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Day 3: Household Visits, Lab Training and Full Implementation Review

Posted on January 4, 2011January 7, 2011 by communitywatersolutions

Day 3 of the Fellowship was a very full day for the teams. The first half of the day was spent visiting existing CWS villages. Each team visited a different CWS village. Half of each team monitored sales at the treatment center while the other half did household water storage monitoring with their translator. Both team halves took water samples along the way.

Why yes, that is a big ant hill towering above us!

I tagged along with Team 3 (Kathryn, Lauren, Jim and Elsie) for the day.

Lauren couldn't resist trying to climb the ant hill 🙂

In Cheko, Team 3 encountered an example of the difficulties that can arise in development work. For the first time, we found in Cheko that households didn’t have clean water in their homes and some had dirty water in their containers. The center wasn’t running and it had obviously not been for at least a week. The CWS staff immediately looked into this and discovered that the women running the center had left the village (for various reasons) without leaving properly trained women behind to keep the center running. Shak met with the chief and elders to solve the problem and held an emergency community meeting to reiterate the significance of clean drinking water and the need to use household containers properly. The next day, he spent going household to household to repeat this message and the treatment center was cleaned and new women were selected to be trained to run the center. Team 3 was disappointed to not see the Cheko center up and running that day but appreciated the realistic experience they were getting. Personally, though we realize that we are here to monitor and problem solve, it’s never enjoyable to see such rare problems. Teams 1, 2, and 4 all visited villages with busily running centers and every household visit showed properly stored clean drinking water.

Lauren tried to blend with the village by making goat noises...there was minimal success.

...but the children loved the goat-sounding girl 🙂

And for lunch? Ta da!! Chicken & Rice! Yum!

Sometimes it's best to get in out of the sun after a while.

As there are no bunnies in northern Ghana, these are called giraffe ears...

Lunch out was a nice break, even if the menu was pretty familiar.

The second half of the day, the teams rotated through the CWS office, where they spent an hour and a half reviewing with me in detail the step by step CWS implementation process, focusing especially on the very important initial meeting with the chief and elders. Following this, each team moved over to the lab to learn how to properly conduct water tests and performed tests on the samples they had taken that morning. They were also taught to clean the lab equipment; we had to buy distilled water for the process, to ensure that all the testing equipment was clean and safe to use.

Mira carefully drawing a sample to test.

Heather skillfully testing the water while Allie holds the sample for her.

Jim draws from the sample Lauren holding open for him.

Cam water testing with surgeon-like hands

Nate watches in awe as Sarah tests their water sample.

Elsie takes her turn with the pipettor while Jim holds out the sample.

The hard part is done. Now it's time to incubate!! 🙂

To treat ourselves for our full day, we ate out. Sarah enjoyed spaghetti with vegetables.

Cam enjoyed red red (a traditional been stew) with plantains and chicken.)

Lauren played it a little safer with good 'ol vegetable pizza.

Day 2: New Year’s Eve!

Posted on January 3, 2011January 3, 2011 by communitywatersolutions

The second day of the fellowship began with a brief classroom review of the CWS approach to water treatment followed by a more hands on lesson. The fellows practiced rolling alum balls and using it on samples of dugout water. After seeing for themselves the magical filtering ability of alum, the fellows split up into their teams and practiced simulations of random household monitoring with their translators.

Luke with Alum — Luke practicing using alum with dugout water

Kathryn practices a household monitoring visit with her translator. Lauren played the part of the village woman and then they switched roles.

Luke practiced the household visit with Jim playing the villager. Wahab translated.

Luke checks inside the container and inquires about the level of water and the last time the villager (Jim) filled the container at the treatment center.

Hannah practices while Nate (who just arrived this morning!) plays the villager and TJ translates.

"Do you mind if I take a look inside your container?"

"Aha! This is not water from the treatment center!" -Every fellow practiced any type of situation the may encounter in their visits and how to deal with each.

