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Community-Driven Water and Health Initiatives in Nicaragua: Lessons Learned from 2011

In July 2011, a dedicated team embarked on an enriching journey in Nicaragua, focusing on community-driven health and water initiatives. Through projects such as Photovoice, GIS mapping, and school building, team members engaged with locals, emphasizing health and safety issues that disproportionately affect the most vulnerable residents. Key insights revealed an unequal distribution of resources and highlighted the need for accessible water systems and sanitary solutions. While successful in many areas, the experience underscored the importance of understanding community-specific needs for real impact.

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Community-Driven Water and Health Initiatives in Nicaragua: Lessons Learned from 2011

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  1. Nicaragua: July 2011 R. Boots, W. Deppe, D. Griggs, L. Li, M. Jungclaus, T. Slack, S. Soni

  2. The trip was: The team was: Resilient Adaptable Tough Cohesive • Unpredictable • Challenging • Enriching • Educational A few words

  3. Location

  4. Team

  5. Photovoice • GIS Mapping • Water Testing • Bridges to Community initiatives • School building • Siuna hospital • Stovetop renovation Projects

  6. Interviewing participants about their images Photovoice

  7. Exhibiting photos with community leaders Photovoice

  8. Key insight: Subjects focused on health and safety, especially for children, elderly, and the poorest residents. • Most common problems: • Unsafe creek crossing • Unsanitary latrines • Trash dump and pollution affecting the most impoverished families • Inaccessible medicine/treatmentfor elderly • Lack of a safe space for baseball, soccer, and other activities for kids • In interviews, residents tended to focus on problems affecting less fortunate people, rather than themselves. Photovoice results

  9. What we learned: • Skills: engagement, communication, how to give instructions and host a meeting • Issues important to residents are not obvious to visitors or Norteamericanos. • Unequal distribution of resources • What Bridges learned: • School project is appreciated, but may not address problems identified by residents • New latrines and bridges may be more effective • Water system does not reach poorest families—those with contaminated water Photovoice results

  10. Verdict:successful, but room for improvement

  11. GPS Coordinate at origin of water system GIS Mapping andWater Testing

  12. Siuna: old and new systems • Old: always on • Very poor quality • Campo Uno pictured • New: Intermittent supply • once a week • Residents fill drums when they can • consumable by locals and Meaghan • Hospital: old system with state-of-the-art filters • Filters not connected • Rainwater used when drums empty Water Supply and Quality

  13. Fonseca: water supply different from family to family • Least-poor families use wells • Others use ‘ojos de agua’ • New system under construction for 44 households • Photovoice: many issues with dehydration and GI infections • Saline and other rehydrants inaccessible Water Supply and Quality

  14. Well (our host family) Ojo (Dna. Ramirez) Water supplies in Fonseca

  15. 100 ft. depth Solar-powered Pumps water to cistern atop of nearby hill 44 households included New system (under construction)

  16. Iron Copper Siuna used to be a mining town High levels can cause stomach, liver, and kidney illness No significant traces found • Presence can indicate larger contamination problems • Secondary contaminant • Significant traces found Water Quality: results

  17. Colliform Presence/Absence Indicates presence of other fecal pathogens All samples positive Only control run in U.S. negative Water Quality: results

  18. pH Turbidity Associated with GI diseases Affects water disinfection with chlorine Filtered water better than well water • Indicates if water is hard or soft • No acidic water detected • Hard water detected Water Quality: results

  19. Bridges to Community

  20. Fonseca schoolhouse: concrete steps and floor Bridges’ projects

  21. Fonseca bridge; Siuna latrine; Rancho allegre stove Bridges’ projects

  22. Takeaways: • Sustainable architecture and design • Community-driven construction • Great experience • basic construction • Language/communication • Interaction with Don Luis, Miguel, and other Siuna-area locals and BTC employees Bridges’ projects

  23. An amazing country

  24. An amazing country

  25. BTC did an incredible job getting us better. • Possible illnesses range from mild to very serious • Risks known, documented • Keys to prevention: honesty, caution, vegetarianism, preventative medicine • Keys to recovery: rest, hydration, antibiotics Health concerns

  26. Logistics made difficult by language, lack of cultural understanding, and “Nica Time” • Transportation, translation, safety handled capably by BTC • Nicaraguan staff extremely helpful • Awareness, common sense keep you safe • Violence, instability not a problem Logistical concerns

  27. In the works: Nica 2012 • Feasibility study for water system in Rosa Grande, RAAN, Nicaragua • Sets up long-term, sustained partnership with Bridges to Community • Students work with NGO staff to develop projects and systems in the developing world. Next steps

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