Water Access, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH) Project

Since our last project report, our GROW team has safely returned to Los Angeles, and the Mpoma team has rapidly begun to break ground on the next phase of our WASH project. The summer ended on a high note, when the GROW team and the Mpoma team organized and held the first ever formal Biannual WASH Training. All five water user committees (WUCs) were in attendance, along with representatives from the local sub-county government, and everyone was trained on important topics such as symptoms of waterborne disease and the importance of drafting bylaws. The WUCs also received comprehensive training packages (developed by the GROW team in partnership with the Mpoma team), and signed MOU’s acknowledging that receiving their matching money is contingent upon opening bank accounts. Before going home, the GROW team also sat down with the Mpoma team and mapped out the budget for the 2015-2016 year, the majority of which is allocated to the building and repairing of four new water sources.

Construction has already begun on one of these water sources— Lukalu 2. Lukalu is one of the largest villages we’ve been working in, and one water source simply wasn’t enough to support the population. A new water user committee has already been elected to oversee the new water source, and the Mpoma team is planning to conduct a comprehensive training with them in the next few weeks.

The Mpoma team has also been making strides to build the capacity of the existing WUCs since our first biannual meeting in July. They have already begun helping four WUCs assemble their applications to open up savings accounts the local bank— they are now in the process of taking passport-quality photos. They have also drafted an outreach schedule, and are visiting approximately two villages a week to check on any progress they’ve made regarding community WASH trainings.

Lastly, the Mpoma team has begun to look ahead to the second week of December, when the second Biannual WASH Training is scheduled to take place. We have decided to design certificates of achievement for the WUCs that have raised the most money or conducted the most WASH trainings— these certificates are being designed in Los Angeles by members of the GlobeMed chapter, and will be emailed to Mpoma to be printed and distributed at the WASH Training. We are also beginning to plan training topics we wish to focus on, and brainstorming other tools or materials we can provide the WUCs in order for them to best fulfil their roles.