Kevin enjoying a New Year's Eve treat for lunch, guinea fowl with ground nut soup and rice balls. A delicious traditional Ghanaian dish.

The fellows then made their first trip out into the field to visit existing CWS villages!! Teams 1 and 4 went to Jarigu, Team 2 Cheko, and Team 3 Nyamaliga. The fellows got to see the treatment centers first hand and further visualize the end goal of their projects. They also got to practice their Dagbani with the villagers!

Jim, Elsie and Kathryn visiting their first dugout in Nyamaliga with some new friends.

Lauren and Kathryn see their first treatment center and make even more new friends! 🙂

Kevin, Allie, Luke and Jim getting acquainted with Jerigu. Jim made one child so incredibly happy simply by giving him his hat. He and the fellows were touched that it took so little to make someone so happy.

New Year's Eve Dinner! The menu: Chicken & Rice! 🙂

Jim and the fellows celebrate New Year's Eve by learning some new Ghanaian dance moves!

Kicking off Session 1

Posted on December 31, 2010January 2, 2011 by communitywatersolutions

After a long bus ride from Accra, fourteen of the Fellows arrived in Tamale late last night! Our 2 snow-storm causalities will be joining their teams in Tamale shortly and we can’t wait for them to get here and join in on the fun.

The Fellows' first meal in Tamale: chicken and rice! Two staples in the Ghanaian diet 🙂

The 2011 Session 1 Winter Fellows, enjoying their first meal together at the guest house. Welcome to Tamale!

For the first day of the fellowship, the fellows spent the morning in the office learning about the global water crisis and some of the technology and approaches to solving this problem. After a group activity and review of the coming week’s agenda, the fellows explored Tamale by competing in a team challenge, the Tamale scavenger hunt! The teams were given an hour and a half to find ten items throughout the center of town. Team one was appropriately named as they won the hunt in 55 minutes!

Starting off the first day of orientation with some fun team-building games

The group at orientation. Catherine and Nathan - we can't wait for you to join us!

The CWS scavenger hunt in the Tamale market saw a dramatic end! Mira holds her team's winning find. Everyone had a lot of fun!

Hannah definitely wins points for style on this scavenger hunt find!

Want to join in on the fun? Apply for the 2011 Summer Fellowship Program! The application is now posted on our website, so check it out today!

Welcome to Ghana 2011 Winter CWS Fellows!

Posted on December 28, 2010 by communitywatersolutions

This week’s blizzard on the East Coast made for quite an interesting couple days of travel for our Session 1 CWS Fellows. Luckily, 14 of our 16 fellows safely arrived in Accra as planned and other 2 will be landing in a couple of days! The 14 fellows will officially start their Ghananian adventure tomorrow morning when they hop on the bus with Shak and head up to Tamale. We are so excited for the start of Session 1 and can’t wait for the fellows to arrive in Tamale and start their fellowship orientation!

Thinking about Giving to Charity This Holiday Season?

Posted on December 9, 2010December 9, 2010 by communitywatersolutions

Support the CWS Fellows!

This winter, 7 teams of volunteers (28 people!) will be traveling to Ghana to help CWS implement new water businesses in 7 new villages in rural communities! The fellows are currently raising funds to support their projects and would really appreciate your support. Check out their fundraising websites:

Team 1 – Luke, Mira, Heather and Catherine

Team 2 – Cam, Hannah, Nathan, and Sarah

Team 3 – Lauren, Elsie, Jim and Kathryn

Team 4 – Alexandra, Chris, Kevin, and Marlene

Team 5 – Adelina, Pranav, Sarah, and Shalyn

Team 6 – Karla, Hannah, Annie, and Samantha

Team 7 – Eleanor, Rachel, Fabiola, and Sanita

Thank you!!

3 Villages in 3 Weeks: Opening Day in Nyanguripe!

Posted on November 24, 2010November 24, 2010 by communitywatersolutions

Thats right! Just a few short days after opening the water business in Gilanzegu, CWS opened our 10th water business in the village of Nyanguripe. This water business was sponsored by Stephen and Marie Nolan at last year’s Medfield Fundraiser. We were so excited to get it up and running! Thank you Stephen and Marie for your support!

