to evaluate the potential
impact of various interventions being considered.
The assessment team will be able to collect information about food preparation,
household ventilation, and fuel source through active and passive means. To actively
collect data, the team will partner with and administrator from URF to ask various
community members about their cooking routine. The team will passively collect data by
walking around the communities during cooking hours and observing the cooking
practices utilized by various households.
Test Effectiveness of Pilot Stove
One of the interventions to reduce fuel use and health impacts associated with cooking
over an open fire is using a stove to contain the fire. The team has already obtained
designs for stoves that can be constructed from local materials. A pilot stove will be
constructed at HIA, and the improvement in performance over current practices will be
evaluated. The effectiveness of the pilot stove will be used to evaluate various options to
address the indoor air quality situation.
Once the pilot stove is constructed, the team will need a method to quantitatively
determine the improvements from the stove and display these improvements to the
community. After the stove is constructed, a simple boiling test will be performed. The
boiling test is conducted by having two similar containers filled with water. One of the
containers will be placed over the pilot stove and the other will be placed over a basic
three-stone fire. Fires will be started beneath each stove, and the amount of time and
mass of fuel to boil the water will be documented.
Collect Information about Cost and Accessibility of Materials
The project team has determined possible interventions to help improve the indoor air
quality. The interventions include clays stoves, metal stoves, aluminum stoves, fuel
source changes, chimneys, and ventilation fans. The various interventions require specific
materials, and the cost and accessibility of the materials must be determined. Data about
materials will be used to evaluate the feasibility of the interventions.
A complete list of required materials will be compiled for each intervention. Previously
collected data about material cost and availability will be used initially. If information
about specific materials is not available, the assessment
5.2.4 Economic Scarcity and Agricultural Production
Food scarcity and poverty have also been identified as problems in the area. Many
families rely on subsistence farming, and the only source of income is selling excess
crops. The most common crops for the area are corn, beans, cassava, potatoes, and
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Project Name
groundnuts. The feasibility of future projects will be evaluated by determining current
crop production, documenting current agricultural practices, evaluating preservation and
processing capabilities, and evaluating previous and current micro-enterprise projects.
Determine Current Crop Production
Although the team knows the types of crops produced in the region, the amount and
proportion of the crops are not known. The team needs to quantify the type and amount
of crops generally grown and consumed by families in the community. This information
will be used to help evaluate the implementation of modified agricultural, food storage,
and food processing practices.
Since crops are seasonal, the team must rely on a general survey to determine the types
and amounts of crops grown throughout the year. The most concentrated source of
knowledge will be the administrators at URF. The team will also work with community
leaders and women’s groups to complete this survey.
Document Current Agricultural Practices
Better management practices for agriculture have been shown to increase productivity,
improve soil quality, and reduce water usage. To determine which specific practices may
help, however, the farming techniques must be understood. With data about current
farming practices, the team can determine if agricultural interventions will improve
productivity and be culturally acceptable. Information about current agricultural
practices will also have to be collected by surveying the URF administration and various
community members who rely on subsistence farming. HIA also has a teacher solely
focused on agriculture, and he will be an important resource when evaluating and
determining agricultural practices.
Evaluate Preservation and Processing Capabilities
Preserving or processing food can increase the worth of crops. Compatible Technology
International in Minneapolis specializes in food preservation and processing technologies
and has operations in northern Uganda. Before CTI’s products can be implemented in
the communities, the feasibility of the methods must be evaluated. The most important
data for food preservation will include the crop production data described above.
Additionally, the team will present the CTI techniques to URF and community members
to determine the feasibility.
Evaluate Previous and Current Micro-enterprise Projects
URF has implemented micro-enterprise projects at the school and in the communities.
The projects include farming, pig and chicken production, and basket making projects.
Some of these projects have been successful, but some failed because they were not
sustainable. The assessment team will work with URF and HIA to try to identify the
main features of the successful and unsuccessful projects. This information will be used
to evaluate the feasibility of the different micro-enterprise interventions planned.
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Project Name
5.2.5 Public Health
The assessment team hopes to expand on the public health surveys conducted during the
previous implementation trip. From the previous experiences, several areas of
investigation and intervention have been identified. The areas include providing
education about public health, establish a “Clean Water Team,” conducting additional
household surveys, and presenting the importance of safe water storage.
