First, we will distribute surveys to establish current incidence of illness, additional household barriers to clean water access, and recommendations for a water distribution program in the community. These surveys will be conducted by identified community leaders and carried out by March of 2016. We will analyze the data we receive from our local partners, maintaining the voice and investment of the community, to attain a thorough understanding of the issues facing them and plan for sustainability. In conjunction with the data analysis, we will collaborate Pack H2O"a company that manufactures innovative water carrying backpacks who has already shown interest" to finalize cost and strategies for implementation. Pack H2O technology radically decreases the time and effort required to transport clean water in a hilly environment such as San Francisco Morazan.
Subsequently, we will organize an on-the-ground intervention with Emerson House, a Columbus-based partner organization familiar with travel to El Salvador. During this trip, the Pack H2O system will be introduced at a trial level of ten households throughout the community. These households will and record interest of other community members and fill out surveys regarding ease and frequency of usage of the Pack H2O's. We will also distribute education booklets targeting adults and children alike. After obtaining preliminary data, we will distribute Pack H2O's"financed in part by us, in part by Pack H2O, and in part by the community"to all interested community members. In all, we anticipate the initiative will take one year.
Our success will be evaluated through methods including bacterial analysis, qualitative feedback, and overall WASH knowledge improvement. The first will be achieved through the use of portable coliform testing plates from the company 3MTM and a portable incubator. These plates will measure levels of coliforms and E. coli, two of the most common indicators of contaminated, harmful water. We can utilize these results to assess water quality changes before and after the initiative. Our surveys will also assess water quality with respect to odor, taste, and appearance. Additionally, we will collect data regarding how often family members are getting sick, days of school due to sickness, and which illnesses are more or less prevalent. The final aspect of measuring our success will be to assess post-implementation improvements in knowledge regarding topics such as hygiene, Pack H2O technology, and water quality.
In the community of San Francisco Morazán, there exists a SkyHydrantTM filter at a local school capable of producing over 500 liters of clean water an hour. However, the filter currently only serves students during school hours, a drastic underuse of the filtration capacity. The rest of the community continues to drink water piped in directly from mountain streams, delineating a larger issue: access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) education is also unevenly distributed. Though the school focuses lessons on health and hygiene, much of the wider population remains unaware of the health and sanitation issues driving the high levels of sickness in their community. Thus, we wish to engage the families of school children as well as those without children at the school through providing an efficient method to transport filtered water and the knowledge necessary to live healthier lives.
