Ti diyan kala a konurium gbambilimaa?

Two days ago we successfully opened a water treatment center in the village of Tantuani. After such an exciting day, we enter the last phase of implementation: monitoring. This is the beginning of weekly checks on the village to ensure that the water treatment center continues to run smoothly into the future. We returned to the village for random household checks just to ensure everyone was following the rules associated with the safe storage containers. In teams of two with our translator Amina by our side, we inspected eight households. Entering each household, we checked the safe storage containers to make sure they contained clean fresh water from the Polytank or rainwater taken directly from metal roofs. We thoroughly explained to members of each household the importance of keeping the safe storage containers clean and isolated in order to avoid recontamination of the water from other materials within the household. We made sure each household we visited understood the importance of drinking clean water rather than water from the dugout. They were able to clearly convey why this new water treatment center was beneficial to their health and the impacts it already has on their family members, especially the children. Many households we visited praised us for coming to their village and for implementing such a useful business. The best part of monitoring so far was seeing our samples from the households’ safe storage containers test negative for fecal contamination and e.coli. Keep it up Tantuani, we love you!

– Amina, Ashley, John H., Kate, and Lauren