What’s New with Water Brigades?

Sep 6, 2011 1:37:27 PM | From the Field What’s New with Water Brigades?

Some amazing updates from the Water Brigades Team: 1. El Canton’s Basic Sanitation Committee is continuing working with the Water Brigades Team on a number of activities throughout the community.  These dedicated committee members will continue developing the ESCASAL program to improve household hygiene and sanitation, and have also created a Community Action Plan for the […]

Some amazing updates from the Water Brigades Team:

1. El Canton’s Basic Sanitation Committee is continuing working with the Water Brigades Team on a number of activities throughout the community.  These dedicated committee members will continue developing the ESCASAL program to improve household hygiene and sanitation, and have also created a Community Action Plan for the next four months that includes a community clean-up, delivering educational workshops to the community’s schools, and working with the school children to paint and hang up signs around the community regarding community health and sanitation.

2.  The Water Council and community members of El Canton are also hard at work to prepare for a Water Brigade Pilot Day with Northwestern University’s Medical Brigade.  With support from the local mayor’s office, the Water Council, community members, and a contracted mason are completing final repairs of the central storage tank so it will be ready for use.  Community members will also continue digging trench in the distribution network to prepare for pipe installation with the Northwestern students this Friday.

3. The Water Brigades Team also visited Guaricayan last week to follow up on the recently completed water system.  While additional follow up regarding some maintenance of the system is still necessary, the follow up visit revealed that the community plumber is successfully chlorinating the water and the Water Council has improved keeping records and collecting payments from the community.  Water Brigades Staff also met with the Basic Sanitation Comittee of Guaricayan and will begin developing the ESCASAL program in a couple of weeks.

4. Water Brigades Staff also visited Pajarillos to follow up on the Water System and meet with the Water Council.  Following the system of holding 2-year terms, some of the members of the Water Council have changed positions and some new members have been voted onto the Council.  The plumber of Pajarillos is still working to maintain the system and chlorinate the water in conjunction with the Water Council.

Members of the Basic Sanitation Committee with their spiffy new polos!

Sanitation and Hygiene posters that the Committee helps distribute to community member homes.

Basic Sanitation Committee member making a home visit.

Written By: Global Brigades