The Nyanguripe dugout - this community's only source of water.

Nyanguripe is a rural village of about 280 people, located in the Central Gonja District of Northern Region Ghana (like Kampong and Gilanzegu). Like all CWS villages, the only source of water in this community is a dugout – a fecally contaminated, turbid, surface water source that is shared with the village livestock. In addition to being our 10th village, the water business in Nyanguripe is the 3rd unicef-cws partner community.

I had a particularly good time working in Nyanguripe because I was training our two new translators, TJ and Wahab, who we recently hired to help out with the 2011 winter fellowship program. TJ and Wahab are extremely hard-workers and fast learners. I had so much fun working with them in Nyanguripe and was impressed with how quickly they picked up on the CWS model! Here are some pictures from our work in the community:

Rolling alum balls at the Nyanguripe water treatment center.

Water treatment training day 1: Using alum to remove turbidity from the water.

Water treatment training day 2: scooping the water into the polytank and treating it with chlorine

Peter and Shak came to village one day to help us distribute safe storage containers. Here is Peter securing a tap to the safe storage container.

Opening day at Nyanguripe! Almost every household came to fetch water (and the people that couldn't make it came the next day!)

The beautiful CWS ladies at Nyanguripe working hard (but still having fun!) on opening day!

New CWS translator, Wahab, at Nyanguripe at opening day!

Happy customers bring home their clean drinking water in their CWS safe storage containers.

On the way to Nyanguripe we found an awesome sunflower farm! It was beautiful!

The sunflowers are being farmed for their oil.

The main reason that we were able to open in three new communities in such a short period of time is that Shak and Peter, two of our awesome Ghanaian staff members, have started leading village implementations on their own. You may remember that Peter opened his first water business in Cheko and he did a great job! We continue to be impressed with his work ethic and patience when working in the field.

After working for CWS for 8 months, we decided it was time for Shak to follow in Peter’s footsteps and start leading implementations as well. He was in charge of setting up the water business in Gilanzegu and he did an amazing job. We are very excited for Shak and are proud of how far he has come in the past 8 months! Thank you Peter and Shak for your hard work!

Gilanzegu

Posted on November 24, 2010November 24, 2010 by communitywatersolutions

The day after opening day in Kampong, we opened another water treatment business in the neighboring village of Gilanzegu. Like Kampong, we learned about Galinzegu’s need for safe drinking water from unicef who thought that the CWS model would work well in this community – so far they were right!

Galinzegu is a rural village of about 310 people, located in the Central Gonja District of Northern Region Ghana, 40 minutes outside of Tamale. This water treatment business was sponsored by Gerry and Judy O’Connell. Gerry and Judy – thank you so much for your continued support! Here are some pictures from Galinzegu!

CWS assistant program manager, Shak, unloading the 200-L drums for the water treatment center in Gilanzegu

Shak, distributing safe storage containers in Gilanzegu.

The CWS ladies in Gilanzegu scooping water from the 200-L drums into the polytank.

Shak recording household numbers on opening day!

The water business was packed on opening day!

Opening Day in Kampong

Posted on November 14, 2010November 24, 2010 by communitywatersolutions

Yesterday, we opened our 8th CWS water business in the village of Kampong! It such a fun and busy morning with 26 out of the 29 households in the village showing up to buy water!

Kampong is a rural village of about 525 people, located in the Central Gonja District of Northern Region Ghana, 40 minutes outside of the capital city, Tamale.