Provide Education about Public Health
Public health education will focus on water quality and sanitation issues such as hand
washing, disinfection of jerry cans, water chlorination, and water testing. For all
education/teaching, it will be important to work with community members, the women’s
group, and HIA students to promote good sanitation and hygiene.
Hand Washing: We will teach the community about general hand washing; when you
should wash your hands, why it is important, and how to properly wash. Targeting the
children will be especially useful.
Disinfection of Jerry Cans and Safe Water Storage: Community members use their jerry
cans everyday for multiple uses, however, often times they are not properly
cleaned/maintained. To prevent cross-contamination and ensure clean water, we will
teach about how to properly clean/disinfect the jerry cans, and the importance of
maintaining the cleanliness of the water carriers and storage areas.
Water Chlorination: If the use of chlorination tablets is implemented as a way to treat
drinking water, we will need to provide education on how to use the tablets as well as
address any fears or health concerns about the use of chlorination. It will be important
for the Public Health group to demonstrate the use of the tablets and prove to the
community that chlorinated water is safe to drink.
Water Testing Kits: The use of indicators to determine clean water vs. contaminated
water will be important to teach the community the difference between good and bad
water sources and provide a visual stimulus.
Establish a “Clean Water Team”
A proposed method to disseminate the information regarding the intervention is to form a
“Clean Water Team,” composed of HIA students or other community members. This
team would be visible to the community and known as the resident “water experts.” The
Team would first be given an extensive training on water quality issues such as:
pathogens and how they cause disease, types of disease-causing pathogens, the
importance of proper handwashing, sanitation techniques, proper water storage, and
intervention training. For example, if the intervention was the use of chlorine tablets, the
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Project Name
Team would hold sessions to teach others how to use the tablets and important
maintenance information. The training would culminate in the awarding of a Clean Water
Team certificate and the presentation of a highly visible, brightly colored team T-shirt
and tools like water testing kits and educational materials. After certification, the Team
may give educational sessions on clean water in its own community or nearby villages.
The Team members may be in charge of monitoring the implementation and outcomes of
the intervention, and may make home visits to check on the intervention status.
If possible, it would be desirable to incentivize student participation on the Clean Water
Team by allowing them to count the time as community service hours, rather than
spending the one Sunday a month volunteering for other community-based tasks.
Members from the Women’s Group would also make excellent Clean Water Team
members. The benefits of training community members as experts are many: the
intervention is much more likely to be sustainable, community members are more likely
to listen to one of its own, and community members may feel more comfortable
interacting with and issuing concerns with a familiar face. Additionally, the Team will
better understand challenges that may arise and will be better suited to address
community concerns to the EWB team.
Although the assessment team will not have the time or resources to fully establish the
“Clean Water Team” on this trip, the idea will be presented to Maureen, school
administrators and students, and community members. Since these parties will be
running the “Clean Water Team,” their involvement and interest will be necessary.
General reactions will be used to assess the feasibility of the project in the future.
Conduct Household Surveys
Parameters for measuring an intervention’s success involve pre- and post-implementation
surveys to determine the incidence of waterborne illness and peoples’ satisfaction with
water quality. To measure the incidence and prevalence of waterborne illness, a
household survey could be administered asking heads of households to detail the
approximate frequency of diarrheal episodes over a defined period of time for each
family member. To determine peoples’ satisfaction with water quality, a focus group
meeting could be held prior to and after implementation of the point-of-use intervention.
The following is an initial checklist regarding sanitation and hygiene practices and
occurrence of disease.
Means of handling water:
Method of storing water:
Regular washing and scrubbing of jerry cans?
Covered storage container?
Stored at ground level?
Share water source with domestic animals?
Access to cleaning/ disinfecting substances.
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By hand/ long handle ladles/ other
Jerry can/ other
Yes/ no
Yes/No
Yes/No
Yes/No
Yes/No
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Access to soap?
Waterborne illness incidences:
Did you have diarrhea/ were sick within the
past month?
Yes/No
Present the Importance of Safe Water Storage
Observational studies, field investigations of the impact on specific behaviors and water
vessel characteristics on water quality and health, and intervention studies using modified
storage vessels have repeatedly confirmed water contamination during home storage.
