Provide affordable water to villagers in Kerala

Since you last heard from us, our team has been working hard to bring you new and exciting developments! As we had reported, two of our members traveled to our India site to accomplish the set goals. They visited the pilot village of Achinakom, examining each tank individually. With the help of MGU’s School of Environmental Sciences facilities, water quality tests were performed on all 13 systems, revealing a high quality standard with low contaminants. Surveys were also gathered from participating villagers, and responses remained consistently positive.

Perhaps more significantly, we have forged a partnership with the M S Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) through local connections. Moving away from the academic focus our previous university partner (MGU) brought, we believe this step will bring us closer to implementing a self-sustaining business model and attaining large-scale social impact. As an established NGO, MSSRF will share organizational infrastructure with R4H—providing office space and regular project account audits that are essential to success, but difficult to come by for smaller groups like ours. The collaboration will be the first in MSSRF’s new Water Development Program (initiated September 2013). With the leadership and overhead support of the program’s director, Deepak Depanshandi, we expect frequent communication and mutual success. Details of the agreement are currently being discussed, and the final version will be signed by both R4H and MSSRF in January 2014.

We are also happy to report the hiring of our first, full-time Program Manager. His name is Jibin Thomas and he is a local resident of Kuttanad region of Kerala, where our operations take place. Our US project leaders were able to interview him for the position in August and were impressed with his passion for the community and experience in other social projects. Jibin was still attending law school in the state capital then, but has since graduated and is ready to begin working under the new R4H-MSSRF partnership. At the moment he is now learning the ins-and-outs of the R4H culture and is expected to be fully trained by the end of November. He will be leading project implementation and system construction by December, working directly with village residents to expand the R4H program. We are very excited to have him on board!

Under Jibin’s management, this spring’s dry season will see our most extensive construction yet. With funding we received from the Ford Motor Company, we plan to build 20 new rainwater harvesting systems—supplying water for 60 more families.  Most of these systems will be built outside of our pilot community, Achinakom—marking another new development in our program. Given our close established relationship with the people of Achinakom, that area will continue as a test bed for new system designs and business model ideas.

Things are the ground are moving quickly and at R4H we're very excited.None of this, however, would have been possible without the help of those who've supported us along the way--for that we thank you.