CWS first learned of the need for clean water in Kampong from Unicef, who had been working in the village on water and sanitation projects, but could not figure out a sustainable way to bring safe drinking water to the community. In the past Unicef has funded borehole drilling (which is not successful in most of Northern Region Ghana due to a lack of non-saline groundwater sources accessible to drilling) and household water treatment but was looking for a new, simple solution and was interested in our for-profit, water business approach. The water treatment business in Kampong is the first of 5 Unicef-CWS partner villages in the Central Gonja district. Here are some pictures from the past week in Kampong:

Sanatu and Santu (yes they have the same name!) the two women who run the water business in Kampong

Day one of water treatment training: Sanatu and Sanatu rolling balls of alum

Day one of water treatment training: using alum to remove turbidity from the water

Peter, passing out safe storage containers and showing people how to use the tap.

Shak using the results from our water quality testing to show people the "small germs that you can't see" in the water.

Water Treatment Training Day 2: Scooping the water (now clear!) into the polytank where it will be treated with chlorine

The final product! Clear, clean, (microbe-free!) drinking water 🙂

The water treatment centers become a hot spot for village gossip. We love watching the ladies hang out and chat while they fill up their safe storage containers.

Oops! Ladies got a little bit distracted by all the gossiping and started losing track of their safe storage containers! Here are me and our new translator, TJ, using the list of household names and numbers to clear up the confusion!

Despite the fact that the very sight of me makes most babies in the villages burst into tears (like this little guy! they are terrified of my pale complexion...), their Mothers always insist that I hold them. I don't mind 🙂

This water business is sponsored by the awesome Medfield FitGirls. Thank you to FitGirls founder, Sarah Nixon, and all of the FitGirls who raised the money to support this water business. Your hard work has really made a difference in the lives of the people in Kampong!

What does scaling-up look like?

Posted on November 11, 2010 by communitywatersolutions

Scaling-Up

Posted on November 10, 2010November 10, 2010 by communitywatersolutions

Community Water Solutions implemented our first water business in June 2008 in the village of Kasaligu in the Northern Region of Ghana.

7 months later, in January of 2009, we opened our second water business in Nyamaliga.

9 months later, in October 2009 we opened our third water business Jargiu.

After a successful holiday season of fundraising and with the help of our 2010 Summer Fellows, we opened four new water businesses during the first half of 2010, in Cheko, Gbong, Gidanturu, and Wambong.

We’ve spent the past two and half years slowly expanding, learning new things from each village, and slightly modifying our approach based on these lessons. We’ve learned a lot about fundraising, about building a non-profit, and about harnessing the enthusiasm and knowledge of willing volunteers.

We still have a lot to learn.

But, we now have the experience and resources to finally start scaling-up, and we’re planning to do it quickly! There are about 900,000 people in the Northern Region of Ghana (and 884 million around the world!) without clean drinking water, and we’re really excited to start making a significant dent in that number!

This November (as in right now!) CWS is implementing three new water businesses in the villages of Kampong, Galizengu, and Nyanguripe. By the end of December, we will be in two more. By February 2011, with the help of the 2011 Winter Fellows we will be in a total of 19 villages in Northern Region Ghana. In just three months, we are going to more than double to the amount of people we serve and we have no plans of slowing down!

Of course, the scale-up of CWS would not have been possible without your support. I would like to send out a big

THANK YOU

to everyone who has supported CWS over the past two years. We would especially like to thank the Public Service Center and the Legatum Center at MIT for funding our first two pilot villages, as well as our awesome village sponsors: Volunteer Shredding (Jarigu), iContact (Gbong), an anonymous friend (Cheko), Colleen and Jeff Clopeck (Gidanturu), The Medfield FitGirls (Kampong), Gerry and Judy O’Connell (Gilanzegu), The Nolans (Nyanguripe), The Reids (one of the villages for December), and the CWS Facebook Causes Team (the second village in December). Finally, I would also like to thank Jay Roche whose generous donation helped us to purchase the CWS Truck (without which, this scale-up would not be possible.) THANK YOU ALL!

Here are some pictures from our work over the past week in Kampong and Galinzegu. I have taken A LOT more, but the internet has been slow and sporadic, so these will have to do for now! I’ll keep trying to put more up on this blog as soon as possible!