Paired samples from individual water sources and household storage containers have
indicated that pathogen concentrations were generally higher in stored water than in source
water. Combining safe water treatment and safe water storage is paramount in preventing
the transmission of waterborne diseases. To address these concerns, the efforts of the
Public Health team will be twofold: (1) ensure the effectiveness of the water treatment
interventions by assessing water quality using microbiological testing and (2) reduce the
transmission of waterborne diseases by promoting safe water storage. The first effort will
be addressed using techniques described in the Water Quality section, and the second will
involve directly explaining the importance of safe water storage with community members.
6.0 SCHEDULE OF TASKS
The assessment schedule was generated using the tasks described in the previous section.
Members traveling on the assessment trip will leave Minneapolis Tuesday, January 5th and
return on Tuesday, January 19th. Approximately a week and a half will be spent
conducting the assessments in the communities. The preliminary schedule with dates,
tasks, and member involved is provided in Table 6.1.
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Chapter Name
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Project Name
Table 6.1 Schedule for assessment trip
Date
Task
Members Involved
Tuesday, January 5th
Fly from Minneapolis to Entebbe
All
Wed., January 6th
Travel from Entebbe to HIA, Contact PSI/Uganda
Map Current Sources of Water, Identify Problems
with Broken Wells
Build Pilot Stove, Document Existing Cooking
Practices
Map Current Sources of Water, Identify Problems
with Broken Wells
All
Thursday, January 7th
Thursday, January 7th
Friday, January 8th
Friday, January 8th
Friday, January 8th
Saturday, January 9th
Saturday, January 9th
Sunday, January 9th
Monday, January 10th
Monday, January 10th
Tuesday, January 11th
Tuesday, January 11th
Tuesday, January 11th
Wed., January 12th
Thursday, January 13th
Friday, January 14th
Saturday, January 15th
7.0
Quantify Water Use Per Household
Information about Cost and Availability of
Materials
Quantify Who Collects Water, Quantify Water
Quality at Sources and Households
Determine Current Crop Production, Document
Current Agricultural Practices
General Observations of Community
Quantify Who Collects Water, Quantify Water
Quality at Sources and Households
Discuss Storage and Processing Capabilities,
Evaluate Existing Micro-enterprise Projects
Determine Acceptance of PSI/Uganda Products,
Test and Measure Impact of Interventions
Information about Cost and Availability of
Materials
Collect Information about Public Health
Test Pilot Stove, Collect Public Health
Information, Complete Unfulfilled Tasks
Collect Public Health Information, Complete
Unfulfilled Tasks
Collect Public Health Information, Complete
Unfulfilled Tasks
Depart from HIA
Eric, Adam
Steve, Amber
Eric, Adam
Amber and URF
Admin.
Steve and URF Admin.
Eric, Amber
Steve, Adam
All
Eric, Amber
Steve, Adam
Eric, Steve
Adam
Amber
All
All
All
All
PROJECT FEASIBILITY
Expanding our efforts to the communities will be more difficult than working directly
with the school because the individual communities are not formally structured and are
difficult to contact directly. Using Hope Integrated Academy and its staff as a focal point
for the expansion into the communities is a pivotal to the success and sustainability of the
project. Before any intervention is implemented, a thorough analysis of its feasibility
will be completed.
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Project Name
Along with considering various options for the different areas of focus, the project team
has created decision-making matrices for the water source, water quality, indoor air
quality, and economic development aspects of the project. The matrices are structured
so that the different design alternatives are evaluated against criteria important to the
effectiveness and sustainability of the projects. General criteria for the various areas are
listed below.
1) Technical Feasibility of Intervention: Is the implementation technically feasible
given the constraints of the communities?
2) Effectiveness of Intervention: Will the specific intervention provide measurable
benefits to the community?
3) Cost of Implementation: How much will it cost to implement the intervention?
4) Cost of Operation and Maintenance: How much will each family have to save to
operate and maintain the intervention?
5) Cultural Acceptance: Will the community be willing to change their current practices
in favor of the new practices?
6) Accessibility to Materials:
Are required materials readily available to the
communities?
7) Possible Unintended Consequences: Will the implementation lead to any negative
unintended consequences?
8.0
MENTOR ASSESSMENT
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